vB Easy Archive - Cell phone lifespan?

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Cell phone lifespan?
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Posted by: frankiesgirl

Does anyone know aprox how many hours (avg) a cell phone is 'good' for until it starts wearing out? I heard about 170 hours of talk time but not sure if it's true.

Thanks kindly !

Posted by: Orlando_65

My mom's phone has over 200 hours of talk time on it. She has a Motorola RAZR (Pink). So either Moto makes better phones than we all think (lol), or 170 is totally off.

Posted by: billp

i know some one with a cell they had for about 8 years now and it still works good and is heavy use on it it is also all how you treat and care for it

Posted by: Krazee

I have over 120 hours on my razr. Have had it for around a year and a half

Posted by: Mainevent41

Average lifespan is usually calculated in months. The average user changes phones about 8 months. The average phone lasts about 18 months.

Posted by: robhs

If it is a Samsung, it is about 8 months. That has been my experience, I have had four of them. They all crapped out after about 8 months (and I DON'T abuse them).

Posted by: nokiaman76

140 on life timer and still kicking 130 on my other one.

Posted by: Ptuck

170 hours of talk time seems really low to me. I dont' think it is a very good way to estimate life time either. Assuming no abuse a cell phone will more than likely wear out because of heat and all parts being so close together.

Posted by: shadowman714

If it's an older phone from the 1990's or earlier, it will last as long as you do.

If it's a modern phone, expect it to die in a year.

Posted by: Orlando_65

Quote:

Originally Posted by shadowman714

If it's an older phone from the 1990's or earlier, it will last as long as you do.

If it's a modern phone, expect it to die in a year.

Can't argue with you there!

Posted by: Organichu

My old Nokia 3390 easily had 400 hours- probably closer to 500.

Posted by: Kabuk1

I've only had my 700p since August, but it's already got about 400 hours on it.

And of course, the way you treat your phone has a lot to do with it's lifespan. A great phone may have it's life cut short by a bad owner.

heh heh, I'll have to dig out my old nokia 5120 & check the life timer, i bet it's like 10,000 hours. I had it for 2 years, that thing was a tank & never gave me one iota of trouble.

Posted by: charliec225

Talk time has nothing to do with the life of the phone. The phone model, how it's used, how it's carried, personal habits of the owner, etc all have alot to do with the life.

From the perspective of someone that sells phones, most phones die before their time simply because of abuse. That can be one big abuse, like running over with a car or dropping it in a fire, or lots of little abuse, like falling on pavement or leaving it on a cars dashboard on a hot day.

Aside from that stuff, phones can last for years. Most of the people that I've seen with phones 2+ years old are in their sixties or older, and are fairly light cell phone users.

Posted by: shadowman714

A guy who used to work at Mitel was doing a research study for Motorola, on reliabilty vs. scale of integration.

They found that when they greatly reduced the size of the solder pads, it significantly shortened the life span. Thermal stress would cause small fractures in the solder, and without much surface area, the connections eventually broke. Corrosion from humidity, especially taking the device outside (where it's cold) and then bringing it into a warm room, also caused the small electrical connections to break apart.

However Motorola concluded that since people don't keep their phones very long, the reliability wasn't very important.

And now we have the Razr and Pebl, which have very small connections inside. Same goes for similarly sized phones from other manufacturers.

Posted by: shadowman714

Every time you're on a call, the transmitter in the phone switches on and starts to get warm. Thermal expansion stresses the parts inside.

The only way to really avoid this is not to use phone. If you want to minimize it, keep your calls short (in the order of a few seconds), and only place/receive calls a few times a month.

Or get a larger phone with less stuff packed into it.

Posted by: lifeisfun

I have my Samsung 8500 since late 1999 and every month I use about 300 minutes

Still works like new, battery was replaced once....

Posted by: MikeG~

You can't really go by talk time - any sort of statistical average would be way off for any given individual. After somewhat less than a year, my Samsung a950 has 165 hrs of talk time and still works and almost looks like it's just out of the box. (I am light on wear, but not particularly on talk time as you can see.)

Posted by: Tel0004

I have a LG 6100 thats about 18 months old, and the only thing that sucks is the battery. Since its cheaper to just sign a new contract and upgrade than buy a new battery (plus I woudnt mind a new phone) thats the route I always take. I think the battery is just about always the weakest link on a non abused phone.

Posted by: Kabuk1

Yes, the quality of the soldering has a lot to do with the lifespan of the product. We have solder quality standards at hitachi for this very reason.

