How long are cell phones supported?

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I have an LG G Vista 2 from ATT. Best Smart phone I have owned. Like the call quality, camera, stylus, and replaceable battery. The downside is it is heavy, leather case wears out, and it has fallen out of the case onto the floor. My first one started getting dark spots on right side of screen after it fell around 2 years of ownership. I decided to buy a newish one from Ebay. Did not take long before it fell on concrete and same issue appeared. I do have a rubber type case. I am working on keeping a fresh case on my belt. I am tempted to buy another one from Amazon. The question is how long is the service life of a cell phone? It has Android 6.1 now. It came out in Fall of 2015.

LG G Vista 2
 
I wouldn't count on them continuing to release newer versions of Android so at some point app support will become an issue for "some" of them.

It supports 4G LTE which isn't going away any time soon. Odds are you'll wear it out or drop it again before support is a problem.
 
5G is coming. Don't know if it will support that. We have a lot of old cell phones at home. The ones over 5 years old won't support some of the newer apps.

Yours will keep working until it breaks but you'll be running the latest O/S.
 
Originally Posted by Dave9
I wouldn't count on them continuing to release newer versions of Android so at some point app support will become an issue for "some" of them.

It supports 4G LTE which isn't going away any time soon. Odds are you'll wear it out or drop it again before support is a problem.


They will keep releasing newer versions of Android but his phone will stop upgrading at some point. I have an old Ipad that won't upgrade the O/S anymore. It's topped out.
 
I had a Motorolla StarTac with Sprint for 7 years. I bought another one used after the first one had issues. It was 2g and the Sprint could no longer activate it (so I was told).

I am not a big App user. Need ADP for work. Love the big screen for that. Mostly used as a phone. Looking at the new LG Stylo 4 at ATT store but not feeling the love.
 
Originally Posted by Leo99
5G is coming. Don't know if it will support that. We have a lot of old cell phones at home. The ones over 5 years old won't support some of the newer apps.

Yours will keep working until it breaks but you'll be running the latest O/S.

I do not want a 5g phone or to use 5g. At some point I may not have a choice.
 
Bigger brands and more popular models will be supported longer, cheaper one off brand and model not longer than the warranty.

Probably about 3 years, by then they expect battery life deteriorate and too slow, and owners would have moved on. However you can still buy replacement parts like screens on ebay.
 
Originally Posted by MONKEYMAN
Originally Posted by Leo99
5G is coming. Don't know if it will support that. We have a lot of old cell phones at home. The ones over 5 years old won't support some of the newer apps.

Yours will keep working until it breaks but you'll be running the latest O/S.

I do not want a 5g phone or to use 5g. At some point I may not have a choice.


It's probably going to be a while before it's mainstream. Android phones are pretty cheap these days, easy to pick up one that has decent specs for $100-$200. Your old phone isn't that bad, processor is a bit slower than newer phones, but it's still got 8 cores. Usually there's pretty good deals around black friday, but at your price point, it probably doesn't matter.
 
I can get the G Vista 2 for $100 on Amazon new. It does not seem slow, but at work always connected to Wifi. I prefer a computer to go online.

I do have extra batteries for this phone. I killed an Iphone trying to replace a battery.
 
cell phone waves are NOT good for your health, more use + likely more problems + 5G will be WORSE.
 
Originally Posted by Jimkobb
I keep mine in my front pocket , it seems to support it well there.

This phone is too big to put in my front pocket. I have 2 eyeglass holders, a pen, and a piece of paper that barely fit.

It was funny talking to ATT regarding my phone. I was told most people do not like the G Vista 2. I am not like most people. My favorite feature is it is easy to turn on and off. Less is more from my point of view.
 
Originally Posted by MONKEYMAN
The question is how long is the service life of a cell phone?

Not sure what you mean by "service life" but it will work until the phone networks it can use are obsoleted by AT&T. As long as you can buy batteries and aren't concerned about Android updates, it will last a long time.
 
