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helloimryan9

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 5, 2014
12
0
Upstate NY
I saw an article on PhoneDog this morning asking "How often do you upgrade?" (link here: http://www.phonedog.com/2014/02/07/how-often-do-you-upgrade/)
So I was just curious to see how long others waited. :) Here's mine...

Longest
I had a Samsung Strive on AT&T from August 2010 to September 2012.
Shortest
1 week in July 2010 (or maybe even less...lol) with a T-Mobile/Motorola Sidekick Slide on AT&T. The reason I kept it for such a short time is that since it was being used on AT&T, it couldn't access T-Mo's servers where every Sidekick owner's data was stored. Anytime the battery ran down (which was pretty often), my texts, pictures, contacts, etc., had disappeared. I got fed up with it and got the Samsung.
 

SkyBell

macrumors 604
Sep 7, 2006
6,606
226
Texas, unfortunately.
I think I had a Palm Centro on ReadyMobilePCS for about three months before switching to a different phone and carrier. I actually liked the phone, but the carrier was just too awful.
 

LSUtigers03

macrumors 68020
Apr 9, 2008
2,089
41
Random Question: What's the longest/shortest you've ever kept a cell phone?

Ever since the first iPhone came out I've upgraded at least once a year. Before that I would use a phone until it wasn't useable anymore. Now I usually keep an iPhone and an Android phone. So each year I upgrade to the next iPhone and I'll use most high end Android phones at least for a little while.
 

Gav2k

macrumors G3
Jul 24, 2009
9,216
1,608
4s from launch day skipped the 5 and got the 5s in January this year!

Shortest was my original iPhone. Got it launch day and was upgraded for free when the 3G came out.
 

plinden

macrumors 601
Apr 8, 2004
4,029
142
I still have an original 2G iPhone from September 2007, unlocked with a T-Mobile sim but it's used only when we have visitors from overseas.

I personally still use my iPhone 4 from June 2010 every day. It'll go to my 12 yo daughter when I upgrade in the next year or two.

My wife used a flip Samsung phone for about five years before we upgraded her to a iPhone 4 in early 2011, but only because the battery wasn't lasting a full day and we couldn't find a replacement.

I've never kept a phone for less than three years.
 

Sensamic

macrumors 68040
Mar 26, 2010
3,072
689
2 years longest for iPhone 4, SGS3 on its way now.

Shortest 1 year. Samsung Omnia HD.
 

ucfgrad93

macrumors Core
Aug 17, 2007
19,579
10,875
Colorado
The longest I've kept one has been around 18-20 months, while the shortest would be around 12 months.
 

flybub

macrumors regular
Sep 17, 2011
182
43
Longest: iPhone 4 and HTC Incredible (Roughly 22 months going back and forth between the two).
Shortest: HTC Rezound (3 weeks)
 

T5BRICK

macrumors G3
Aug 3, 2006
8,314
2,391
Oregon
Longest? Probably my Samsung SGH-D357 flip phone(it had PTT which was cool at the time) or maybe my Sony/Ericsson w810i. I owned each of those for about 3 years. I don't remember what happened to the Samsung, but I still have the Sony/Ericsson somewhere in my desk.

As for the shortest, that'd probably be my HTC One. I owned it for about 6 months before I dropped it and destroyed the screen.
 

zepman

macrumors regular
Jul 1, 2010
196
16
Sweden
Longest: Sony Ericsson W810i (feb 2007 - oct 2011)
Shortest: Some other Sony Ericsson I had before that. (~1.5 yrs)

Now: iPhone 4S (oct 2011 - ???)
 

Apple fanboy

macrumors Ivy Bridge
Feb 21, 2012
57,020
56,038
Behind the Lens, UK
I used this for a couple of years before passing it on to my wife. It's a Samsung D600 and it's my wife's everyday phone. The one she had before that was a Nokia 3310. She likes that it's worthless so nobody would ever try to take it from her. It's from around 2005.
 

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sviato

macrumors 68020
Oct 27, 2010
2,432
430
HR 9038 A
Longest: Motorola KRZR for two and a half years

Shortest: Blackberry Bold 9900 for 3-4 weeks, traded an iPhone 4 for it but it was so bad that I had to get rid of it so I traded up to a 4s.
 

khha4113

macrumors regular
Oct 12, 2013
202
11
Samsung Eternity. I used for more than 3 years before finally decided get a smartphone.
The shortest was LG Thrill 4G for about 5 months, then I traded for Samsung SG2 Skyrocket.
 

InuNacho

macrumors 68010
Apr 24, 2008
2,001
1,262
In that one place
Shortest: Dunno, a lot of cheapo phones didn't last me a week

Longest: Blackberry 7920 - 2005-2010 + 3 months in 2012

Thing was built like a tank, survived several 5 foot drops onto concrete. I'd still be using it if it'd take T-Mobile's sim cards.
 

Savor

Suspended
Jun 18, 2010
3,742
918
Longest "smartphone" I kept was the iPhone 4 for 3+ years from June 2010 - Aug 2013. Eventually I had to sell it as I was in financial problems at the time.

Shortest is probably a BlackBerry Bold 9000 as I sold it the very next day after I bought it.

My current longest tenure phone is actually my Sony Ericsson T616. It just sits there with the Cingular sim still in there. That is over 10 years old now from Jan 2004. My longest current smartphone I have right now is my Nexus One. Got it cheap in Oct 2011 and works as a solid backup to the bigger HTC One.
 

Ffosse

macrumors 68000
Nov 5, 2012
1,827
652
I change up my smartphones twice a year.

Shortest I kept a phone was around 3 months for the Xperia Z because that was a POS.

I've had my Xperia SP for 9 months and will be changing that soon because it's old. Got my Moto G in November and plan to hold on to that for a while yet.
 

Rodster

macrumors 68040
May 15, 2007
3,177
6
I typically keep my cellphone until the battery quits properly charging so by that time the phone has 0 value and I upgrade.
 

CEmajr

macrumors 601
Dec 18, 2012
4,483
1,296
Charlotte, NC
Longest: iPhone 3G from Nov. 2008 until August 2010, I would've kept it even longer but the iPhone 4 blew me away.

Shortest: HTC One S, May 2012-Oct. 2012. Got fed up with the battery life so I sold it and got an iPhone 4S despite it only being capable of EDGE speeds on T-Mobile at the time.
 
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