Posted by: MountainBikerMark

MY lg 4400 HAS 2,300+ hours, my LG 6100 has well over 1k hours. my Lg 8600 has over 50 hours in about a month. my wifes LG 510 is 7 years old, has been through several batteries and finally started to mess up on the 0 button a couple of months ago so she upgraded to the a930. also my Samsung a930 has over 100 hours in 6 months.
Im not sure about the 170 hour rule. maybe Ive just been fortunate

Posted by: SimpleKindaMan

The electronic parts don't normally just quit. If a phone is taken care of, the sky's the limit on how long it could last. I would say the majority of people that end up getting new phones have damaged their phone in one way or another. Think about how often your phone falls. I mean, c'mon, it's with you all the time. It's bound to happen. And that time it fell in the toilet at the baseball game last summer didn't help, either.

Posted by: MikeG~

It's like most electronic products - if they don't give out relatively quickly indicating some kind of at least latent defect - they're likely to hold up for a long time, physical fraigility aside. The big electronics companies wouldn't get away with such short warranties otherwise, and that's also why long warranties from second and third-place competitors don't really mean very much in practice.

Posted by: Kabuk1

Being a treo user, I often hear how "faulty" these devices are. Not true. I have been on my first & only 700 since august. I have had zero hardware issues. Why? B/c I take care of it. Same with my old sidekick that I had last year. People complained how they would go through umpteen many units, but I only ever had one.

people abuse their phones so bad- they drop them, get them wet, step on them, slam their clamshells shut, let their kids play with them, etc, and then whine when they quit working. its kind of a "duh" issue.

Posted by: SimpleKindaMan

Quote:

Originally Posted by KabukiAssassin

people abuse their phones so bad- they drop them, get them wet, step on them, slam their clamshells shut, let their kids play with them, etc, its kind of a "duh" issue.

Play hacky sack with them, play hockey with them, throw them at their boyfriend, drop them out of six story windows, get a little 'too drinky'

and piss themselves with the phone in their pocket

, drop them in deep friers, run them over with their cars.

Quote:

Originally Posted by KabukiAssassin

and then whine when they quit working.

"You mean this phone can't take being run over by a truck a few times? You guys sell cheap *** piece of **** phones."

No, jag off. Have you ever heard of an MP3 player or television that can stand being run over by a car

? Didn't think so.

"So the manufacturer will no longer honor the warranty if I got my phone wet? I think my battery's bad. Can you give me a new one?"

So, If I drive my car into Lake Michigan and the next day it won't start, I think I'd be looking at bigger things than just the battery, but that's just me

.

These are all true sitautions / storys.

Posted by: Adi23

I believe in maufacturer lifespans rather than blanket lifespans.
In my experience Nokia phones generally last for YEARS.
Whereas Samsung and Motorola phones last one year tops.

Posted by: mharris127

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tel0004

I have a LG 6100 thats about 18 months old, and the only thing that sucks is the battery. Since its cheaper to just sign a new contract and upgrade than buy a new battery (plus I woudnt mind a new phone) thats the route I always take. I think the battery is just about always the weakest link on a non abused phone.

Buy a new battery on eBay, they are less than $10 shipped. They usually work well, even though they are not "OEM" but made by another manufacturer. That should be less than a new model phone under contract.

Posted by: MikeG~

Quote:

Nokia vs Motorola and Samsung

Comparing apples to apples, or candybars to clamshells?

Posted by: shadowman714

One of the nice things about the Nokia 252 is the battery pack uses cells which conform to the standard AA form factor.

I actually cracked open a dead battery back for the 252, and glued in some stainless steel spring strips cut from an old Polaroid film pack, so it could hold standard AA batteries.

Much cheaper to just buy some NiMH AA cells from Future Shop or something, instead of ordering a new battery pack. And if you're ever caught with no energy left and you need to make a call, a quick run to the nearest convenience store to pick up 3 alkaline AA batteries will power the phone right up again!

I just wish all the manufacturers used standard cells for their portable electronics. (so not just cell phones, but camcorders, music players, and digital cameras as well. etc.)

Posted by: Caithness

I have a Moto v120 that I used for almost four years of constant abuse. I dropped it a few hundred times, sometimes while bicycling. Eventually the antenna mount cracked and I continued using it without the antenna for another year or two with no noticeable signal loss. I retired it with probably another 4 years in it at least.

I HIGHLY doubt my razr would hold up to that kind of abuse. So far I've only dropped it once, from about six inches off the ground as I was picking something else up, on the first day I got it

. No damage and I've been very careful with it since.

Posted by: McCririck

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mainevent41

Average lifespan is usually calculated in months. The average user changes phones about 8 months.

I doubt that.

Posted by: cKyMeebs

Quote:

Originally Posted by McCririck

I doubt that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mainevent41

Average lifespan is usually calculated in months. The average user changes phones about 8 months.

Well, I think what was meant by this is the AVERAGE HOFO user changes phones about 8 months. We're all addicts on this board and phones are our heroin...lol For me, i've had my v3i since last June and i'm lookin'.