Originally Posted by hallstevenson
Originally Posted by MONKEYMAN
The question is how long is the service life of a cell phone?

Not sure what you mean by "service life" but it will work until the phone networks it can use are obsoleted by AT&T. As long as you can buy batteries and aren't concerned about Android updates, it will last a long time.

I used more of a computer term for operating system support. I have a lifetime supply of batteries. Not sure about AT&T obsoleting it. It seems they would do it sooner instead of later to push me to a newer model.
 
I can't stand having big smart phones in my pocket or in a holster for the very reason you described.....they get destroyed. That's why I still use my old flip phone made in 2004! It's an old Samsung, and it's about the size of a zippo lighter. I'm on Verizon, and they still authorize it so long as it keeps working. I can't see any emojis if they are texted to me, and any picture or text coming from an iphone either comes up blank, or comes in twice about 50% of the time. Android....no problem. Comes through every time.
 
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Unfortunately, my job requires me to sometimes clock in remotely using ADP. My phone is perfect for that. I agree with the price of smart phones. I guess I am still spoiled by the 2 cent Iphone 4. Now the monthly payment plus insurance on a new phone does not seem like a good value.

Thanks for the guidance. I am holding off on another phone. I put electrical tape over the light coming from the right edge of the screen. Almost looks like part of the case.
 
Anything more than 3 years should be considered a gift.
You may get lucky but you might not.

There's really no advantage in adopting the Luddite perspective unless you like posting on the interwebs when the think finally bricks on you.
 
Originally Posted by kawie_guy
I can't stand having big smart phones in my pocket or in a holster for the very reason you described.....they get destroyed. That's why I still use my old flip phone made in 2004! It's an old Samsung, and it's about the size of a zippo lighter. I'm on Verizon, and they still authorize it so long as it keeps working. I can't see any emojis if they are texted to me, and any picture or text coming from an iphone either comes up blank, or comes in twice about 50% of the time. Android....no problem. Comes through every time.
I guess I'm old fashioned, but I can't stand smart phone service gouging. In 2008, I could see them charging 100 bucks a month for what they did. But 11 years later, they are still charging that (or more) despite the fact that there are multiple carriers and hundreds of different makers now. There's 5 year old kids running around with iphone 8's for godssake. Seems like the price should come down a bit in a saturated market? Especially since I can use my 8" tablet if I need to, and it does everything a smart phone can......


You need to shop around. If you have Xfinity, you can get 1 gb of service for $12 a month with free voice/text. Those $100 a month bills are only if you need lots of data. There's a lot of other plans out there in the $30-$40 range. The price of Android phones have come way down. It's just Apple that hasn't come down much on price and their slowing sales reflect people jumping ship.
 
Originally Posted by Imp4
Anything more than 3 years should be considered a gift.
You may get lucky but you might not.

There's really no advantage in adopting the Luddite perspective unless you like posting on the interwebs when the think finally bricks on you.

That is what I was thinking about a gift. Probably the minute I get the same phone they will stop supporting it.

My experience is the opposite. A cell phone is primarily a phone. I make a Google search every once in a while but no posting on the internet with my phone. A text every day or so. The problem with newer phones is they have features I do not want or need.
 
Iphone: great support

Android: Usually the Manufacturer will provide *one* update, and leave you cold... Then when your apps(high security apps like banking) no longer support your Android version, your ecosystem is obsolete.

I got a high end Android tablet from 2013, Sony Xperia Z, and Sony crapped out one OS update with the custom skins.(but it is water proof and I can use it in the shower to play music, etc.) The hardware is still quite good Quad snapdragon, but the software is so stale and obsolete. In hindsight if I knew I would be thrown under the bus, I should have bought a Ipad. It would still get updates to this day.

Now I'm stuck with Jelly Bean, because... mah Sony, yet the hardware is quite capable.
 
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