My phone has 16GB of internal storage. I'm still at 13.5 of the 16 after doing some cleaning. I don't have any un-used apps that I can delete. All photos/videos are on a micro SD card. I don't have any music.

It's a 3 year old Samsung Galaxy S5.

My two hang-ups on keeping it are that I can easily replace the battery (I keep a spare charged up for times I can't re-charge the phone, some days I am on it a substantial amount) and it has removable micro SD storage.

That, and new phones are stupidly expensive.

But I think that 16GB thing is going to get me pretty soon.

I was in a similar situation, with a 12gb phone. I deleted everything; photos, texts, emails. It wasn’t enough, and I think it’s all part of the planned obsolescence scheme that electronics manufacturers practice. They make the basic software so big, you’re forced to upgrade just so you can maintain what you used to have. I’m betting I’ll get less than 2 years out of my new 256gb phone, for the same reason.

Still using my Stromberg Carlson 316 dial phone, got it used in the 60's. Never had a problem, except for phone trees.

If it still works, why replace it?

If it's a matter of not enough storage, that's something different.

Can you increase the Gb on the micro SD card? If not, I think you're in line for a new phone with more storage.

What’s the max card it can read? 32gb, 64gb?

If it still does what you need, keep it. My old OnePlus One from 2014 is still running fast. It is a 64gb model and I move videos and photos off when it gets full.

When it quits working, still using my flip phone.

For me it's every year.

Bob

Have you wiped the cache partition?

I replace mine every 18 months or so, I have replaced at the 12 month mark but I don't get expensive phones. At least not phones that are considered expensive these days. I get phones ranging from $75-200.

My iPhone was $200 (SE model). Phone I kept longest was an LG G3, paid $150 for it and used it for 18 months. Figured at that rate it was less than $10/month.

Around the 12-18 month mark is when they typically start acting up on me. Start glitching or running slow. Weird thing is that I've only lost 1 phone to damage in 14 years of having a cell phone.

Why not.buy a micro SD and whatever is eating up your space on your phone, back it up elsewhere.

When the Phone Cops come looking for you!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTPzTG1Lx60

but as to your question - I'm pretty much reaching that point after 4 years with my Motorola Android.

Phones are reaching the point of absurdity with pricing IMO.

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Galaxy S5 is one of my favorite phones for the reasons you stated. It was the last of the Galaxy phones that you could open up, and it has a micro-USB-C port.

If you're running out of internal storage, you can move apps to your micro-SD and run them off that.

If you require a smart phone/cell device, then its useful lifespan is determined the same as computers. That is what they are, pocket-sized computers.

Is your phone's CPU and RAM sufficient to run the apps and software you want at the speed you want?

Does Android continue to support the version of OS you're using?

Are you able to upgrade to a newer OS?

Are the apps you use able compatible w/ your version of Android?

Phones have a planned obsolescence. I believe they are most often forced replacement due to:

1. general wear & tear and breakage
2. internal battery wears out and no longer holds a reasonable charge
3. OS no longer supported
4. hardware too slow

Like Edmond, I budget about $100/yr or $10/month for a phone. I will never pay $600 or more for a phone, b/c there's no way I'd get six years out of it. I'm not a power user, so I don't need top of the line.

Good thing now is you can get a brand new phone that is comparable to an S5 or S6 for under $200 brand new. For example, Moto G5 Plus is a hot phone right now and goes for ~$180 at Costco and Amazon. It's also unlocked and compatible w/ all carriers.

If it ain't broke......

quote:

When does a phone need replacing?

My IPhone5 worked great till I took it swimming in the pool with me.

That's when it needed replacing.

A smart device, imo, needs replacement at a bare minimum when the manufacturer ceases supporting the device with at least security updates. The more you do on your smart device, the more urgent that is.

This also applies to computer operating systems (Windoze XP, old builds of Linux, old versions of Mac OS, etc). If the manufacturer is done supporting an OS, it's time to either upgrade to the latest version, or dispose of the device in favor of one that is likely to continue enjoying manufacturer support for at least a while.

Samsung has been pretty good about keeping their older devices up to date against security threats, even when not rolling out the latest and greatest OS to said devices.

I had a Galaxy S4 till last week. The flash stopped working and the OS was no longer being updated so I picked up an LG G6 flagship phone for a good price. Hopefully it will last a number of years. I hope it will be a pay once, cry once phone. Wishful thinking I know.

Jim

Get a bigger or additional SD card and carry on.

What's the point of getting hung up on a new phone not having a microsd slot, if you aren't even really using the one you have now?

I just read, you can put up to a 128gb micro sd card in an S5. Which is good to know, as I love my S5... as far as phone love can go...

We generally upgrade every two years. In fact we just upgraded last week when Verizon was offering 50% off new Android phones with a qualifying trade in. We had an iPhone 6s that I probably could have sold for $200.00- $250.00, but they gave $475.00 in trade.

They also had a deal going where the Google Pixel 2 XL phones were buy one get one 50% off, so it basically ended up being buy one get one free with the trade in.

I had been wanting to try an Android phone again after having iPhones for the past several years, so it worked out well. My wife and I got the new phones (128gb Google Pixel 2 XL's) and my daughter got a hand-me-down 64gb iPhone 6s+.

I did have to add a new line at a one time cost of $35.00 to qualify for both parts of the promotion, but then it was a simple matter of cancelling one of our pre-existing lines once the new phones were activated. There was also a one time "upgrade" fee of $30.00 on one of the phones. I get a telephone stipend of $70.00 per month from work, so it helps soften the blow when it comes time to upgrade.