ZDNET Recommends Keeping Smartphones 5 Years as $1,000-Plus Prices Outrun Annual Gains
Updated
Updated · ZDNet · Jul 31
ZDNET Recommends Keeping Smartphones 5 Years as $1,000-Plus Prices Outrun Annual Gains
2 articles · Updated · ZDNet · Jul 31
Summary
Five years is the value sweet spot for most smartphone owners, ZDNET argues, because modern devices can still deliver reliable performance and key updates well beyond the old two- or three-year upgrade cycle.
29 months is the current average ownership period for Americans, according to a 2025 Reviews.org survey, but the analysis says yearly improvements now feel incremental for typical tasks like email, video and social media.
Five-year ownership is more practical because software support has stretched sharply: the EU requires at least 5 years of OS updates, while Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy models now get 7 years.
Beyond 5 years, battery wear becomes the main constraint rather than raw computing power, making battery replacement, repairs, cases and screen protectors the main tools for extending a phone's life further.