Best long term software support for unlocked cell phones

ManofGod

ManofGod

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Ok, I am needing to replace my Galaxy S8 because it is starting to become a buggy mess. From what I have researched, the Apple IPhone appears to have the best long term software support, from 6 years and beyond. However, I need to ask you guys, is this correct and also, are they any Android phones that are even close to that? Thanks.
 
ManofGod said:
Ok, I am needing to replace my Galaxy S8 because it is starting to become a buggy mess. From what I have researched, the Apple IPhone appears to have the best long term software support, from 6 years and beyond. However, I need to ask you guys, is this correct and also, are they any Android phones that are even close to that? Thanks.
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No. My 94 year old grandmother’s iPhone 6S still works just fine. I don’t know of any Android phone that is near that with seamless support from the manufacturer.
 
Mchart said:
No. My 94 year old grandmother’s iPhone 6S still works just fine. I don’t know of any Android phone that is near that with seamless support from the manufacturer.
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Yep, in fact, I went ahead and bought the iPhone 13 and like it, so far. I used to think that iPhones are expensive and yes, they are but, I now realize that you do not pay for the hardware so much as you are paying for the long term software support.
 
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An iPhone 11 from 2019 has an SoC (A13) that still outperform the SoC (Snapdragon 8 Gen 1) in the 2022 android Flagship galaxy s22. So you ARE paying for better hardware! It’s like what’s better than having better hardware and longer software support? A slightly more customizable user interface???
 
Well, with the IPhone, whether the hardware is better or not is not relevant, since I was not referring to that. Most of the cost is going towards support, which is fine by me.
 
ManofGod said:
Ok, I am needing to replace my Galaxy S8 because it is starting to become a buggy mess. From what I have researched, the Apple IPhone appears to have the best long term software support, from 6 years and beyond. However, I need to ask you guys, is this correct and also, are they any Android phones that are even close to that? Thanks.
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It's definitely correct. You can generally assume 5-6 years of major OS updates (plus minor fixes) for an iPhone when new. And you can generally expect the phone to be viable for most or all of that period; the only reason my folks upgraded from the iPhone 6 to an 11 in 2019 was because Apple was finally going to stop major OS updates.

Android vendors are getting considerably better, but they're still behind. The best is currently Samsung, which is promising four years of OS version updates for many of its recent phones. Even Google is only promising five years of security updates for the Pixel 6 line (it won't guarantee version updates beyond 2024). And while it's not as bad as it once was, you still see the occasional Android vendor abandoning support as quickly as possible — I'm looking at you, Motorola.

It boils down to a different mindset, I'd say. Apple, and now Samsung/Google, understands that you keep customers by making it clear you have their back for the practical life of the phone, not just for the length of the contract or instalment plan. That wasn't true at all on Android for the longest time.
 
Aurelius said:
It's definitely correct. You can generally assume 5-6 years of major OS updates (plus minor fixes) for an iPhone when new. And you can generally expect the phone to be viable for most or all of that period; the only reason my folks upgraded from the iPhone 6 to an 11 in 2019 was because Apple was finally going to stop major OS updates.

Android vendors are getting considerably better, but they're still behind. The best is currently Samsung, which is promising four years of OS version updates for many of its recent phones. Even Google is only promising five years of security updates for the Pixel 6 line (it won't guarantee version updates beyond 2024). And while it's not as bad as it once was, you still see the occasional Android vendor abandoning support as quickly as possible — I'm looking at you, Motorola.

It boils down to a different mindset, I'd say. Apple, and now Samsung/Google, understands that you keep customers by making it clear you have their back for the practical life of the phone, not just for the length of the contract or instalment plan. That wasn't true at all on Android for the longest time.
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Reality is that Apple is making it's money as a service/entertainment business. They'd rather support any iOS based hardware longer because it means more supported phones that are making app store purchases, music purchases, etc.
 
