Not so long ago there were some truly high-end models, like the Samsung Galaxy S20 family, which in just a few years were left without updates. And let’s see, technically the fact that a cell phone does not have updates does not mean that it becomes a paperweight, but it stings when you have spent hundreds of dollars and this has important consequences . Fortunately on Android the batteries have already been implemented with the updates and brands like Google or Samsung already offer up to seven years.
After having a phone in my hands for more than half my life and devoting myself to it professionally, I am part of the team of Kinder Liu, the president of OnePlus, who compares phones to sandwiches: Is the filling on a sandwich still good seven years after it was made?
Short answer: no. In fact, I think it is more of a marketing and breastfeeding measure than a benefit for users… if all it offers is this. Let me explain: seven years is a long time for hardware, even high-end hardware, and of course, it’s longer than the life of a phone for most of us. Liu talks about user experience, but there is another problem: the deterioration of any device, inherent in its use.
Seven years of updates yes, please. But we need more
I change my phone every two years because of my work and my love of technology, but it’s not the same in my environment: I think of my partner and his Google Pixel 6 Pro that he appreciates like the first day, to my mother and her POCO M3, my sister with an entry-level Realme from a few years ago. Most people I know change cell phones. When theirs dies, has big problems or is left without them.
With a few exceptions, most of my environment joins the conclusion of this Milanuncios study of 2022, that is, they belong to the majority of people in Europe who spent less than 300 dollars. It’s no secret that cheap cell phones age worse than high-end phones (having the latest, greatest, high-end hardware is largely to blame), but Even if you have a flagship, the years end up weighing you down. Take for example the recently launched Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, an all-powerful model with those promised seven years of updates.
So even in the most favorable scenario in terms of sustainability, which is having everything high-end, in seven years we clearly won’t have this tone-setting design and there will be probably a new function that it will no longer be able to integrate because it is simply incompatible, but yes, you have been using this mobile for seven years, it will there are components that
The clearest part is the battery. As a personal iPhone user who hasn’t always changed phones that frequently, I know that this and the lack of space were the endemic evil of Apple devices. On Android, space shouldn’t be a problem, but it shares the problem of battery drain and this is seasoned by fast charging, a feature that many Android manufacturers rely heavily on.
As a result, it is likely that after three or four years at most, the battery will last so short that you will have to carry the plug with you everywhere. And the time comes to ask ourselves the question: Should I change the battery or buy another one? Each person is different in terms of economic possibilities and needs placed in their terminal. Let’s assume that the phone still performs well and that we are not very demanding.
If you spent 200 dollars on a phone and when you take it to a SAT they tell you it’s 30 dollars, you might think about it. If you spent a thousand and it cost 100, you might think about it more. But if changing the battery is something that simple How to buy a more or less standard component and exchange it yourself without too much mystery, additional parts or great technical knowledge, the balance will clearly tip towards yes. Here we will have to thank the EU and its law on “removable” batteries, which will come into force as soon as possible.
So seven years of updates, yes please. But if this is also done as part of a strategy to reduce waste, increase useful life and ultimately combat planned obsolescence, the better. This implies that it should be accompanied by measures which make life easier to keep phones in good conditioneven anticipating this law which is not yet in force.
There modularity Today it is something anecdotal and exceptional that we have seen at FairPhone or at some Nokias, but getting closer to this strategy is what will make these seven years of updates a more sensible proposition than ‘a marketing statement.
Cover | Eva Rodriguez de Luis with Microsoft Copilot
In Xataka Android | This website tells you how many updates an Android mobile will receive