Major tech companies launch new phones every year with huge amounts of hype – but that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to upgrade your handset every 12 months to keep up with the latest features.
After all, most of us can’t possibly afford that – so how can you know when it’s actually time to upgrade?
Here are some of the telltale signs, and it’s worth remembering that the absence of these signs can also be an indicator that you’re actually fine to keep using your phone for a good while longer.
1. Your battery life is tanked
Battery health is a key indicator of how your phone is holding up. Modern phones all use lithium-ion batteries, which are really impressive in terms of size and efficiency, but they don’t last forever.
The more you charge them, the more they degrade over time, and after a few years of daily charging cycles, they won’t hold the same amount – even when full.
So, if you notice that your phone seems to have no battery life anymore and you’re having to cart around a battery pack every day, that’s a major red flag that you might need to replace it.
2. Things are getting slower
Phones nowadays have, in many cases, processing power that can rival even a laptop’s, but that doesn’t mean they last forever. As new software updates come out and are installed, phones can struggle to maintain their ability to move really smoothly and responsively, and app updates can have the same effect.
If you notice that apps are slow to load, or that switching between them can be laggy, these are great ways to know that your phone might be on its last legs.
Ever since i cracked my screen i hate being on my phone 😭😭 time for ah upgrade.
— n3ja._ 🥀 (@n3ja1) July 12, 2024
3. You’ve got a cracked screen
We’re all used to the idea that one unlucky drop of your phone can be curtains for its display – while they’re less fragile than they used to be, most flagship phones can still crack at the first accident.
If you’ve been dealing with a cracked display for years now, as surprising numbers of people manage to do, then you’ll probably be tired of unresponsive spots or hard-to-read parts. Repairs can be really expensive, so in many cases, it might just be more economical to simply replace your phone instead.
4. Overheating is common
This is tightly related to processing slowdown, but another great way to detect that your phone is faltering is to check its temperature.
This isn’t something you need to measure scientifically, but if you often feel your phone getting really hot in your pocket or in your hands while you use it, that’s a big sign that its hardware is struggling to keep up with your demands. Or, in other words, it might be time to replace it.
my phone is overheating so much it’s a sign
— holly (and ribbon) 🇬🇧 london N5/N6 (@spoonfulofswift) July 13, 2024
5. It doesn’t get updates any more
There’s much to be admired about keeping your phone for as long as possible, rejecting consumerism and e-waste, there comes a point when it starts to be a bit of a security issue.
Most phones only get a handful of years of updates guaranteed when they are released (although things are getting better on this front), and the end of these updates can also mean that they become out of date from a security point of view. This makes them more vulnerable to hackers and malware, which means they’re perhaps not such a great idea to keep around.
