You will have to look far and wide to find someone who isn’t a smartphone user. They have become an integral and irreplaceable part of modern life, helping people power through daily tasks in both their personal and professional lives. With so much wear and tear, it should come as no surprise that they eventually need to be replaced. 

It is no secret that the latest smartphones come at a hefty price tag, a cost that many people struggle to justify in today’s economic environment. To get the best deal on newer models, it may be worth waiting for favorable Black Friday mobile phone deals before upgrading your device. 

Poor Battery Life

If a fully charged battery only lasts a fraction of the time it used to, and you find yourself constantly needing to charge your phone, it is a strong indication that your phone battery has degraded in quality and performance. 

While some phone models are designed to allow batteries to be replaced, many modern smartphones do not offer this option, requiring lengthy and expensive replacement periods or the need to replace the phone entirely. As with most things, batteries will deteriorate over time and with use. However, there are steps one can take to prolong the lifespan of their cell phone battery.

Slow Operating System

If your current phone is noticeably slower, there are several potential causes for lagging operations. You may be low on internal storage space, which can significantly impact the performance of your phone as operating systems need adequate space to store necessary files and manage background tasks effectively. 

Alternatively, your cell phone may be running outdated software, which can lead to compatibility issues and dangerous security weaknesses. This outdated software often means that your phone is operating with limited processing power, which will struggle to run the latest games, apps, and streaming sites smoothly. 

Low Camera Quality

With the rise of social media and the desire to document every minute of one’s life, just about everyone uses their phone as their own personal camera. If you are less than pleased with grainy quality and dull colors, it may be time to make a change. 

Typically, cameras with single-digit megapixels, such as 5MP or 8MP, will not deliver the quality you may be after. Brand-new models, however, will not only offer a higher megapixel count but also perform better in low light and provide AI-powered features that enhance color. 

No Security Updates & Technical Support

All electronic devices, including cell phones, need to be protected against hackers, and without crucial security patches, sinister third parties can quickly exploit these weaknesses and vulnerabilities for their own gain. As smartphones get older, most manufacturers start phasing out these older models from production while simultaneously ending the much-needed security updates. 

Furthermore, depending on the age of your device, the manufacturer or a local repair shop may consider it obsolete, making it nearly impossible to access technical support or replacement parts should something break or stop working. 

Insufficient Storage

If you are constantly deleting photos and videos or uninstalling apps to free up precious storage space, it may be time to face the hard truth that you need to upgrade your device. Many companies offer a way around this storage issue by providing a paid cloud service like iCloud or Google Drive, but older phones with significantly limited storage will struggle to accommodate crucial files and large, modern apps.

If you don’t use many different apps and aren’t much of a photographer, 32-64 GB of memory will likely be enough to meet your cell phone needs. However, if you enjoy snapping every moment of your life and have a presence across multiple social media apps, it is worthwhile to upgrade to a larger capacity to ensure your phone can safely store everything you need without compromising performance. 

Distorted Sound Quality

If your friends and family regularly comment on how hard it is to hear you on the phone, the problem may not always be your connection—it may be your microphone. When your mic starts to wear down, you are at risk of your phone calls or voicenotes sounding very quiet or constantly cutting in and out. 

These issues can extend to your phone’s speakers, which are also at risk of deterioration or failure, leading to distorted sound quality or no sound at all. In many cases, it is better to replace your phone rather than seek repairs, unless your phone is still under warranty. 

VoLTE Incompatibilty

It may come as a surprise, but 3G is on its way out. Modern smartphones are being designed to support VoLTE (Voice over Long Term Evolution), a new way to establish a service connection that allows you to make phone calls and use your data simultaneously. Should your phone not support VoLTE, you risk it becoming a glorified paperweight that cannot establish or maintain a signal. 

To check whether your phone has VoLTE, go to your device’s connection settings or cellular data options. The exact location of this information will vary depending on the type of phone you have and the carrier you are with, so it may be best to call your service provider to confirm your phone is compatible. While not all modern smartphones have this capability, many compatible devices are available on the market across all price brackets.