My only problem with Apple products are the inability to install ad-blocking software like Blockada or DNS66, and their absolute dismal service when it comes to reasonable refund policies on app store purchases (with Google you have a designated time frame for a refund, with Apple you have to beg to get your money back, and are more likely than not refused). Otherwise, yes, they generally do have superior hardware and OS/security support.
 
Mchart said:
Reality is that Apple is making it's money as a service/entertainment business. They'd rather support any iOS based hardware longer because it means more supported phones that are making app store purchases, music purchases, etc.
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That's certainly true to a degree, especially now that there's a raft of services to keep people invested. With that said, Apple often likes to talk about customer satisfaction ratings, and has even discussed resell value — I'd say it's at least aware that long-term support pays off with more returning customers.
 
Aurelius said:
That's certainly true to a degree, especially now that there's a raft of services to keep people invested. With that said, Apple often likes to talk about customer satisfaction ratings, and has even discussed resell value — I'd say it's at least aware that long-term support pays off with more returning customers.
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For pretty much any retail product i've ever owned, besides something like a super expensive Omega/Rolex/Etc type watch, the customer service at Apple has always impressed me. Every legit problem i've had with an iPhone and they've given me a replacement no questions asked, and that's not a big deal with iOS since backups/restores aren't a clusterfuck like on Android phones.

I've had 4 different Android type phones over the years just to try them, and every time I ended up regretting it and going back to iPhone. Early on, the biggest issue was just quality. Didn't matter the brand, the hardware was poor quality compared to something like the iPhone 4 when that came out. Later, it was mostly just getting tired of 'dealing' with Android, and honestly, now that most Android phones don't even have a SD card slot, I don't even see the point..
 
Jonnycat99 said:
My only problem with Apple products are the inability to install ad-blocking software like Blockada or DNS66, and their absolute dismal service when it comes to reasonable refund policies on app store purchases (with Google you have a designated time frame for a refund, with Apple you have to beg to get your money back, and are more likely than not refused). Otherwise, yes, they generally do have superior hardware and OS/security support.
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Not true at all. You can submit a refund via https://reportaproblem.apple.com/ and get a refund within 48 hours. I did it when I accidentalily subscribed to youtube via Apple for $15.99 instead of directly from Youtube for $12.99 and got refunded in 2 days. No issues at all.
 
The Pixel 6 will get 3 years of new OS releases, but 5 years of security fixes.

I have one. I bought it because they cut off my Pixel 3 XL off security fixes after 3 years :D
 
Great, now I am thinking of returning it and getting the 13 Pro instead, just because. :D
 
If you’re looking at the hardware, from personal experience, iPhones do last much longer than android. I have been on both ends and I do know for sure my old iPhone 5s still works great so many years down the line. So, I’m guessing you’ve got a good bet if you’re looking for long term usage.
 
Agraffe said:
If you’re looking at the hardware, from personal experience, iPhones do last much longer than android. I have been on both ends and I do know for sure my old iPhone 5s still works great so many years down the line. So, I’m guessing you’ve got a good bet if you’re looking for long term usage.
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I can't speak for Android software, but iOS software stays updated for old iPhones as well for a very reasonable length of time. iOS 16, announced this week, will be supported on iPhone 8 and 8 Plus - which was released in 2017. It takes several years before an Apple product is so old it can't be supported by new software.
 
Jonnycat99 said:
My only problem with Apple products are the inability to install ad-blocking software like Blockada or DNS66, and their absolute dismal service when it comes to reasonable refund policies on app store purchases (with Google you have a designated time frame for a refund, with Apple you have to beg to get your money back, and are more likely than not refused). Otherwise, yes, they generally do have superior hardware and OS/security support.
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NextDNS works perfectly on iOS. ;-)
 
I used my iPhone SE 2016 from 2016 until last week. It has always been reliable and I just recently updated it to the latest iOS version. The smartphone still works flawlessly. I only switched to an iPhone 12 because of the better camera.
 
Apple will do this best by far. 1 set of hardware that software has been optimized for. Even as an Android user, I can appreciate the logeity of iOS devices vs Android
 
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