The last time I updated my smartphone, “The Batman” was in theaters, “Severance” was the hot new series, and everyone was playing the recently released “Elden Ring.” I didn’t buy my iPhone 13 thinking I’d still have it in 2026, but more than four years later, I have no plans to replace it anytime soon. I’m not alone in this either. According to a Reviews.org survey, the average American keeps their smartphone for about 29 months, up from 22 months in 2016. An Allstate survey found that just under half of them keep their phone for more than three years — a far cry from the annual updates that were once so closely associated with these devices.
I was never one of those people who got a new phone every year, but I used to upgrade more often. After about two years, the combination of frustration with my current iPhone and interest in the latest features convinced me to get the latest model. However, when it comes to my current phone, that urge to upgrade has yet to arise.
If it’s not broken
The main reason I’ve kept my iPhone 13 for so long is simple: it still works. In the past, my phone would basically tell me it was time to buy a new one when it started crashing frequently or refusing to hold a charge for a long time. I received my current phone after my last one (then about two years old) died and wouldn’t turn on for over an hour while I was away from home, a stressful experience I had no interest in repeating.
Four years later, however, nothing like that has happened with my iPhone 13. Its maximum battery capacity is 80%, and while it doesn’t always work properly, I don’t remember ever having to force restart it. As smartphones get more and more expensive – the iPhone 17 and Google Pixel 10 start at $799 and the Samsung Galaxy S26 at $899.99 and up – keeping my phone current and functional for as long as possible seems like a no-brainer to me.
Apple also hasn’t given me any good reasons to upgrade, and Samsung or Google haven’t convinced me to switch either. Although the latest smartphone models offer greater power and new features, the differences between this year’s phone and the last one haven’t been particularly dramatic for some time. The iPhone 17 may have a better chip and a higher-quality camera, but it’s not as eye-catching as the iPhone 4’s front-facing camera, the iPhone 4S’s Siri, or the iPhone X’s design overhaul.
Smartphones are becoming less exciting and more expensive
Smartphone makers are touting AI features lately, but my complete disinterest in things like image generation and writing tools in the palm of my hand isn’t unique. A 2025 CNET survey found that only 11% of U.S. smartphone owners have upgraded to AI features, down from 18% the year before. The same survey finds that about 29% don’t find mobile AI useful or want additional AI features, an increase from 25% in 2024.
AI has become a must-have, but I’m sure I’m not alone in seeing these features as drawbacks rather than an encouragement to upgrade. I find the overall environmental, safety, and societal concerns about technology more compelling than personalized emojis or smarter Siri. There’s a part of me that wants to wait in hopes that the early hype dies down and smartphone makers start to notice that the majority of users don’t care and aren’t willing to pay for AI features.
My feelings aside, hype itself is no longer enough to sell a new phone. AI and foldable smartphones (the other big buzzword of recent years) don’t excite the majority of consumers, and rising prices make upgrading less feasible, especially in this economy.
For me, however, keeping the iPhone 13 that I repurchased in 2022 has gone from an unconscious choice to a conscious choice. My phone hasn’t yet signaled to me that its time is running out, and since Apple has supported iPhone models for about seven years, I have plenty of time until planned obsolescence makes a new phone necessary. That’s not to say I plan to keep this phone forever, but right now I don’t see any reason to shell out hundreds of dollars for a new one.