General life span of phones? In particular, Samsung G S2?

[eperrine]

Hi Androiders,

I'm interested to know how long your mobile phones, and particularly my new Samsung S2 would last, until it becomes unbearable with it's lag, bugs, glitches and lack of battery life, and has to be replaced? I will be using my phone moderately, with quite a lot of texting, fair amount of web browsing, fair amount of Tweeting/Facebooking and a bit of camera. I will not be gaming on it. I have it fully protected in a case with a screen protector, and i am very careful with it.

Thanks! dancedroid

 

[jstafford1]

It'll last at least 2 years if not more. How long do you need it to last?

sent from somewhere...

 

[eperrine]

It'll last at least 2 years if not more. How long do you need it to last?

sent from somewhere...

I know it may last two years, but i'm sure after a certain period of time, like my previous nightmare phone, the Xperia x10, which only lasted six months until it became a lag monster. I doubt my phone would last a smooth two years, i mean, i'd be suprised, even though it's such a fantastic phone at the moment?

Oh, and i need this S2 to last me only one year, i don't keep my phones for any longer then that!

 

[Beka27]

This question is too subjective to answer. Everyone will have different opinions of how long they will tolerate a phone. Most will use their phone until eligible for their next subsidized upgrade (20 months). There are others who are still happily using their Original Droids and have no immediate plans to upgrade. With the Android OS, you have so many customization options open to you. As long as people are developing for your device, you can always flash a rom and have a "like-new" phone. IMO, I think the people who really get bored are those who are not willing to take it a step further and root.

 

[eperrine]

This question is too subjective to answer. Everyone will have different opinions of how long they will tolerate a phone. Most will use their phone until eligible for their next subsidized upgrade (20 months). There are others who are still happily using their Original Droids and have no immediate plans to upgrade. With the Android OS, you have so many customization options open to you. As long as people are developing for your device, you can always flash a rom and have a "like-new" phone. IMO, I think the people who really get bored are those who are not willing to take it a step further and root.

Well if 20 months is the usual rate of having the same phone, then i'm fine with that, since one year is what i'm aiming for. I've been tempted to root my phone, but i'm also scared, i've heard there are certain 'risks' to it, and it can also be a very complicated and tricky process. So your saying once my phone becomes laggy, i can download a rom that makes it act brand new again? That sounds to good to be true! D:

 

[Beka27]

It's not a difficult process at all. You just have to read and reread the directions. Once you familiarize yourself, it'll be old hat. This forum contains a great deal of knowledge, so anything you needed to do, we'd be happy to help.

I'm not familiar with the x10 as to what customization options are available, but if you can "practice" with your old phone, that might build your confidence to try with your current phone.

 

[eperrine]

It's not a difficult process at all. You just have to read and reread the directions. Once you familiarize yourself, it'll be old hat. This forum contains a great deal of knowledge, so anything you needed to do, we'd be happy to help.

I'm not familiar with the x10 as to what customization options are available, but if you can "practice" with your old phone, that might build your confidence to try with your current phone.

Hm, i might do so. So do i just google "Samsung Galaxy S2 root?". Also, what are the advantages of rooting; but most importantly, what are the risks? Thanks for your time, i appreciate every second of it.

 

[Beka27]

I would do Google searches for what you can do with your phone. Find some good info, especially a forum, and bookmark your results. You'll need to know how to root, unroot, make a back-up, return to stock, flash a rom, and what apps you need to purchase.

The advantages are the ability to customize the phone how you want it, speed up/slow down the phone, save on battery, back-up all of your apps and user data... the list goes on.

 

[z96Cobra]

If you want your phone to perform like the day you bought it, just back everything up (including as card) to a computer and then do a factory reset and format your as card. Only reinstall the stuff you really need and use. As for battery life, buy a new OEM battery and keep old one as a spare.

 

[eperrine]

If you want your phone to perform like the day you bought it, just back everything up (including as card) to a computer and then do a factory reset and format your as card. Only reinstall the stuff you really need and use. As for battery life, buy a new OEM battery and keep old one as a spare.

Oh thanks! I might do so, maybe every 3-4 months. And wow, i didn't realise i could just buy a new battery like that? Are they hard to find? Whats an OEM battery? Cheers.

 

[takeshi]

I'm interested to know how long your mobile phones, and particularly my new Samsung S2 would last, until it becomes unbearable with it's lag, bugs, glitches and lack of battery life, and has to be replaced?

That's really a subjective question. Some people can go years with the same device. Others are looking for their next device as soon as they have a new one in hand. Plenty of others fall somewhere in between.

I don't see why software issues would EOL your device. Just wipe it and start with a clean slate.

...and if you haven't looked into rooting and custom ROM's then definitely do so (see existing threads). It can definitely extend the usable life of your device. It's one reason why I'm still using my Droid.

And wow, i didn't realise i could just buy a new battery like that? Are they hard to find?

Not if you know how to use Google...

Whats an OEM battery?

OEM = original equipment manufacturer. In the context of your question it means the battery that the device shipped with.

 

[kookk]

They can last a very long time. They only reason I replace mine every two is I just want a new one. If I had to I could still be running perfectly fine on my droid1

Sent from my DROID X2