Current Events > Get a smartphone they said, it'll be great they said...

(+) Yeah! (+)

It hasn't even been three years since I got it and now I'm dealing with a flickering screen and nothing I've tried has fixed it. This doesn't include the occasional instance where I can't get past the lock screen, or texts not being sent, among other random glitches. You know how many issues I had with the flip phone I was using for 10 years? ZERO. No glitches, no problems, nothing. The LG VX8300 was amazing. But no, AOL had to get rid of AIM and force me over. I really hope phones don't get any smarter because I don't think I'll have the patience to deal with them.

---

Y'know what, I totally agree with you TC

I hate smartphones and everything its era stands for

---

3 years? that's a long time, you should be getting a new smart phone every 3 years. i get a new laptop every 3 years too
---

3 years? You should be getting a new one every 3 months

---

What kind of crappy phone did you get? I've never had issues like that with any of my Samsung phones. Even my Motorola from 2011 was better than that.

---

No_U_L7 posted...

3 years? that's a long time, you should be getting a new smart phone every 3 years. i get a new laptop every 3 years too

Three years shouldn't mark the end of its life. I take care of the thing. Got a case, never drop it, never download any fishy apps. I go up to 7 years before replacing my PC. Being that a smartphone is nothing but a mini computer, I feel like I should get the same amount of mileage.

---

Master_Bass posted...

What kind of crappy phone did you get? I've never had issues like that with any of my Samsung phones. Even my Motorola from 2011 was better than that.

It's a Moto G5 Plus

---

R1masher posted...

3 years? You should be getting a new one every 3 months

3 months? You should be getting a new iPhone every 3 weeks.

---

VideoboysaysCube posted...

Three years shouldn't mark the end of its life. I take care of the thing. Got a case, never drop it, never download any fishy apps. I go up to 7 years before replacing my PC. Being that a smartphone is nothing but a mini computer, I feel like I should get the same amount of mileage.

no, no it isn't. electronics have a shelf life of around 5 years, and start to slow down after 2. around year 3 is the best time to replace it. PC's last a bit longer i think, but laptops and phones absolutely degrade that fast. no fucking way you get 7 years out of a smart phone without severe performance issues
---

Ok boomer.

---

VideoboysaysCube posted...

It's a Moto G5 Plus

also you bought a crap phone no one has ever heard of. buy something more well reviewed, from samsung or apple
---

No_U_L7 posted...

no, no it isn't. electronics have a shelf life of around 5 years, and start to slow down after 2. around year 3 is the best time to replace it. PC's last a bit longer i think, but laptops and phones absolutely degrade that fast. no f***ing way you get 7 years out of a smart phone without severe performance issues

Like I said, the flip phone I was using was working as great as the day I bought it even 10 years later. It's not until smartphones came around that yearly replacing became a thing. Probably helped that the flip phone never got any updates. That's what causes everything to die. Anytime something has to update, whether it's the phone or computer, I just think to myself, shit, what's going to break now.

---

VideoboysaysCube posted...

Like I said, the flip phone I was using was working as great as the day I bought it even 10 years later. It's not until smartphones came around that yearly replacing became a thing. Probably helped that the flip phone never got any updates. That's what causes everything to die. Anytime something has to update, whether it's the phone or computer, I just think to myself, shit, what's going to break now.

yes flip phones last longer than smart phones. smart phones are infinitely more functional.
---

Buy an iPhone and not a cheap android phone next time and you won't have this problem.

3 years is typical for most smart phones


---

Motorola is shit now except for the Razr

Pretty sure theyre just budget phones now that arent built to last more than a year or two.

Or do they still have something that competes with the other big Androids? Are they still doing that dumb Moto Mods gimmick?

---

My Note 9 still works great.

Of course I don't beat my phones to death.

---

_Marka_Ragnos_ posted...

Buy an iPhone and not a cheap android phone next time and you won't have this problem.

Yep, iPhones can be rocked for years and still hold up


---

Pitlord_Special posted...

Yep, iPhones can be rocked for years and still hold up

Up to 10 minutes of battery life

---

iPhones are the best phones in terms of longevity and ease of use.

go get an iPhone SE and call it a day.

samsung phones are great too and offer a far more advanced user experience if you care for that.

---

Yeah, smartphones don't last as long as the old ones used to. Probably because there's not much need for them to. Probably 80%+ of people upgrade yearly or more.

I use mine until they wear out, but the longest one has gone is 4 years.

Smartphones are used way more than old phones too.


---

VideoboysaysCube posted...

It's a Moto G5 Plus

that why your phone is trash

---

Irony posted...

Up to 10 minutes of battery life

My five year old SE that I had been using as a work phone and has now been given to my father still lasts all day.

Sounds like PEBCAK

My old flip phone would get like 2 weeks of battery life

No_U_L7 posted...

no, no it isn't. electronics have a shelf life of around 5 years, and start to slow down after 2. around year 3 is the best time to replace it. PC's last a bit longer i think, but laptops and phones absolutely degrade that fast. no fucking way you get 7 years out of a smart phone without severe performance issues

I got over 10 years out of my last laptop.

---

Rexdragon125 posted...

My old flip phone would get like 2 weeks of battery life

Yeah, with a low res barely lit screen and a tiny processor incapable of running any semblance of a modern app.

Cool.

JACKBUTTMOMMY posted...

3 weeks? You should be getting a new Nokia every 3 days.

3 days? You should be getting a new Android every 3 hours.

---

Get a new iPhone every few months. To stay trendy and always get the bigger model that phases out another standard tech in the name of sleek design.

Make sure you get the newest edition though, or else your old one will start throttling itself

---

VideoboysaysCube posted...

It's a Moto G5 Plus

Is that a free phone with data plan type of shit? Get a better phone. Don't got to be a brand new flagship, you can just get a year old pixel for a few hundred and call it a day.

---

_Marka_Ragnos_ posted...

Yeah, with a low res barely lit screen and a tiny processor incapable of running any semblance of a modern app.

Cool.

To add to this: Turn off Cellular data so it can only receive calls and texts until you really need it, turn the brightness to 10%, turn off all background processes and location services, turn off all push notifications from any services or calendars, etc. Only turn it on to send important texts or make calls, youll get a week out of it.

In regards to batteries, if you have an iPhone you can at least get a new battery after a few years for far less than a new phone (if you care to hold onto the same model instead of getting a deal on a better one).

Also, to TC: I see people with iPhone 4s and 5s still (I work in the wireless industry) and they came out almost over 9 years ago (11 this July for the 4).

As others have said, the issue is more likely your choice of device (cheap) vs the best on offer. Not saying they will last 10yrs or that its even that smart to hold onto them for that long, but its definitely still possible.

For anecdotal evidence to the contrary, my LG flip phone in 2005 had a bad charging port less than 2 years later and died completely. My slider phone after that ended up having a bad sliding mechanism by 2008, so I bought a full $700 Smartphone that I still find in storage and play with occasionally. It was an HTC Touch Pro, loved it. Im sure if I constantly used it over the years itd be dead, but just constant use and connection wears smartphones down.

---

Factory reset it. Back up important stuff only. If ur having battery issues replace it. That's all you can do short of replacing it. But most people replace their smartphones bi annually.

---

Makeveli_lives posted...

Is that a free phone with data plan type of shit? Get a better phone. Don't got to be a brand new flagship, you can just get a year old pixel for a few hundred and call it a day.

It was one of the best rated phones at the time for the price range of $200-300. I really don't think I needed anything more expensive considering all I need it for is call/text and random web browsing.

---