need a new, long lasting & durable phone, suggestions?

Submitted by vampire_punk t3_y06joc in BuyItForLife

so im not someone who’s frivolous about what technology im using, i get what works for me until it’s unusable. ESPECIALLY when it comes to my phone & past smart phones. and this one is finally about to kick the bucket. i got a pre-owned iphone 8 from a friend last year when he upgraded to a 12, traded him for it too! no money spent. when i got it the mic was fucked, everything is cracked, but i’ve figured out my ways around everything in this last year. today though, i woke up and most my screen is pixeled off. i don’t want to bother with repairs since it’s just an old iphone i got for free and it’ll be more money than it’s worth.

so, what might be the best phone i can try for? im on a really tight budget, but i’m also not against switching carriers. this issue has impacted my rent money for the month and i don’t know where to go from here.

Edit: my mom actually had an extra phone she doesn't use anymore. No need to sorry about buying a new one now! But thank you all for recommendations, now I know what to look out for when I need to upgrade again in the future :-)

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ol-gormsby t1_irqbdtm wrote

I bought a Motorola Razr HD in 2013 and it's still going. Phone calls, texts, and infrequent web browsing, still on the original battery, and that still lasts more than a day.

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lgsp t1_irqm1l5 wrote

My phones usually end their life becuase they become unusable due to old specs and lacking software support. That's why I bought myself a Fairphone 4, but it's not good if your budget is tight.

So I would suggest to get a onplus 6 or 6T. They have best community suprot, so youcan get custom ROMs upgrade forever. The chipset is not new, but it's fast and with 6/8 GB RAM you should be covered for long. You can get one for not much more than 100 $/€. Then get a very good cover and screen protector.

One part that can easily wear out (on any phone) is the USB port. TO avoid this get one of those magnetic cables, so you can leave the usb adaper in the port avoiding thea wear.

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Quail-a-lot t1_irs5ggb wrote

OnePlus just got bought out by Oppo, so that support may or may not continue. I am pretty grumpy about and might have chosen differently had I known that was coming, because the last phone I upgraded from had the same thing happen and then promptly the updates just stopped after a year.

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lgsp t1_irsfdh9 wrote

OnePlus 6 is an old model, no matter who owns the company, the chipset s845 has (mostly) mainline Linux support, so it will be able to receive custom ROM updates as long as the hardware is not obsolete, from great people like those developing lineage os

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pizzabooty t1_iscrf77 wrote

have had a oneplus 7 pro for 2 years (i really thought it was longer than that!) and it still runs like it's brand new.

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Modern__Angel t1_irqdns3 wrote

Maybe look into Fairphone?

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Faeglantina t1_irqonld wrote

I wish they were available on US wireless networks. I’d love to have one.

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ResponsiblePen3082 t1_irr464e wrote

TeraCube and ShiftPhone are also good options!!! The former should work fine in the U.S!

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bmwlocoAirCooled t1_irqqc07 wrote

I'm rocking an OEM original iPhone SE.

Dead cheap (Mint Mobile), bulletproof in it's carbon fiber case and screen protector. Got updates up to iOS 15.7.

Oh, I'll replace it in the next 10-18 months. But it's been a stalwart performer for nearly a decade.

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scotttttie t1_irsbf21 wrote

Mine lasted me 4 years. How did you get yours to last a decade?

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Lemonyhampeapasta t1_is6f7yb wrote

I replaced the battery I purchased from iFixit I refuse to give up my 3.5mm audio jack. This is also the smallest phone I could find for my short fingers.

Extended life with various Lifeproof and eventually Incipio Atlas waterproof cases

Going on 6 years

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bmwlocoAirCooled t1_irt8lqy wrote

See second sentence.

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scotttttie t1_irt8si5 wrote

I did, and mine still didn’t last. Battery constantly died, screen froze, was really slow.

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TheBaylorCareBear t1_is3nita wrote

Some iPhone models are easy enough to replace the battery in and that make your phone last through like it did when it was new.

