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US Smartphone Shipments Decline 19% in Q3 2023 as More Americans Delay Upgrade

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Re: US Smartphone Shipments Decline 19% in Q3 2023 as More Americans Delay Upgrade

#201

Post by _ea1k »

caleblloyd wrote: post #98

How much of this is due to the carriers moving device contract lengths from 2 years to 3 years? Been at AT&T forever, they moved their upgrade cycles on iPhones from 24 months, to 30 months, and now to 36 months. Presumably because an iPhone costs more than it did 5 years ago but I'm still paying the same monthly that I was 5 years ago.

That's my thought as well. Although probably part of the reason for them extending the cycle is that consumers are more comfortable with the idea of keeping the devices longer.

And, tbh, that makes sense too. Three year old phones can still run the latest software and still have pretty good performance. The newest are better and will certainly have better cameras, but the drive to upgrade every other year feels excessive now.

Re: US Smartphone Shipments Decline 19% in Q3 2023 as More Americans Delay Upgrade

#202

Post by COGlory »

What upgrade? There's not a phone on the market that's meaningfully more compelling than my Pixel 5a. Maybe if I gamed on my phone or something, it would matter? But my camera is already better than I could ever reasonably need. My processor is fast enough to do everything I need without skipping a beat. I don't really watch movies on my phone but the screen is still probably the best screen of any device I own. The only things that could upgrade would be I/O and battery, both of which modern phone companies refuse to upgrade.

Re: US Smartphone Shipments Decline 19% in Q3 2023 as More Americans Delay Upgrade

#203

Post by minkzilla »

hollerith wrote: post #189
itishappy wrote: post #186

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you have the willpower, an acceptable middle ground might be dropping your data plan. I've got a Pixel, but my plan is also ~~$15/mo~~ $25/mo. This covers more than enough for maps and music, but I've had to remove social media to stop auto-playing videos. I find it's the best of both worlds! (Edit: Checked my invoice, and I'm not receiving one of the discounts I was expecting.)

If this $15/mo plan you have is available to US residents, can you please share details?

I am on mint mobile (an MVNO of t-mobile) for 5gb a month for $15. I think you have to do 6 months at a time to get the $15 a month but that isn't a big deal. My service is good but does suffers when I go places that are really crowded but that doesn't bother me.

Re: US Smartphone Shipments Decline 19% in Q3 2023 as More Americans Delay Upgrade

#204

Post by itishappy »

hollerith wrote: post #189
itishappy wrote: post #186

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you have the willpower, an acceptable middle ground might be dropping your data plan. I've got a Pixel, but my plan is also ~~$15/mo~~ $25/mo. This covers more than enough for maps and music, but I've had to remove social media to stop auto-playing videos. I find it's the best of both worlds! (Edit: Checked my invoice, and I'm not receiving one of the discounts I was expecting.)

If this $15/mo plan you have is available to US residents, can you please share details?

I'm on the smallest Verizon prepaid plan. Just checked, and I'm misreading the specifics, as it's actually $25/mo for 15GB. Sorry!

Starts at $35/mo, and includes a $10 discount for autopay. I was expecting an addition $10 rebate, but apparently I'd need to add an extra line for that.

Re: US Smartphone Shipments Decline 19% in Q3 2023 as More Americans Delay Upgrade

#205

Post by chrischen »

TedDoesntTalk wrote: post #141
jghn wrote: post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As another person in the same boat, the problem is that people don't buy them. Like it or not, we're in the minority.

IIRC, the mini versions skimped on the camera. That’s the only reason I didn’t buy one. I preferred the small size but wanted the best camera offered.

Yea I agree. They tend to market the mini or smaller ones not just as smaller phones but as lower end phones. Since my order of preferences is the features and then the size, I end up never able to justify the smaller phone even though I don't need the big size.

Re: US Smartphone Shipments Decline 19% in Q3 2023 as More Americans Delay Upgrade

#206

Post by askonomm »

berbec wrote: post #200
askonomm wrote: post #192

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm pretty sure almost every mainstream phone nowadays has wireless charging. The iPhones do, Pixel phones do, etc.

I thought so too, and believed it so much I didn't check the detailed specs of my OnePlus 10T.....

Oh damn, I would've not expected OnePlus to not support it, with them being always on the more cutting-edge of technology. That's a huge letdown.

Re: US Smartphone Shipments Decline 19% in Q3 2023 as More Americans Delay Upgrade

#207

Post by rcMgD2BwE72F »

reportingsjr wrote: post #18
beretguy wrote: post #8

I bought refurbished iPhone SE 2nd gen from eBay for ~$130 in July 2023. Looks brand new. I use Chargie to extend battery life and a magnetic charging port adapter to eliminate charging port wear. When battery will wear out I’ll replace it with the one from iFixit. Let’s see for how long I can make this device last. https://chargie.org/

That chargie device is interesting! The latest versions of Android and iOS have finally built in battery management that does basically the same thing (they will not rapid charge over night, and will sometimes limit charge below 100%). I'm curious to see long term how much these changes will help.

Latest version of LineageOS has a setting to limit charing up to a certain %, but also makes sure it hits the max when you wake up (based on your alarm).

Re: US Smartphone Shipments Decline 19% in Q3 2023 as More Americans Delay Upgrade

#208

Post by lotsofpulp »

TedDoesntTalk wrote: post #141
jghn wrote: post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As another person in the same boat, the problem is that people don't buy them. Like it or not, we're in the minority.

IIRC, the mini versions skimped on the camera. That’s the only reason I didn’t buy one. I preferred the small size but wanted the best camera offered.

I would be surprised if even 5% of people noticed the difference in a picture taken by a 13 mini and a 15 pro max.

Re: US Smartphone Shipments Decline 19% in Q3 2023 as More Americans Delay Upgrade

#209

Post by Rebelgecko »

xnorswap wrote: post #23

I just "upgraded" my phone and for the first time my new phone is worse than my old one. I only upgraded because I noticed my old phone (Huawei P20 pro) was no longer getting android updates and I was concerned for the security of it. My new phone (pixel 8) feels worse in almost every regard. I can't even customise the home screen as much ( Literally cannot remove a link to Chrome and other google apps ). Given it's…

Just take the Chrome icon, hold it with your finger a sec, and drag it to the top of the screen where there's a box that says "remove" or something like that. That works for me on my Pixel

Re: US Smartphone Shipments Decline 19% in Q3 2023 as More Americans Delay Upgrade

#210

Post by twisteriffic »

COGlory wrote: post #202

What upgrade? There's not a phone on the market that's meaningfully more compelling than my Pixel 5a. Maybe if I gamed on my phone or something, it would matter? But my camera is already better than I could ever reasonably need. My processor is fast enough to do everything I need without skipping a beat. I don't really watch movies on my phone but the screen is still probably the best screen of any device I own. The…

This is absolutely it for me. I could upgrade my personal Pixel 5, but for the ~$1000 layout I'd be getting a device whose fingerprint sensor works maybe 20% of the time vs 98% currently. There's absolutely nothing compelling to me about a newer Pixel - it's only downside.
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