posted in Technology
Should you still buy your next smartphone — or subscribe to it instead? Apple, Samsung … are betting that leasing, subscriptions, and guaranteed buyback programs can make upgrading more attractive.
techcrunch.com/2026/08/01/should-you-still-buy-your-next-smartphone-or-subscribe-to-it-instead/
TechCrunchShould you still buy your next smartphone — or subscribe to it instead? | TechCrunchApple's new Upgrade program is the latest sign that smartphone ownership is changing.
Replying to @eicker@lemmy.world
I waited 8 year to get a newer phoner that was better than my previous phone in all respects at the same price. And even then it was mostly a convenience upgrade because my old phone was still working well.
Why the hell would it be worth it to lease a phone?
It depends a lot on how heavily you use your phones. I’m a heavy user and my batteries degrade heavily in 2-3 years. That leads to overheating, poor performance, and of course poor battery life.
The cost of replacing a battery is high for most phones. Sometimes higher than buying a new phone at a similar level of performance.
I’m doing 1-2 battery cycles per day. A light user might go through battery cycles at a quarter of my rate, and would not have those problems.
Replying to @AnAmericanPotato@programming.dev
Was high. Europe changed the law <3
Replying to @Diurnambule@jlai.lu
Seeing is believing, they probably find some loophole to fuck with the system.
Replying to @Darkenfolk@sh.itjust.works
They will try to male the battery in only compatible with onemodel or some kind like this.
Replying to @AnAmericanPotato@programming.dev
Right to repair solves that, by mandating against designs which make simple replacements exorbitantly expensive for no good reason.