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7 signs that it’s time to sell your cell phone
Cell phones don’t last forever; Apple even admitted as much recently.
But how can you tell when it’s time to get rid of your phone and upgrade? Here are some tell tale signs…
You don’t get the latest operating system updates anymore
The smartphone world is like an even more brutal version of Logan’s Run; when a device hits a certain age, it’s excluded from future software updates and its users are left to gaze longingly at people with newer phones enjoying all the lovely new features new versions of an OS provide.
If your phone is excluded from the latest OS update, you aren’t just missing out on new features either. Many feature patches and security updates to protect against the latest threats. A lot of older phones aren’t safe from the horrors hackers dream up on a regular basis.
Even if your phone does receive the latest OS updates, it’s not always guaranteed to work perfectly. You can download iOS 9 for the iPhone 4S, for example, but the experience leaves a lot to be desired (as this article shows!). The 4S will likely be excluded from iOS 10 entirely.
If you’re shut out from iOS 9 or Android 6.0 Marshmallow, it might be time to upgrade.
It can’t handle the latest games and apps
As smartphones have become more powerful, the demands games and apps place on them have increased. To run a game with console-like graphics, you need a powerful device!
While most recent phones are capable of handling newer games and apps, phones from a couple of years ago struggle. If you don’t want to be left out of the latest mobile gaming craze, start planning your upgrade now!
The battery dies quickly
Remember when you didn’t have to charge your battery 4 times a day? Or have to worry about it suddenly dying while you’re out, even though it apparently had 25% of juice left?
It’s no secret that cell phone battery life diminishes over time, with many older phones barely managing to stay alive for half the time they did when they were fresh out of the box.
You’ll be amazed how much better life is when you don’t have to plan your day around charging your phone or scan a party for the nearest power socket!
It has a terrible camera
Cameras are at the center of the great smartphone arms race at the moment, with manufacturers slapping increasingly powerful snappers and innovative technology onto their latest handsets.
By contrast, your phone takes pictures that look like they were taken in the middle of a hurricane using a potato.
If your phone is really old, you might not even have a front-facing camera. How on earth do you take selfies?!
You run out of storage space constantly
…And not because you have loads of music on your phone. Back in the day, phone manufacturers sold 8GB phones safe in the knowledge that most apps didn’t require that much space. Today, you could fill that phone with two games from the App Store.
In general, 16GB is the lowest capacity you can get on a good smartphone now – and even that is pretty small. Treat yourself to a 32GB or 64GB phone and marvel at how many apps you can download.
It’s sloooooooooooooooow
Sadly, phones get a lot slower as they get older; they struggle to handle apps built for better phones, they can’t keep up with newer websites and they sometimes even fail at basic functions like taking a photo or making a call.
A consistently slow phone is a surefire sign that it’s time to bid farewell and upgrade.
Missing features
Smartphone manufacturers dream up all kinds of new features to justify releasing a handset every year. Some of them are nice but not essential, like the iPhone 6S’ Live Photos. Others, like Touch ID and NFC, are must-haves.
Sometimes, even a seemingly powerful phone can lack some important features. The iPhone 5S doesn’t have NFC, for example, which means you can’t use Apple Pay – even though it has Touch ID. It also lacks some of the features required to properly use the Health App.
Have you decided it’s time to upgrade? Head on over to Sell My iPhone (or Sell My Phone!) with Decluttr! We’ll give you an instant price and pay you the day after your stuff arrives; just click below to get started.
