Table of Contents
Preface
As a maintainer of a few Android apps, I’ve been into smartphones for a long time. I always thought I should upgrade every year or two to get all the cool new software and hardware features. But it looks like those old rules don’t really apply anymore.
Here’s the list of smartphones I’ve owned and what I thought about using them.
Samsung Galaxy Gio (2011-2012)
My first real “smart” phone was a Samsung Galaxy Gio. I bought it for about $130, and it was a terrible phone. I couldn’t even set an alarm since the alarm manager app took forever to open. There was also a special button you could click to clear your RAM. It seemed to help sometimes, so a lot of us Android 2.2 users would tap that button, hoping for a speed boost.
Nexus 4 (2012-2013)
My next smartphone was the Nexus 4, and it was probably the best smartphone I’ve ever owned. It had a great design and outstanding performance. The price was a bit higher, around $280, but it was worth every penny. In fact, I knew a few people who were still using this phone in 2018.
Nexus 5 (2013-2014)
I was sure I’d buy the next Nexus as soon as it came out, and that’s exactly what I did. It was my first disappointment with the line. Don’t get me wrong, the phone was fine performance-wise. But the design wasn’t great, and it felt cheap, which was surprising given its $300 price.
This phone started failing after about a year of heavy use. I think it was battery‑related: it always gave wrong charge readings and would shut down while still showing 40% battery.
Sony Xperia Z2 (2014-2015)
After my Nexus 5 died, I decided to try Sony and bought an Xperia Z2. It cost about $300, the same as the Nexus 5, and I really liked it. The phone was powerful, looked good, and could last up to three days on a single charge, way longer than my Nexus 5 ever managed, even before its battery started to fail.
This phone actually fell off a boat near the Phi Phi islands in Thailand. I found it, and it kept working for a few more months after that.
Nexus 5X and 6P (2015-2017)
I had fond memories of the Nexus 4, and I thought Google had learned from the Nexus 5’s missteps, that the new models would be more like the Nexus 4. So I bought both the Nexus 5X and the 6P, despite their higher price tags ($400 and $600).
Both phones worked well for the first year. Then the problems started. The Nexus 5X basically melted, Google admitted it was a widespread manufacturing issue. The phones were poorly assembled, and some internal components would lose contact, causing them to fail. My Nexus 6P lasted a bit longer, but then the battery started giving out, it could lose a full charge in an hour or two.
Xiaomi Mi A1 (2017-2020)
I tried a Xiaomi phone back in 2014 and it was terrible, so I’d written off the brand. Then I saw one of Xiaomi’s new phones listed on the Android One project site and liked what I saw. The deal was that Google would handle the UI and software updates, the thing that made the Nexus line so great, and Xiaomi would take care of manufacturing. I liked the arrangement, so I ordered a Mi A1 for about $200. At the time, that seemed ridiculously cheap next to the new Pixel phones, which started at $1,000.
This phone wasn’t perfect, but it was solid by any measure. Performance was great, no noticeable slowdowns in any app I used, and the battery life was pretty good, too.
Samsung A01 (2020-2022)
Failing hardware isn’t the only thing that forces a smartphone change. Having up‑to‑date firmware with the latest security patches matters, and my old Xiaomi Mi A1 started falling dangerously behind, eventually. It was the first time I upgraded because of software end‑of‑life, not because the hardware gave out.
I decided to come full circle and give Samsung another shot. It was a double risk, my first Samsung was awful, and this time I went for the absolute cheapest model in their lineup: the Samsung A01, which was selling for about $94 in Thailand.
Surprisingly, I have to admit this phone was great. I enjoyed it, and it lasted a couple of years. For this price, I wouldn’t even be mad if it died right after that two‑year mark.
The only real issue, and it’s true for most Samsung phones, is all the bloatware. If you’re into Android, though, that’s a non‑issue. You can strip it all out with ADB. Here’s the script I used:
#!/bin/bash
declare -a bastards=(
"com.facebook.services"
"com.facebook.katana"
"com.facebook.system"
"com.facebook.appmanager"
"com.lazada.android"
"com.linkedin.android"
"com.microsoft.skydrive"
"com.microsoft.office.officehubrow"
"com.spotify.music"
"com.sec.android.app.sbrowser"
"com.google.android.apps.youtube.music"
"com.sec.android.app.popupcalculator"
"com.sec.android.app.myfiles"
"com.google.android.apps.photos"
"com.sec.android.app.fm"
"com.aura.oobe.samsung.gl"
"com.google.android.videos"
"com.sec.android.gallery3d"
"com.sec.android.app.samsungapps"
"com.google.android.youtube"
"com.google.android.apps.docs"
"com.google.android.apps.tachyon"
"com.sec.android.app.camera"
"com.samsung.android.messaging"
"com.samsung.android.dialer"
"com.samsung.android.calendar"
"com.google.android.gm"
"com.sec.android.app.clockpackage"
"com.samsung.android.app.contacts"
)
adb shell 'pm list packages' > packages.txt
for bastard in "${bastards[@]}"; do
if grep -q "$bastard" packages.txt
then
echo "Found $bastard"
adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 "$bastard"
else
echo "$bastard not found"
fi
done
Google Pixel 6 (2022-2026)
I’m actually the second owner of this smartphone, my girlfriend used it for a few months starting in 2021, and it cost about $600. I switched to it in 2022 and am still using it now in 2026. That’s easily the longest run of any phone I’ve owned.
I’m still on the latest Android version, which is amazing, but it looks like Google phones still struggle with battery life. It used to last me all day and now I sometimes have to charge it before bed.
Google hinted this current major Android update is the last, though I’ll keep getting security patches for a year or two. In theory, that means this phone could last about seven years total. That’s remarkable for Android, but iPhones have been doing this since inception, so it’s more like the Android ecosystem finally catching up. The real win would be making that kind of long‑term support available on cheaper phones.
Next: GrapheneOS Phone?
GrapheneOS has been gaining traction lately, but it only supports Pixel phones. They’ve announced a new partnership that should expand the range of supported hardware this year, though. The developers aren’t thrilled with Pixel’s hardware direction, so I’ll probably wait for non‑Pixel support before switching to a hardened, de‑Googled Android.
It also helps that Russia doesn’t rely on Google Services anymore, and my main travel focus right now is China, which isn’t exactly Google‑friendly either. So the transition could be pretty smooth.
Is it Just Me?
It’s surprisingly hard to find good smartphone sales data, but the sources I checked suggest sales have either plateaued or begun falling. This could be explained by one or both of these factors:
- Market saturation: Almost everyone who wants a smartphone now has one, leaving little room for growth.
- Diminishing upgrades: Higher prices and fewer meaningful innovations mean people hold onto their phones longer, extending the average device lifespan.
Conclusion
It looks like the smartphone boom is over, and the market has changed a lot since the early days. I remember when a phone’s price reliably signaled its quality, but that link has weakened in recent years. Global demand has slowed, and device lifespans may grow significantly, people will only pay so much.
Rising smartphone prices have boosted profits for many manufacturers, but that model may not be sustainable if people start upgrading less often.
It will be interesting to see how companies like Samsung and Apple fare in this perfect storm of slowing demand and longer device lifespans. They’re trying to diversify, but they’re still heavily tied to smartphone sales.
One thing that has stayed relatively stable, though, is the price per smartphone per year. You can pick up a budget model for $150–$250, but it might only last two years. If you’re willing to spend up to $1,000 or even more, you can get a phone that lasts seven years or longer. In the end, the annual cost often works out about the same.