How long will your latest flagship smartphone really last?

How long will the Samsung Galaxy S8, iPhone 7, Google Pixel, Sony Xperia XZ, HTC 10, LG G6, OnePlus 5, or any other flagship smartphone really last?

There are a lot of smartphone users who junk their old smartphones and buy flagship smartphones of their favorite manufacturer every time it launches a new product. This holds especially true for Apple and Samsung fanboys who are known to ditch their old Apple/Samsung product to buy the latest smartphone. However, for the majority of smartphone buyers, buying a flagship product is a one-time investment and the most relevant question they ask themselves is how long will the expensive flagship smartphone really last.

Think of it this way- you want to buy Samsung’s latest S8 or S8 Plus or iPhone 7. The cost of these products makes you ask yourself this question. Is buying such an expensive smartphone really worth it? How long will my new Samsung Galaxy S8, S8 Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, Google Pixel, Pixel XL, Sony Xperia XZ, HTC  10, LG G6, OnePlus 5 really last?

In this article, we take a look at how long the top-notch models of various smartphone makers like Samsung, LG, Apple, HTC, Google, Sony, and OnePlus last. We may have omitted other flagships but this article holds

Here are the top smartphones available right now:

#10 Blackberry KeyOne – $549

#9 OnePlus 5 – $570 upward

#8 Huawei P10 – $680 upward

#7 Sony Xperia XZ Premium – $859

#6 Google Pixel and Google Pixel XL- $649 to $869

#5 Motorola Moto Z and Moto Z Force Droid – $699 upwards

#4 HTC U Ultra – $749 upwards

#3 LG G6 – $880

#2 Apple iPhone 7/iPhone 7 Plus – $649 upwards

#1 Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus $750 – $850

You can see from the above top flagships manufactured by renowned companies that none of the above smartphones is really cheap. So it is a one-time investment for many of the folks out there. That is the reason we are looking to how long any flagship smartphone will really last.

How long will your newly purchased Samsung Galaxy S8/S8 Plus, iPhone 7/iPhone 7Plus, Google Pixel/Pixel XL, Sony Xperia XZ, HTC 10, LG G6, OnePlus 5, or any other flagship smartphone last:

We take a holistic look at how long any top smartphone will really last. Most of the top smartphones available today are dust and waterproof.  While all the above smartphones are protected against small falls, one of the main problems we face with smartphones is its display blown to smithereens when the smartphone falls. We take a look at the most important aspect of the longevity of all the above smartphones.

Build:

Most of the above smartphones are built with high-quality aircraft-grade aluminum. Some of them are unibody while others have a separate back cover. Most smartphones come with the latest Gorilla Glass to protect it from small falls though you may have to opt for insurance with the manufacturer for drops that might crack your display or scratch the camera (the camera protrudes and needs protection).

Waterproof:

Many of the above smartphones are waterproof. The ones that are not waterproof can handle a few drops of water or spilled coffee but not immersion in water.

Specs:

Specifications are also important to check out the longevity of any smartphone. Because of the better specs, the less need for you to buy a new smartphone for the next few years. One of the main reasons many smartphone users opt for a new phone is the lag that their old smartphone suffers after a few years.

All the above smartphones run on the fastest processors available in the market. Most Android flagship smartphones run on the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon processors while Samsung S8/S8 Plus runs on its own homegrown Exynos chipset in select markets. Ditto for Apple iPhone 7/7 Plus which runs on A10 Fusion.

All the above phones come bundled with top quality graphics chip and are available with 6GB to 8GB RAM. All the above smartphones come with at least 64GB internal storage.

Display

Most of the above smartphones come with a 1080P AMOLED screen. Others who do not have an AMOLED screen come with IPS screens.

Design:

Though you may never thought about it, design plays a big part in how long your smartphone will last. While a slim and cute smartphone may look good in your hands, it is also easily susceptible to fall because of its design. For any smartphone to last longer, it has to have a nice grip and a good tough body. Samsung’s Galaxy S8 and Apple’s iPhone 7 really feel good in your hands but are equally slippery. Google’s Pixel and LG’s G6 easily score over Samsung and Apple on the grip front.

Battery:

The battery is one of the most important features for owning a long-lasting smartphone. Having a removable battery helps you to keep owning your smartphone by just replacing the battery. Sadly, many of the above smartphones come with a non-removable battery which makes it difficult to replace. Though you may never need to replace the battery, a removable battery is a better option when you want to buy a smartphone which will last long.

Most of the above smartphones come with super-fast charging which does take the brunt of the charging load on itself and spares the battery. But the battery will eventually die. Most of the above smartphones are sealed so if you have good engineering skills you can pull off a battery replacement or else you would need to go back to the manufacturer or buy a new smartphone.

Software:

All the above smartphones run on the latest version of the operating system. All Android smartphones listed above run on Android 7.0 Nougat while iPhone 7/7Plus runs on Apple’s proprietary 10.3.2. Some manufacturers like Samsung and LG are pretty lazy to release the latest patches and fixes to their users while others like Google, OnePlus, and HTC are pretty nimble on that front. Having the latest version helps not only in keeping your smartphone in top shape but also in protecting it against malware and ransomware attacks.

Conclusion – How long will my new expensive smartphone really last?

Taking all the above aspects into consideration, a top flagship smartphone should last about 4 to 6 years without any hitch. The only thing you have to protect your smartphone is from a free fall or water immersion if it is not waterproof.  If you’re looking at average to above-average usage, the phone is probably good for 4 to 7 years. If you are a heavy smartphone user who takes his/her smartphone to her bed, 4 years is long enough. Normal running including NOT playing battery-draining hi-res games or Apps helps to protect the battery from draining so you can add two more years to the above time.

Five to seven years is the normal age for most of the above smartphones with average or little above average usage. And investing $500 to $900 in buying any one of the above smartphones is not a big deal because you will be spending about $100 per year in the long run if your smartphone lasts for about 5 years.