4 ms·

This, exactly, is why I switched to iPhones. The only way Android devices are cheaper is if you run them into the ground and don't upgrade until you must. Inv

This, exactly, is why I switched to iPhones. The only way Android devices are cheaper is if you run them into the ground and don't upgrade until you must. Invariably they go on 50% off sale within a year for the flagship models, which tanks their resale value. Combined with the utter lack of support more than the first couple years of ownership. I can upgrade my iPhone every 2 or 3 years and spend a lot less overall. My wallet was always open when I tried to stay current with Android flagships.

nicoburns 5y ago
> Invariably they go on 50% off sale within a year for the flagship models, which tanks their resale value. My strategy for my last phone was to buy the previous year's flagship for this reason.
- rootusrootus 5y ago
  That is a good strategy. I could have saved a good chunk of change by not insisting that I have the latest shiny.
  - nicoburns 5y ago
    It worked out pretty well. Paid ~£300 for a second hand Samsung S7 mid 2017 and it lasted until last month (so ~4 years) where it completely died (stuck on the rebooted and then stuck on the boot screen getting really hot). Somehow it was even still getting occasional security updates, although I think that was just luck. Currently using a cheap backup device I normally use for app dev while I workout what my plan for the next one is.
    - beagle3 5y ago
      Did it get feature updates? Security updates? FWIW, the iPhone 6S (first avail oct 2015) gets iOS 15 ; and iPhone 6 still got a security update in mid 2021 despite being out of feature support.
      - nicoburns 5y ago
        It got 2 years worth of feature updates (possibly 3 if it got one before I bought it). I’m actually typing this on an iPhone 6S that I usually use for app development. I’ve just upgraded it to iOS 15, and honestly it’s still a great phone. UI is very snappy. Probably the best budget phone on the market right now, considering you can get one for ~£70 (I paid £100 a year ago for one that had had it’s battery replaced)
        nicoburns 5y ago
        UPDATE: It got 3 years worth of updates. Shipped with Android 6 and the latest update is 9.
  - toxik 5y ago
    This is a good approach to many things, computers, cars, phones — there is an enormous premium paid to be the “first to open the box”. If you can rid yourself of that particularly successful marketing trick, you cut your costs boatloads.
arenaninja 5y ago
I found it too easy to run Android devices to the ground... I've run into boot loop, suddenly dead, too slow after an upgrade, battery starts running too hot, etc. on my android devices. Quality was severely lacking and somehow the devices are priced the same or higher than an iPhone!
8ytecoder 5y ago
That and hardware support for my. When my HTC developed a camera issue -, HTC wanted $200 and a month to fix it. It turned out to be a manufacturing defect and they eventually (after a year) gave me a new one. But by then I had moved to the iPhone.

nicoburns 5y ago

> Invariably they go on 50% off sale within a year for the flagship models, which tanks their resale value. My strategy for my last phone was to buy the previous year's flagship for this reason.

rootusrootus 5y ago
That is a good strategy. I could have saved a good chunk of change by not insisting that I have the latest shiny.
- nicoburns 5y ago
  It worked out pretty well. Paid ~£300 for a second hand Samsung S7 mid 2017 and it lasted until last month (so ~4 years) where it completely died (stuck on the rebooted and then stuck on the boot screen getting really hot). Somehow it was even still getting occasional security updates, although I think that was just luck. Currently using a cheap backup device I normally use for app dev while I workout what my plan for the next one is.
  - beagle3 5y ago
    Did it get feature updates? Security updates? FWIW, the iPhone 6S (first avail oct 2015) gets iOS 15 ; and iPhone 6 still got a security update in mid 2021 despite being out of feature support.
    - nicoburns 5y ago
      It got 2 years worth of feature updates (possibly 3 if it got one before I bought it). I’m actually typing this on an iPhone 6S that I usually use for app development. I’ve just upgraded it to iOS 15, and honestly it’s still a great phone. UI is very snappy. Probably the best budget phone on the market right now, considering you can get one for ~£70 (I paid £100 a year ago for one that had had it’s battery replaced)
      - nicoburns 5y ago
        UPDATE: It got 3 years worth of updates. Shipped with Android 6 and the latest update is 9.
- toxik 5y ago
  This is a good approach to many things, computers, cars, phones — there is an enormous premium paid to be the “first to open the box”. If you can rid yourself of that particularly successful marketing trick, you cut your costs boatloads.

arenaninja 5y ago

I found it too easy to run Android devices to the ground... I've run into boot loop, suddenly dead, too slow after an upgrade, battery starts running too hot, etc. on my android devices. Quality was severely lacking and somehow the devices are priced the same or higher than an iPhone!

8ytecoder 5y ago

That and hardware support for my. When my HTC developed a camera issue -, HTC wanted $200 and a month to fix it. It turned out to be a manufacturing defect and they eventually (after a year) gave me a new one. But by then I had moved to the iPhone.