Posted by: shadowman714

Quote:

Originally Posted by cKyMeebs

Um...
I'm still using my first phone from the late 1990's.
I'm only interested in replacing now because it's got an intermittent connection somewhere on the circuit board.

And the phone I want to replace it with is an even older model I got second-hand. I just need to reprogram it to work with today's carriers.

Personally, I despise all the new stuff on the market right now. I'm riding out the older, more reliable, more efficient, and more versatile, and more cost-effective technology for as long as I can before I finally have to bite the bullet and accept the popular consumertrash.

Posted by: cKyMeebs

Quote:

Originally Posted by shadowman714

If it works for you, then hey...that's cool...
You DO know that TDMA is being phased out right?

Posted by: Oompa

On my it says 1000 hours not sure if it's true or not.

Posted by: shadowman714

Quote:

Originally Posted by cKyMeebs

If it works for you, then hey...that's cool...
You DO know that TDMA is being phased out right?

Nice phone there. Actually if I could get one of those cheaply, I'd buy it up in a snap!

The one I actually want to use is a Nokia 252.

It's even before the TDMA generation... it's an AMPS phone.
Yes, I know it's being phased out, but the analog towers are still in operation so I've still got some time to enjoy it.

Posted by: cKyMeebs

I started out on a nokia 100

I used to be hardcore into nokia before about 3 years ago when I bought my first moto...a v400...then, I took my nokia 3425 or something like that and set it on fire. It never got service. EVER.

Posted by: motov3600m

Quote:

Originally Posted by shadowman714

Nice phone there. Actually if I could get one of those cheaply, I'd buy it up in a snap!

The one I actually want to use is a Nokia 252.

It's even before the TDMA generation... it's an AMPS phone.
Yes, I know it's being phased out, but the analog towers are still in operation so I've still got some time to enjoy it.

Wow. The Nokia 252 was my first cell phone. Its been awhile since Ive seen it

Posted by: SilentLoner

Quote:

Originally Posted by shadowman714

If it's an older phone from the 1990's or earlier, it will last as long as you do.

If it's a modern phone, expect it to die in a year.

definitly, the phone companies are following the "ford" method.

Posted by: nokiaman76

i have had my almost a year still going and the other for over a year both have many hours on the life timers but i am looking forward in upgrading in the april to the L7c.

Posted by: tapdiggity

Quote:

Originally Posted by robhs

If it is a Samsung, it is about 8 months. That has been my experience, I have had four of them. They all crapped out after about 8 months (and I DON'T abuse them).

Wow, that seems awful low all my Samsung last well over a year. Maybe abuse is a relative term or maybe you've been unlucky and got all lemons.

Posted by: jerry 12

i have a lg 4400 with over 400 hrs on it and still going.

Posted by: josephga

iv had the nokia 3120 i use for over 2 years now and its still going strong. im giving cingular until the end of march to release the n75 or im getting the v3xx

Posted by: b0mbrman

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mainevent41

Average lifespan is usually calculated in months. The average user changes phones about 8 months. The average phone lasts about 18 months.

I think that 8 months happens more because phones either go out of fashion or become technologically obsolete, not so much because they die.

Also, does that account for user error? i.e. dropping the phone down a flight of stairs?

Posted by: cKyMeebs

Quote:

Originally Posted by b0mbrman

Also, does that account for user error? i.e. dropping the phone down a flight of stairs?

haha! I love it... "user error"

I don't know about the technologically obsolete thing or the fashionability factor in 8 months...Look at the RAZR.People (in general, not fanatics like us) are still flocking to the original v3. For me, I just get bored with them and/or I overuse them by playing games or SMS that buttons wear out faster or the finish wears off and looks crummy.

Posted by: nakoda

Quote:

Originally Posted by mharris127

be wary of what tier of battery this might be, because batteries are manufactured in three stages.

first stage is brand new (whether original manufacturer, or after market)

stage two are reconditioned batteries that were sent back in good condition, generally reliable.

stage three batteries are re-manufactured batteries that were abused, wet, over heated, or had defects off the assembly line.

these are, of course, generalizations, but covers the nature of batteries.

a lot of the batteries you see on eBay are stage 3.

moral: you get what you pay for, regardless of who made it.

Posted by: HammerDown

I know they don't make them like they use to...my very old LG BAM 330D (originally Bell Atlantic) takes a pounding and even a dump in the river and it's still solid as a rock!

Posted by: pratik97

I've had my RAZR for a little over a year and have talked over 500 hours on it. This includes flashes, seem edits, all that. I'm careful of my phone but the others are right. Its more how you treat your phone. Generally the longer you've had your phone the more wear and tear it gets (dropping it on the ground/water) which leads to the phone not functioning.

