best comment under a video about the new iphone 17

I’m in this situation with my Note 20. I see no reason to upgrade just yet, though. Thought about a foldable, but the Samsung ones are too expensive and the Chinese ones look amazing but tricky to import and use in the US.

Alternatively, upgrade every year, but always to a used phone. If you’re like 2-3 years behind, the hardware upgrades aren’t that expensive, but you still have the latest software.

Every year? I couldn’t be bothered

I only want to upgrade to get desktop mode on the Pixel and potentially replace my laptop…

I’m sure others will chime in to disagree…but Samsung Dex has never been able to replace a laptop for me. Even an 8 year old laptop will do basic tasks better than trying to make the Android desktop experience work. Most apps aren’t designed for this. I’d recommend sticking with your phone and buying a used dirt cheap laptop.

Phones are not at all worth upgrading within 5 years for most people. Laptops and PCs don’t need upgrading in even longer. The cycle of trading in for new devices is a scam that everyone seems to be happy to fall for. The most dysfunctional this gets is where people do this with cars!

but Samsung Dex has never been able to replace a laptop for me

I suppose that depends on your usecase? Most everything I do can be done in the browser. My phone already handles webpages with ease.

All I want is a bigger screen and KBM when it’s convenient.

Would you care to elaborate?

Even in that super limited use case - you could just use a tablet for- basic keyboard and mouse interactions can be a problem.

There is the expectation that certain keybinds would work, that you could toggle natural scrolling, set a comfy cursor size, turn off acceleration and such.

That’s not a limited use case. Lots of people work that way.

I could use a tablet but then…why not just a laptop?

The idea is to only have 1 device to manage.

It might work for you, give it a shot.

But I found it was never really a viable use case to have a desk and monitor and KB+M and USB hub and charger…yet somehow be more inconvenient to have a laptop.

Androids don’t have great performance on desktop mode. It’s noticeably slow and kinda less responsive.

Almost no app is made for KB+M interface and a big screen.

Browser interface isn’t as you expect compared to PCs (context menus, extensions, link handling that might go straight to some app, etc).

It’s hard to describe completely, but it’s just a really poor experience that doesnt work at all for me. If I were going to rely on a portable device with me, then I would just use a Steam Deck to actually have a proper PC. I got a small 13 inch laptop for £150 with an 8th gen Intel and it works infinitely better. The only reason I would connect my phone to a monitor is for emulation gaming.

But I found it was never really a viable use case to have a desk and monitor and KB+M and USB hub and charger…yet somehow be more inconvenient to have a laptop.

You can get something like a NexDock that has all of that built in. Just 1 cable.

Other than that, that’s pretty much just how I already use my laptop.

Androids don’t have great performance on desktop mode. It’s noticeably slow and kinda less responsive.

How would you even know that? Have you used the new desktop experience? It’s not the impression anyone has given me. I am also not purchasing anything today, I am waiting for a stable release + good reviews.

If I were going to rely on a portable device with me, then I would just use a Steam Deck to actually have a proper PC

Steam Deck does not include any of the things I listed above. That’s like, the whole point.

The only caveat to phones is their batteries. Batteries have a limited lifespan, and users can’t easily change the batteries in current phones.

There’s also the risk that the mobile device manufacturer will brick your phone if you try to replace the battery yourself or have a 3rd party do it.

From a hardware spec standpoint, though, most flagship phones could easily last a decade.

I’d stay away from folding phones unless you want to replace your phone every year or so. I’ve known several people who had them just to have the screen start delaminating right after the 1 year warranty expired.

My 12 Pro Max is happily chugging along. I’ll only upgrade when it literally dies or security updates stop.

Yeah this is a concern as well. That’s the other thing keeping me from upgrading. The advantages of newer models are only slight compared to this phone which works perfectly fine. The longer I wait, the better the tech becomes. Eventually it’ll reach a point where upgrading makes sense, but it doesn’t seem like it’s gonna be this year or even next.

I consider myself fairly bleeding edge; I absolutely love all things new, especially if they are novel. However, I have never really seen the point in upgrading anything after just a year or two. If there is even any improvement at all, it’s never enough to justify spending money on it. You’re not going to be left behind just because the new device is 0.01℅ faster in 3 specific edge cases.

The longer you can wait the better, but I think every 4 years is the sweet spot for me right now.

The only thing I’m looking forward to is the possibility of OLED in a MacBook next year.

My last phone lasted me 6 years, and would have gone longer if tariffs hadn’t made me antsy about buying a new one before it stopped working. Fingers crossed this one lasts at least that long too.

The battery in my 13 Pro is absolute toast. I was thinking of upgrading but really, what benefit is there?

It’s no lighter, it’s thicker, the performance may be faster on paper but I doubt I’d notice.

Maybe I’ll just replace the battery and wait a few more years.