The other thing with screen freeze and slow-downs is you can back-up everything you have on the phone to iCloud, then factory reset your phone and re-download all the stuff you had on iCloud. Just doing hard resets won’t always help with memory issues affecting ram management.

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gaurddog t1_irqb8lz wrote

If you want Durable, Keocera is the way to go.

They're not a flagship but their whole schtick is "We don't fuckin break.".

Once dropped my Brigadier from a cherry picker three stories onto a concrete floor and it didn't even shut down. Worked just fine.

But truthfully almost anything not Apple is gonna last you longer than an Iphone. That's not me trashing their hardware that's me trashing their habit of bricking their own devices to force you to buy a new one. They literally got sued for it.

Also a good phone case will help with durability. Like an OtterBox Defender.

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vampire_punk OP t1_irqbr23 wrote

this is actually my first iphone lol. my past ones were all cheap android phones from metro or walmart, my first one was a hand-me-down, but still an android. thank you so much for the suggestion though!

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Quail-a-lot t1_irqf3c5 wrote

My current pick just got bought out, so I won't recommend them, but I will say that you are often better off to get a refurbished flagship model to get a good deal. I got my last one off Ebay and it was two hundred bucks cheaper to get the last year's flagship model as long as I did not mind one dead pixel. It's down in the bottom corner of the screen, no biggie!

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Previous-Egg-5236 t1_isr9vah wrote

Here are your options.

  1. Latest iPhone: Apple has been known to have the best long term software upgrades/support for its phones. They have long last batteries, when they do start to degrade they degrade gracefully and unnoticeably to the end user.

  2. Latest Pixel 7: Google has recently committed to providing long software support to its pixel phone line. There is an option to contact customer support directly on the phone. It starts with a pretty good bot but if things get complicated they'll redirect you to a human

  3. old Nokia brick: there is a reason why they get called bricks, they last forever. Nothing can break them

Finally if you buy a smart phone get a good screen protector and a otterbox or similar case. Its the case that saves the phone physically.

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voitlander t1_irqajeb wrote

A used Samsung 8 is a good choice.

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j-random t1_irsdrwh wrote

Meh. My S8+ has been a good phone, but both the screen and the back are cracked and the battery barely lasts 10 hours. I think OP would be better served by something else at this point.

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kromkuken t1_irqaqmb wrote

Blackview has a couple of sturdy phones

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[deleted] t1_irqdkqy wrote

Whatever you get, make sure it has wireless charging. Learning this the hard way with my Galaxy A71.

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kromkuken t1_irrnc3r wrote

The charging port broke?

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[deleted] t1_irrwh8o wrote

I have to wiggle it until it registers, or turn the phone off - which somehow enables charging in instant. Samsung's are apparently notorious for this since off-shoring some of their component manufacture to China.

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Adrian915 t1_irqi3st wrote

It depends on your needs and where you are OP. For example I had to change my phone and went with a Nokia G21 (primarily for the long battery life and good price vs value). I'd also stay away from top brands because you're pretty much paying the brand instead of the phone.

The G21 is great for my needs but it's definitely not gonna be bifl. The EU already passed some interesting laws to make the nex gen phones more repairable for example (replaceable pop in batteries like we had in the good old days). Current generation of phones have everything encapsulated so you have to replace it in 3 years or pay for an expensive repair shop. They are thought out for maximum consumerism.

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CMYKoi t1_irqxsf4 wrote

Just throwing my hat in the ruby bring, bought a pixel 4a for like 175 off eBay recently, 80% or more battery health seems to be the standard. It's great. Fast, durable, and the battery didn't go to shit in like 2 months like many of my previous phones.

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pastelash t1_irt584c wrote

For posterity, two things make phones unusable over time - a lack of software support and the death of internal batteries. No (smart) phone can be truly 'long lasting' with regard to these two things.

Out of the box, the phones with the best long term software support are Apple devices, and a distant second now might be Samsung. However, both of these can be prolonged depending on device. Often with Android, you can install Lineage OS for renewed software experience and security updates. Many phones have replaceable batteries, with the ease of replacement being essentially up to manufacturer.

