Signs of changing your smartphone

The constant flood of snazzy new flagships and flashy Bezelless phones might make you feel that people are finding it tough to stay with just the same phone for a very long period of time.

Surprisingly, most people use their smartphones for about 2 years before finally upgrading to next. The very recent data indicates the average user will upgrade his/her daily driver after 22.7 months with the device. Then well, how do you know that it's time for an upgrade?

1- It doesn't run the latest version of the OS

Android flagship phones are typically supported with software updates for two years following their release. So when you buy the latest Samsung or One plus or LG phone, you can surely expect to receive the next two major Android versions. However, it's worth noticing that most OEMs priority is their Flagship phone, while budget and mid-range phones like Moto G5 or Samsung J7 types of devices don't receive the same level of support. While the scenario is different at  Apple, though. Where Android flagships usually have a two year software support, iPhones tend to get software updates for longer, usually between three to four years.

Is having the latest version of the Mobile OS all that important ? It is for some users, but others least care or for them it's not a deal breaker and they doesn't mind.
But OS updates does makes a big difference and it is the security patches; that comes with Software updates or newer Android versions. Newer versions of Android address the security vulnerabilities that hackers unalterably find and exploit. Up-to-date software offers a new level of protection from such vulnerabilities.

But, how do you know if your phone is still supported by the company? OEMs usually have a lists on their websites of devices for which they publish or are going to publish updates. Getting to the end of a device's support cycle is generally viewed as one of a reason to upgrade your device.

2- Performance is not as good as before

We all have noticed that how snappy and fast a smartphone feels when it's brand new and freshly unboxed. Over time though, it  will feel less snappy and less capable of running high demanding games and apps without dropping frames. After a year or two, there's usually noticeable lag throughout the UI and things take much longer than before. Have you ever wondered why does this happen?

Performance decay is something of a controversial topic in the Android world. Many believe that it's actually the users fault, due to the ultimate-Infinite build up of bloat after months and months of installing apps, which take up space and often runs continuously in the background.
But the reality is that apps are constantly becoming Bigger, more complex, and more resource intensive filled with animations and material UI. Your device may run the current crop of popular apps without a hiccup, but in a year or two the newer versions of those apps will inevitably put your phone under more stress than they do today. This can be caused by software and firmware updates that needs more power or newer API versions your phone isn't running. So, while you may be able to download Asphalt 8 on your 2014 or 2015 flagship phones like SAMSUNG Galaxy S4 or S5, but that doesn't mean it will run well on such dated hardware and quite possibly won't. So, maybe it's time for you to upgrade your smartphone?.

3- Battery life becomes poor

Apart from display and Camera quality, battery life is the biggest life is the biggest selling point when buying a new smartphone. For some people like me battery is the most important feature and I guess even youngsters would appreciate a good battery life in their phone.
As smartphones are becoming more powerful than ever and smarter their batteries are put under a growing amount of strain and stress. But Everytime your smartphone runs down, it's full capacity will be slightly less when it comes time to charge. It's not just with smartphone batteries, but it's with all lithium-ion batteries exhibit.

From the moment you start using a new phone, the battery will start loosing some of it's capacity with every charge. Batteries are only ever guaranteed for a finite number of charge cycles, which is defined as anytime you plug your device into it's charging cable to charge when it's power level is at 65% or lower. The battery is what allows us to use our phones great big feature, but when it comes to the end of it's life then maybe it's time for you to change your phone especially when the phone has non-removable battery.

Conclusion
Any of these reasons could be enough for you to upgrade your smartphone, but that's not to say, there aren't others. There are plenty of other reasons of why a person would not want to upgrade their smartphones. Maybe he's loyal to his present phone and is willing to buy the phone of that company only for eg. He's using a phone of a brand call Blackberry Bold and he's waiting to buy  Blackberry Bold 2 which he feels that they'd launch soon ( Which is not going to happen anytime soon) With/While plenty of people keeping their phones and using them for more than 2-3 years. Upgrading every year is not the best choice, nor it should be when you see ballooning price.
The benefit of using the same smartphone for 2-3 years is that, you'll feel major difference and you'll notice how much better it is from your past phone. Maybe when you're ready for a new smartphone you'll feel it.

Let me know do you use any of these indications as signs of changing your smartphone? Or do you have your own reasons ? Do you change your smartphone every year or after a long gap? Let me know in the comment section.

Picture Credits- AA, Gifs

                                                - Abdulla Shaikh