If you have a Samsung phone or are considering buying one, you may be wondering how long it will serve you. This is a bit like asking, “how long is a piece of string?” – there is no one perfect answer, but we are here to give you as much information as we can about how long your Samsung phone could last.
The prices of smart phones rise higher and higher with each exciting new release, and Samsung is leading this charge. The higher-end phones may well be worth their cost, but not everyone is in a position to replace their expensive phone every year or two, so knowing how long your phone might last, and how to make it last as long as it can, are essential bits of knowledge for many.
Factors Affecting the Lifespan of a Samsung Phone
Quality
Along with Apple, Samsung phones are among the best you can buy, but that doesn’t apply to every Samsung phone, and neither does the answer to the question of longevity. The first factor that will affect the lifespan of any phone is the quality of its hardware and components.
Samsung may be one of the two top brands on the market, but their range of phones is broad, and the difference in quality between their flagship phones and their lower-end products is immense. Not only will cheaper phones wear out faster and lose integrity more quickly, but Samsung does not provide support and updates for these devices for the same length of time.
Software Updates
You can expect to receive software updates for a lower-end device for only a year or 2, while flagship devices will receive operating system updates for 3 years and security updates for 4 years. These updates will dramatically affect the usefulness of your phone in the long run, as newer applications may not run on out-of-date operating systems and old hardware.
Damage
Damage to phones is one of the most common reasons for people to replace them. In many instances, a phone can be repaired, but in some cases they can’t, or the repairs are too expensive to be worthwhile.
Replacing a cracked screen might be an easy fix, for example, but it depends on how bad the damage is – if the harm to the screen in extensive, those shards of glass may have damaged internal components, making the repairs far more complicated and costly. In this case, it may be best to replace the phone.
Usage and Care
How much you use your phone and what you use it for could have a significant impact on its lifespan, along with how well you care for it. For example, if you only use your phone for calls, text messages, and the occasional Google search, you will be putting minimal pressure on the battery, and your phone could last for years with the right care.
On the other hand, if you are using your phone for gaming, daily, or running a large number of new applications, you may find that the operating system only lasts you until the updates stop. After that, the phone may no longer run the apps you need it to run.
If you are running many applications, or a few apps that put strain on the battery, and/or charging your phone once a day or more, you will likely wear the battery out long before the phone itself needs replacing, which brings us to our next point.
Battery
Cell phone batteries are built to last a certain number of charge cycles. This number varies, depending on the quality of the battery and its manufacturer, but the average is 500 to 800 charge cycles. This means that once you have fully charged your phone between 500 and 800 times, the battery is likely to have a significantly shorter time between charges.
Other ways in which you may be inadvertently ruining your battery are by allowing it to get hot often, subjecting it to sunlight, charging it overnight, and using your phone for regular gaming.
Of course, phone batteries can be replaced, but these days, usually only by the manufacturer or a registered repair technician. In some instances, this could work out quite expensive, and if your phone is old and out of date, it may be best to replace it entirely.
How Long does a Samsung Phone Last?
So, in answer to the title of this article, a Samsung phone could last you anywhere between 2 and 7 years, depending on its quality, what you use it for, how much you use it, how well you care for it, and how well you treat the battery.
For example, someone who plays high-end games on their phone may not wear the phone out or damage it within a year or 2, but if it is a low-end device and Samsung stops providing software updates for it after that amount of time, it may need to be replaced so the user can continue playing those high-end games.
On the other hand, someone who uses their phone only for the basics, such as calling, texting, and searching the internet, could find their phone to be useful for 7 years or more, if they care for it well.
In general, you can expect a high-end Samsung that is used for basic purposes to last 6 to 7 years, and a low-end model to last 4 to 5 years, before breaking or becoming too slow to be worth using.
Tips for Extending the Life of Your Samsung Phone
- Start by buying a high-end phone – it may be tempting to go for a cheaper option, especially if you’re not really excited by new technologies, but budget phones are likely to have a much shorter lifespan, especially in terms of the battery, and many of them are not water or dust resistant, leaving more ways for them to get damaged.
- Buy a screen protector and a phone case – even the most expensive protective accessories are cheaper than repairing or replacing a damaged phone. People who buy expensive phones are generally more willing to spend money on protective gear, which further extends the lifespan of high-end devices.
- Avoid treating your phone roughly – despite leaps and bounds in technology and the fact that phones are getting tougher and tougher every year, they are still rather fragile devices that are fairly easy to damage, so be careful with your phone at all times.
- Delete unnecessary applications – there are many applications that run in the background, putting strain on the battery and hardware. Any apps that you don’t use regularly, or at all, should be removed.
- Close unused applications – any apps that you are not currently using and that don’t need to run in the background should be kept closed. For some, this is as simple as closing all apps in the “recently used” screen, but others may need to be shut down manually.
- Avoid filling up the storage – an over-full phone has to work harder, and allowing your storage to become completely full will significantly slow down your phone and cause overheating.
- Keep your phone up to date – for their latest devices, Samsung release regular software updates, some of which are small patches and fixes, others of which are complete operating system overhauls. Either way, you should do every update your phone requires, in order to keep it working optimally.
- Keep the phone cool – overheating is bad for the battery and the hardware, so be sure to maintain a cool temperature for your phone and keep it out of the sun. If you do feel it getting warm, stop whatever applications you are running and let it cool off completely.
- Implement the following recommended charging habits – although modern phones are built to recognize when they are fully charged and you cannot overload the battery by leaving a device plugged in, it is still a bad idea to charge your phone overnight, or even to 100%.
- Charging your phone overnight causes the phone to trickle charge once it hits 100%. It will continue to do this throughout the night, putting strain on the battery and limiting its lifespan.
- Charge your phone when you can keep an eye on it, and unplug as soon as it hits 100%, if not sooner. You can also get charging cables that cut power to the device when it reaches full charge.
- Some sources say you should maintain your battery between 20 and 80% at all times, never letting it die, but never charging to 100%, either. Extreme battery levels are said to cause strain.
- Use power-saving mode when you are unable to charge your device, rather than letting the battery run down to below 20%.
- There are applications that can assist you with keeping track of your battery’s level at all times, and remind you when to charge or unplug your phone.
Conclusion
With sparing use, careful treatment, and excellent care, your Samsung phone could last you anywhere from 4 to 7 years, or even longer, depending on the quality. However, lower-end phones that are used intensely and allowed to overheat often might only last a couple of years.
Be sure to treat your phone with care and follow our tips for extending the lifespan of your Samsung phone, in order to get the most out of your device for the next half-decade or more.