My recommendation for a tight budget is then either a used/refurbished iPhone with a really good case and a battery replacement (<100 dollars if you live near an apple store) or a similar used/refurbished Android phone from a large manufacturer (Samsung, LG, Motorola, Nokia, Sony, etc... ) that has a high ifixit score, user serviceable battery replacement, and active community supporting the device's software and circulating parts.

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PerturbedHamster t1_irurtr9 wrote

Late to the party, but I'm still going strong with my 6S. A new screen or battery is around $20, and it's like having a new phone. If you watch the tutorials, it's not that bad to do the repair yourself. I've replaced both the screen and battery twice now.

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BobbyCorwen2000 t1_irw4a52 wrote

I've only owned 3 smartphones since they've been a thing. My first one was Sony's first attempt at a 'gaming" phone and that thing was absolute junk, got rid of it fairly quick. I then tried Samsung's Note, think it was the 2 or 3 and used that for YEARS. I only ended up upgrading because I accidentally threw it down the stairs (it was in my jacket pocket, forgot about it) when I was getting my laundry ready. That throw fucked up the screen but it still worked but ultimately the screen eventually became unusable and although I probably could replaced it, figured might as well finally get a new one after the tenure that one had.

I'm on a Note 8 now, got it in 2016 after that mishap and have been using that ever since. Battery seems decent but I'm not a game user or use any apps that are resource heavy so that likely helps a lot. So my vote goes to the Notes although I'm willing to bet many smartphones can go longer than you think as long as you take care of them and don't abuse the hell out of them like I see many do.

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vampire_punk OP t1_irzi0jh wrote

I aim for keeping the same phone for as long as I can!! I got my first one at 12/13, I'm 21 now, and. been through maybe 5 or 6 phones? 2 were hand-me-downs. and to be fair as a teenager you're so much more clumsy, and some things just happen. I plan on trying to keep the one I have now for as long as I can and replace what I need to when I need to. especially since the emojis on this one are so cute ▼⁠・⁠ᴥ⁠・⁠▼

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ResponsiblePen3082 t1_irr4bkf wrote

If you can't or don't want to use something repairable like Fairphone, Shiftphone or Teracube(probably some others) then honestly iPhone is your best bet for long term support

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MrKixs t1_is3tuf8 wrote

I like the pixels. If you want a phone to last, then invest in a good case.

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vampire_punk OP t1_is3ub61 wrote

case wasn't the issue this time. I received a phone that was already damaged, I've dropped it maybe once in the year I've had it. I went to sleep with it being normal as always and woke up with the screen yellow and pixelly. Google says moisture was in the screen, at&t guy said the pixels were bleeding. all my old phones dying was the cause of teenage neglect.

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Technical-Spare t1_isdph75 wrote

Hard to say what current phones will last, but I used my original Google Pixel XL for 6 years before getting a new phone and had no issues. I only had to get a new phone because my banking app and other apps weren't supporting Android 10 anymore, and that's the latest you could get for that phone.

If you keep the phone from getting hot and don't charge the battery above 80-85%, it will last a very long time.

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blubbyolga t1_iswwb5f wrote

In general I'm not an apple fanboy but I have an SE2016 my brother gave me that he got for free from work a couple of years ago.

The battery is pretty bad but it still uses the latest version of iOS. If someone know an android that stays updated for 6+years I would love to have it.

Also more places tend to keep spare parts for iphones so in general they are easier to repair.

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vampire_punk OP t1_iswxqnv wrote

seeing as the iphone8 I had was already such an old phone and honestly needed a LOT more work over repairing the broken pixels, just getting a new phone seemed to be the best thing for my money's worth personally. the screen & back of the phones glass was overall cracked, inside parts shown, the mic didn't work without corded headphones, not to mention I had to get apple headphones just for it to work, thanks to no headphone jack. I had a case for it too but since the phone was pre owned & free, for me, its just personally not worth my money getting it repaired. I was super lucky my roommates mom had an old working phone she could pass down to me.

$25 for activation > $300 for a new phone or repairs. apple is already so limited on everything it's expensive just to own one you got for free.

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