For example, if a phone sat there and talked for 1000 hours consecutively I think it would work just fine. Its braving the elements of day to day use and handling/care that is the issue.

Posted by: cKyMeebs

generally speaking, it's not the "guts" of the phone that end up being a problem with normal use. It's the housing that takes a beating. The treated metal surface of ALL razrs suck. The 2 that I have, all the color at any edge of the phone wears off completely in 6-8 months. The plastic edges wear badly too.

Posted by: Laynie

i mean, a cell phone is like a car... just because the car has 186,000 (2000 hrs) miles on it...doesnt mean that the transmission or engine (cellphone) will go.. it just means that other parts of the car might wear.. ie. radiator, water pump, brakes (lights, buttons, battery).

talkin on a phone doesnt mean anything..like a car its how well you take care of it.. in my opinion

Posted by: cKyMeebs

That's the best analogy i think i've seen. So true! Funny thing is, most people don't take care of their cars as much as they should, so there you go.

Posted by: Mak-B

so how would one 'take care of the internals of the phone?' lol

Posted by: HammerDown

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mak-B

so how would one 'take care of the internals of the phone?' lol

Making sure it doesn't get wet...not banging it around (shock) also by not slamming the flip closed etc.
Even with that being said there's NO-WAY some of these super thin phones could eveh hope to take 1/4 beating of the older ones such as my old Bell Atlantic BAM 330-D That phones a tank!

Posted by: uncertain

Quote:

Originally Posted by shadowman714

If it's an older phone from the 1990's or earlier, it will last as long as you do.

If it's a modern phone, expect it to die in a year.

I agree with that.

Posted by: Debbienflorida

I had my i730 for a little over 3 years.......original battery.........daily use..........and just recently upgraded to the i880 to utilize BT.

Posted by: johnmac59

My wife has 6811 minutes on her i870 and it is still going strong! On her i90, she had well over 10000 minutes and several years, with no real issues. I would say that for the most part, she is pretty hard on her phones.

Posted by: pcmonkeyhead

I bought that phone from a Hofo member used. By the time that I got it, the phone probably was released by Rogers for about 6 to 9 months. I didn't ask nor check the life time of it until I got home. It was over 1,700 hours of talk time on it, which is over 100,000 min.

My father is using that phone now. He took it to HK, China, and back to Toronto. Still works well.

Posted by: GarageBoy

Phones shouldn't die until their boards get old and brittle and crack, etc..

Posted by: batteryman

Quote:

Originally Posted by frankiesgirl

Does anyone know aprox how many hours (avg) a cell phone is 'good' for until it starts wearing out? I heard about 170 hours of talk time but not sure if it's true.

Thanks kindly !

A cell phone battery's life expectancy is aprox 2 years given proper treatment.

Posted by: rylenf

Quote:

Originally Posted by GarageBoy

Phones shouldn't die until their boards get old and brittle and crack, etc..

The problem is they are more advanced and delicate and people beat them into submission.
Just had a v635 here in the store, it looked like it was used as a hockey puck. I think there was some gravel embedded in it.
And they wonder why it has been in for service 3 times this year.

Posted by: MountainBikerMark

Quote:

Originally Posted by HammerDown

I know they don't make them like they use to...my very old LG BAM 330D (originally Bell Atlantic) takes a pounding and even a dump in the river and it's still solid as a rock!

I went through 9 of them in a year. they kept burning up, literally. bad batteries. it was my first digital phone and I wanted sooooo bad for it to last. it was great in between sizzles. still their best showing other than the 510. that was THE most durable phone I ever had, followed by the 4400.
the 510 and 4400 still work fine

Posted by: chillin858

on my nokia 8801 i have 3562:19:21 - 3500~ hrs and she still works well and this is after countless HARD drops on concrete... being dropped hard and then simultaneously convered in water.. (in the rain in running water).. only problem is i kinda killed the speaker somehow it sounds blown.. but i use bt most of the time or wired so its all good lol...

Posted by: batteryman

A cellphone battery should last around 2 years. Longevity is not based on hours of talk time.
A good source for cellphone batteries is bateries4less.com!

Posted by: batteryman

Cell phone batteries typically last 2 to 3 years with correct care. Extreme temperatures will ruin the battery and your phone. Leaving the phone in the car in summer especially is a no-no. The temps in your car can reach 120 degrees or more!
Extreme temps or overcharging the battery can cause the battery to leak, or the sides to bubble out in some cases, which can damage the phone as well.
The obvious problems such as water exposure or dropping the phone can cause lots of problems, which I am sure most people are all too aware of. I have talked to many people who have their cell phones for 4 or 5 years and they still work just fine.
If you need a battery a good source for info or products is "batteries 4 less". They are online 24/7.