How often do you replace your devices?

[Sheep]

How often do you replace your computer and mobile phone (as well as other devices you may use)?

I tend to stick with laptops for at least 4-5 years+ and only ever replace when they're breaking down to the point where it's a hassle. My current computer's been with me since late 2017 and while it has its issues it still works mostly as new... or it seems that way to me, at least. I did buy a new computer for gaming recently but that's not a direct replacement for the laptop I use for most casual tasks like browsing.

For phones, my current one is from late 2018 and is slowly showing its age. Discord doesn't always respond well to taps/presses and the phone lags up from time to time. Still, for the most part it works extremely well. I'm thinking of replacing it very soon since there's a newer phone on the market that feels less like a brick in my hand and reminds me of one of my first phones I loved. If I didn't become so interested in this particular device I'd probably have kept it for 1-2 more years! Assuming I end up buying it.

How often do you replace yours?

 

[Roni]

Phones - usually I get a budget model (nothing more expensive than $300, converted from my currency) and keep it for at least 2 years, maybe 3 if the battery doesn't bloat to hell and make me scared to use it (RIP my previous Huawei, you and your epic camera will be missed)

Computer - def wanna invest more in this since it's what I use for my livelihood, so I need the best specs I can afford. As much as possible at least 6 years of usage, and I think I've settled on laptops instead of desktop builds bcs I need the portability, what with a partner especially who loves going out/travelling, so I need to start loving it too lol

 

[Palamon]

I try to keep them as long as possible until they break or just come to a point it's simply unbearable to keep using. I had the same laptop for maybe 5 years before replacing it. Then had to buy two in the span of four months after the other one I had became slow as hell after a year of use.

For phones, tbh, as long as possible. But, I had to replace my last phone last year because CDMA was being shut down. Had that phone for maybe a year or two, don't remember. I prefer phones that don't have super huge screens, so I don't want to replace mine too often.

 

[Megan]

Not too often.

I'm currently phasing out my Sony Ericsson which has been in use for 10+ years. It's surprising how long this thing lasted. It actually still does its job perfectly fine. It even comes with a replacable battery that I never had to replace. The only reason why it needs to go is because they turned off 3G and as a result it's severely limited in its capabilities. I recently bought a 2021 model of one of the cheaper Samsung models. It cost 230€ but I got it for 170 instead. It does all it needs to be. But I do suspect that it'll never measure up to my previous phone due to planned obsolescense and whatnot.

My laptop at this point is also reaching its tenth year. It's served me well regardless of the wear and tear as well as the occasional abuse which it took like nothing else. However, I do notice that the fan is doing quite a bit of work nowadays. So at some point I'll probably need to replace it, as well.

 

[_confused_piplup_]

kinda rarely. I try to make them last as long as possible. I changed my phone in late 2019. It was an iPhone 6 that I got back in 2014. I hadn't enough memory. That was the main problem. If I am not wrong, it had only 16 G of memory, so yeah... I got myself a Xiaomi Mi 9 and it works decently. but especially it was quite cheap and it has 128 GB lol, so big update. I have super useless apps that I leave there on my phone and it's an amazing feeling. Better than constantly deleting videos and pics because otherwise I couldn't install other apps lol.
And this October I changed my laptop. My old one was a Macbook Air that I got in late 2014. I had to change it because it wasn't so powerful and memory was really full. It had very few space on it.
It was expensive to get a new laptop because to make them last I got one with good memory and good RAM.

 

[Orcaline]

I usually change my phone every 3 years or so

My laptop however that thing will have to be falling to pieces before I decide it's time to replace it

 

[Duck]

Yeah, I change phones more often but computers usually stick around until they're bordeline unusable.

My phone is starting to have problems to wake up from standby (it's really just the button) so maybe I'll replace it sometime soon but idk.

 

[Tsutarja]

i have no set schedule on when i replace devices tbh

just when it starts to go bad and i can't use it anymore is when i consider a replacement

 

[Drayton]

Frequently.

I have tendcy to break tech when I feel like angry or mad at something at the point, nearly breaking down. I can count how many times my dad sent my laptop for repairs and later at the point of no return, ended up a new one that is like 3 times getting a new laptop right now as of phone. Only once since it's really bad and my habit of breaking things that I just need replacement

 

[moon]

I have a laptop from late 2014 and a phone from 2016 or so. I built my decent gaming desktop in 2019 and haven't exchanged any part of it yet. So I guess I don't change my stuff very often haha. Aside from my custom keyboards... But that's a hobby ;) That's changed and switched and rebuilt for fun and for curiosity, not for necessity uwu

 

[Brendino]

I try to make sure my electronics last as long as possible, so I make sure to take good care of them. My laptop is going on 6 years old, and my phone will be 5 years in a few months, and I'll keep using both until they don't last me any longer.

Thinking back to 2010 (when I could finally afford to buy my own things), I've only had 2 laptops and three phones, and my second phone I only had for maybe a year before giving it away because I hated how small it was haha

 

[Amore]

Never? My laptop is a Macbook Air that's died and been resurrected twice, before that I shared a really chunky Toshiba with my brother, we still used it when it had 5 minutes of battery life though until we were deemd old enough for our own individual devices. My Switch is hooked up to a reasonably small dumb HDTV, I haven't sold on a console or game since my original GBA and whatever the Need for Speed was that basically ripped off F&F's Race Wars when my parents said I had to trade games in rather than expanding my collection (idiots). My family's VCR is broken, but I won't let them chuck it as I intend to get it repaired so I can watch all our old VHS (Revenge of the Sith the most recent).

That said, phones have been a source of poor decision-making. As a young teen I broke a couple of Sony Ericssons and the like, when I went to university I bought my first iPhone - the 5C. It was starting to come out of its shell but otherwise worked great, but I stupidly bought outright another, the 6S, a couple years later. But then I "preserved" that for quite a while - two screen replacements, then took it in as part of that battery mess and they outright replaced the device...which went straight into a toilet. Riced it, smashed the screen a couple times, but didn't get a new one until it really was struggling with battery life again. Frustratingly I took it out of the case to enjoy the feel of it and dropped it, smashing the screen for the 4th or 5th time across the two devices (to go with 0 smashes on the 5C) and can't justify replacing it when I barely use the phone. I still have my 5C, but last time I went to turn it on something went wrong and Apple support wouldn't get past "update your Mac software beyond the ones that have iTunes, then try syncing again", which I won't do.

 

[colours]

every 2-3 years. i forsee myself keeping my pc for a good while longer than that, but my phone is past the point where i'd need to replace it and it's year 3 that i've had this (mostly due to charging port malfunctions, and this phone is outdated anyway). but i make it a thing to take care of my electronics enough that i don't need to replace them too often.