When do I need a new mobile phone?

Personal Technology

It’s mobile phone sales season and it’s time to dress appropriately. No need to buy a new wardrobe; just put on your thinking cap. You’ll be bombarded with ads extolling must-have features, and the cellular carriers will offer “deals” on new phones configured for their service packages.

You can dodge the hype by answering a single question: Do I need a new phone? While the marketers try to convince you that need and want are the same thing when it comes to shiny new phones, you should boil it down to a few issues about phone performance and what you need your phone to do.

As smart mobile phones –and tablets, too – have become ubiquitous, most people tend to hold on to them longer, despite all the marketing. We’ve seen some articles that suggest an iPhone from Apple can last six or seven years if you take good care of it and we have no reason to doubt it. The same holds true for top-of-the-line phones from Samsung and Google.

One of the key reasons to either keep a phone or get a new one is if you can get software updates. Operating system (OS) software updates improve security and that’s the best reason to keep them up to date. But they can also add privacy features and improve performance.

In our mind, you need a new phone when you can no longer get OS software updates. That’s a no-brainer, especially if you shop or bank online with your phone.

Storage woes

A lot of people fall out of love with their cellphones when they constantly get “out-ofstorage” or “out-of-memory” messages. All phones come with finite amounts of storage (or memory), and once you reach the limit, that’s it. The biggest consequence of reaching your limit is that you may not be able to update apps you regularly use or update your OS.

You can delete unused apps, offload apps (keeping your data onboard for when you use the app again), delete photo and video files, and clear caches from some apps. But eventually, it will catch up to you, and you will need a new phone with more storage to keep your sanity.

Battery life and cracked screens are two gray areas for deciding if you need a new phone.

Older batteries don’t hold their charges long, so you’re likely to find yourself needing to plug in your phone more frequently at home or in the car. You can take your phone to the Apple store or an independent repair shop and get a replacement battery that you can expect to last two or three years.

Cracked screens also are repairable, either at a factory store or an independent repair shop. A new screen can cost more – anywhere from $100 to $200 – and while that’s still less than a new phone, here’s where you might be ready to cross the bridge to a new phone, even if you don’t really need one.

Now’s the time to put on your thinking cap. If you have an older phone, are you better off putting the money for needed repairs toward the cost of a new phone?

Cost factors

Today, new phones come with 64 GB of storage, and most people choose models with 128 GB, which, in our experience, has proved to be adequate for most users. Depending on the brand and whether it’s an Android phone or Apple iPhone, a new unit with 128 GB of storage can run anywhere from $450 to $1,100. A vast majority of you can be very happy with a phone that costs the minimum or up to about $750.

When you factor the cost of a battery – let’s say $75 – and a new screen – let’s say $150 – you’re halfway to the cost of new phone with more storage and – more important – a newer chip and other new components, such as a better camera.

Are you at that point where there are enough things going wrong with your phone to warrant a new one? How much is necessity, and how much is desire? By the way, there is nothing wrong with wanting a better phone, and it’s to your advantage to want the best value for your money.

So, where is that value? Let’s rule out the new phones.

Having just watched Apple’s intro of the iPhone 13 – and its new iPad and Apple Watch – we can’t help but be blown away by their features and upgrades, all based on a new chip (A15 Bionic) that puts more computing power into a smaller chip that allows for a new, longer-life battery and a totally amazing camera system at the high end. They also have extremely fast processors and application capabilities that are designed for gamers and other types of power users. The phones come with 128 GB minimum storage, starting at $999 and topping out at $1499 with 1 TB of storage.

That’s way more phone than most of us need.

Getting practical

If you’re looking at $225 in battery replacement and screen repairs and are not happy with your storage capacity, you can roll that money into an iPhone SE or iPhone 11, which start at $399 and $499, respectively. With either one, you’ll be getting a high-quality phone with good features, the ability to get several iterations of OS and app updates, better battery life and a nice clean screen. The base storage is 64 GB, but you can upgrade to 128 GB for an extra $50 for either phone. You might be able to make up that extra cost and maybe a little more by trading in your phone if you have that option.

Now that Apple has rolled out the iPhone 13, you can expect prices to drop somewhat for the iPhone 12, which comes in four models and has the A14 Bionic chip. Some improvements of the iPhone 12 over the iPhone 11 are facial recognition to unlock the phone and better photo and video capabilities.

If Apple is not to your taste, the new Android phones will be on the market soon enough. Whether you need a new phone or want one, you should find one that’s comfortably priced and will give you three to five years of good service.