I have an S9+ that I have had for over 5 years now. According to Google, they stopped doing software updates for it in March 2022. So far it doesn’t seem to be “slowing down” and aside from having to fix a cracked back, I so far haven’t had any software/hardware issues. But I saw one comment on Facebook saying once they stop doing updates the phone becomes useless after a while. And other people have said they were in the same boat and had to upgrade.
I have 64gb (only 39.9 used). I use it to listen to audiobooks on Cloudlibrary and Audible, browse the internet, watch YouTube, call/text, scroll Facebook, reddit (of course). One thing I noticed is maybe I have to charge it more frequently. Also sometimes the keyboard freezes and it takes a minute or two to close out.
I do have a Tab S8+ that I now pretty much use instead of my laptop. And I’ve linked my phone where I can get calls and texts on my tablet. But obviously the phone is much more compact for work.
But I’m just wondering how much longer my s9+ will hold out. The S23+ or ultra looks enticing. Im a suckered for long battery life lol. Im just confused because I don’t really understand “phone logic”. Like, my phone still works! I guess you can say I’m in duality.
Thanks everyone
Black Friday is next month, so if I were you I would wait for that and get the S23+.
I don’t think the phone will ever just stop working just because of a lack of updates. You just won’t get the newest features and security updates.
Really depends on your budget, imo 5 years is a long time and you are due for an upgrade. It might help you justify the cost if you frame it on how much use you get out of your phone.
For a lot of people, they use their phones for hours every single day. It’s pretty worthwhile to spend a bit more so that you have a great experience for those hours (faster, better screen, better battery etc).
Security updates are a big thing for me these days and the S9 won’t be getting them anymore. There’s not really huge difference in updates besides higher refresh rate over the years and only micro updates every year so I tend to keep my phone for as long as I can too. Cameras are much better since that era too.
One huge factor for me to upgrade was samsung having exynos every year here in Australia and as soon as the S23 series dropped with SD then I jumped it on as quick as I could.
If you phone is on Android 10 (its last version) it will still be useful for a long while, don’t worry about that. Just change the battery and keep using it.
Can this phone prevents you from doing something in particular? If the answer is no, then you don’t NEED to change your phone.
But there is nothing wrong to want to buy something new and nice for yourself.
If it still works, there is no “need” to change. I still have a Note 8 that I used as a backup.
your using s9+🤣 I am using s7 edge since the start, screen panel is broken , phone take 9 hours to charge 50 percent lol , I am stuck between pixel 7 and s23 , S23 was the most premium phone i have ever tested , But its the same softwarr experience
I will say yes because you are missing out on changes and improvements to the OS and UI, as well as future updates, as well as device improvements and capabilities.
Dont worry it just doesnt stop working. The problem starts when some of your apps aren’t supported anymore. For example whatsapp or stuff like that will bring up a message saying that the device is outdated and the apps only work on newer operating systems.
Only if that happens and you need this exact app you would need to upgrade.
For me, i got no choice as our banks here require app to do authorization so the moment my phone doesn’t support that android version, i gotta change.
Your only real issue comes with security patches. If you have stopped getting them, you are more open to getting your info stolen.
Since you keep your devices for a long time, Google just announced 7 years of software support, and not just security patches, new OS updates as well. Keep them in mind for a new device.
Samsung will support it for 4 with OS updates and one additional year of security patches.
Unfortunately that 5 year mark is the spot where you start to lose software support (security patches). Otherwise you should be fine to keep using the current device.
Yes. Yes you do. S9. Retire her. She tired. 😂
I had a Note 20 Ultra, it was not slow or whatsoever but the user experience after changing to S23U was phenomenal. Although everything is like tiny bit better overall it is extremely good. I have no regret to switch to S23U.
Most of us don’t need a new phone, especially people who upgrade every single year.
After 5 years though, you could do with it.
I upgraded from the S9+ to the S23+ recently. The main reason I upgraded is because the S9+ could be a bit slow and also the battery has gone to shit over the years. I usually had to charge 2 times a day (sometimes 3). Battery on the S23+ is significantly better (easily lasts a fully day) and the phone opens and closes apps a lot faster. Just navigating the phone feels sooo much quicker now. Whether it’s using the browser, reddit, youtube, instagram or anything. It’s all just faster now with basically no random freezing.
I think the 120hz is also one of the biggest things for me. Having a super smooth display is really noticeable and makes the phone feel more ‘fun’ to use I guess.
Camera; honestly imo all the newest smartphone cameras have gone downhill since they started overprocessing images. The S9+ done minimal processing to photos and you could just quickly add a filter yourself if you really wanted to. The S23+ processes the image automatically and that can’t be turned off, which can be hit or miss. That being said, the 3x zoom is nice and the low light shots are a lot nicer. Videos are better and the camera is quicker to use now. Selfie camera is vastly improved. Photos from the rear camera are definitely sharper and most people do like the automatic post-processing, I’m just not a fan of it.
The phone is slightly larger and I’m quite happy having a bigger screen. The phone is still just as light as the S9+, only 7g heavier.
S23+ charging speeds are a big step up if you buy a 45w charger. It charges nearly twice as fast as the S9+ did which can be quite useful as I can now charge my phone in the morning quickly rather than having to charge overnight.
Fingerprint sensor feels faster and more accurate than the S9+. It’s nice not having to adjust my hands to use the fingerprint sensor like you kind of have to on the S9+.
The speakers are waaay better. Not just louder but they actually have some bass now. The S9+ is so tinny in comparison. I never used to listen to music on my phone speakers but now I occasionally do every now and then. The speakers are amazing and something I didn’t even really expect when upgrading.
New OS updates are nice. The brightness slider is bigger now which can be helpful because the S9+ just had a small line which could be difficult to see on bright sunny days. The UI also just feels smoother to use with less hiccups and crashes. It also looks nicer imo.
WiFi and data performance is definitely better. I had issues with the S9+ having slow WiFi when I’m in my bedroom. That’s no longer a problem.
Haptics are better. I don’t care much for haptics but they do feel much smoother if you do care, and I guess the phone vibrates less ‘annoyingly’ now.
The chipset is significantly better. I don’t game on my phone but if you do, then there’s that. It also helps with just general browsing the phone as I mentioned.
Screen gets a lot brighter on the S23+ which has been useful for me on sunny days. The S9+ was a little hard to see with the sun shining on it. The screen also looks a bit nicer but it’s nothing too crazy.
Talking of sun, my S9+ would sometimes overheat in the summer and automatically power off. I haven’t used the S23+ in the summer yet but I’ve heard the phone doesn’t have any heating issues so fingers crossed.
You said you haven’t used all your storage so it probably doesn’t matter much for you, but the S23+ does have 256/512GB which has been useful for me because I take a lot of pictures.
It was a really worthwhile upgrade for me but if your fine with your S9+ and don’t really care for the improvements I mentioned then I would wait until you become frustrated with the performance/battery like I did with my S9+, and then get a new phone. The S24 series will be coming out in January/February so you could hold out till then.