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Keeping my MT for 4 years?

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Palafox

Member
Because of my financial discipline, I need my MT to last 4 years, is this reasonable?

This is my first Android and I'm liking my MT more everyday. Living in a big city I have no GPS issues, everything is better than expected even after reading other's MT problems. I got mine 'like new' thru ebay, good price with extras.

Having said that, I can't switch phones every year or even two, it makes no financial sense. I don't know how some move from OV to MT in a few months. Amortized... smartphones ain't cheap :rolleyes:

So for the experienced Smartphone users or Android gurus... Do you think asking my MT to last 4 years is realistic? I plan to physically baby the phone, functionally I use it as a phone (avg 300min/month) and web duties, followed by camera and nav, I rarely play games. I don't plan on rooting. FYI my last phone was the Kyocera Slider, gave me 8+ years of faithful service, I'm on my 5th battery and still going strong, this is my back-up :cool:
 
I originally bought the intercept when it came out and made the swap to virgin mobile.

Few bumps and bruises here and there.

But after a year or so the triumph came out and after passing on the OV I decided I should go for it.

Sold my Intercept via CL for 100$ even and figured hey, I didn't lose out all too much.

Realistically, you should be able to resell your triumph if you WANT to upgrade in the future, but this phone will easily last you two years, but who knows where technology or phones virgin brings in here for us to play with.
 
With how prepaid phones work and not being strapped to a contract, I can see people switching phones often if they resell their phone. On ebay used phones hold pretty good value, if I get a year out of it and sell it for even half the manufacture price I am not even paying much for owning the phone.

Even in a worse case scenario where I could only sell the phone for $100, I only paid $210 for it so I'm only paying around $9 a month on top of my $25 plan. Imho this is very reasonable for a smartphone with decent service and unlimited net usage.

I think the question would be why would you want to keep a prepaid phone for that long when you can resell it and buy something new that is out.
 
Palafox,

I also had the Slider, but then went to the Net10 basic phone while I waited for this to come out. Here's my thought, since my Triumph works perfectly: I waited to buy the phone that could do everything I wanted it to do, and the Triumph can. I don't expect to go to another phone for 4 or 5 years because this does what I want it to do. By that time there will probably be a phone that offers something I'll want down the road.
But I bought my screen protectors, my rubberized case and I treat it well. As long as the [hone doesn't give out before then, I've got my Triumph for the long haul. I'm not spending $300 hard earned bucks just to go to another phone in a year. That's not how I do things.
So, yes, I think - if the phone does what you want it to - you'll be able to hold on to it for quite a while. and maybe four years down the road we'll chat on this forum and see if we still have them. ^__^
 
Thanks guys, selling the phone down the line is viable option. Once the phone hits the $100 threshold used, it may be time to consider a replacement.

sandcrest, I too thought long and hard before getting the MT, the biggest 2 factor are the large screen size which is much needed as I age :o not that I'm old now, but the MT can grow with me. The other is the rumored OB, the specs... and I'm no expert, seem to be below the MT, so there's no advantage waiting.
 
I held onto a Samsung Juke for over 3 years, so I know about keeping a phone for a long time, but in the smartphone world four years is an eternity. The Original iPhone is barely four years old, and if you were to try to use it today, you'd probably consider it unacceptably slow. (I haven't even seen an iPhone 1 in close to two years) The original Droid is a little under 2 years old, and while it's still useable, it's starting to show it's age, even when hopped up with all the hacks people have put on it. Also, remember the OG Droid was the absolute top of the line when it came out, the Triumph is a high-end phone, but it isn't the absolute best available.

The secret to why the Triumph is so great has to do with the monthly cost. On the $25 plan the three year cost of the triumph is $900. A similar phone and plan from ATT or Verizon would be somewhere around $2000 for the same period. Running the Triumph for another 2 years beyond that would cost you $600, but by that time technology will likely have passed you by a mile, and given the relatively small marginal cost, upgrading will likely be a good idea.
 
I guess it depends on what's out there in the future. I was on a dumb phone until June of this year because that's all I needed.
In February I heard rumors of a smartphone on VM that would have a big screen (which I now use more than my 7" tablet), HDMI out (which I plug into TVs at hotels and friends houses), 1GHz Flash-supported processor (so I can access my Playon subscription, along with other things), and more RAM (which allows me to have a smoother read of my comic collection, among other things.) The phone turned out to be the Triumph.
While future phones might do these things better, they're working fine for me and unless some new feature is added that I can't live without, I'll be using my Triumph for a long time to come. But at this point, I seriously can't think of any feature I need that isn't on the Triumph, but is on another phone.
On a semi-related note, I didn't buy a portable CD player (Rio Volt SP100)
until they had WMA support because I wanted to be able to carry 25 albums on a CD and not 1 (or even 12 with MP3.) And my first MP3 player had to have video, video out, Bluetooth, FM radio with RDS and a slew of other things. I'm still using that MP3 player after five years. (Insignia Pilot 8GB + 32GB SD card) So I guess I'm saying I wait until I find what I'm looking for, and then use it forever.
 
Mmmky, I done some 2nd grade math (cost basis: $35 plan :( + $250 hardware (includes leather case, hdmi cable, car charger and a future $20 replacement battery)

1 yr = $670 ($55.83 a month to operate a MT)
2 yr = $1090 ($45.41/mth... -19% from 1 yr cost)
3 yr = $1510 ($41.94/mth... -25% from 1 yr cost)
4 yr = $1930 ($40.20/mth... -28% from 1 yr cost)

Of course the beauty of VM is getting discounted airtime online, let's average out 5% discount (sometimes we find 3% sometimes 10%) at 5% off air time:

1 yr = $649 ($54.08/mth)
2 yr = $1048 ($43.66/mth... -19% from 1 yr cost)
3 yr = $1447 ($40.19/mth... -25% from 1 yr cost)
4 yr = $1846 ($38.45/mth... -29% from 1 yr cost)

The sweet spot IMO is 3 years which cuts the monthly cost 25% vs just keeping it for 1 yr...
 
If it's that big of a deal that you're willing to do all that math...just put like 5 bucks away every pay check for another phone if something happens to it.
 
Palafox said:
(cost basis: $35 plan :( + $250 hardware (includes leather case, hdmi cable, car charger and a future $20 replacement battery)
Click to expand...
Where did you get that $250 for hardware? I thought that it's $299. I'd love to hear more if you know some deal on this phone. Thanks. ;)
 
CyanBlue said:
Where did you get that $250 for hardware? I thought that it's $299. I'd love to hear more if you know some deal on this phone. Thanks. ;)
Click to expand...

eBay or Amazon, you can buy them:

new $250 - $260 tax free all day :D
used in the ~#230 range... mine was one month old... 'like new', there is inherit risk buying used, be careful
 
No offense, but why? I suppose it COULD last that long... if you bought a case, and stayed with old software, which at this point is either gingerbread or Ice cream sandwhich. you'll just have less and less compatibility, till its nothing more than an old, slow, and frustrating phone. physically lasting, if careful, certainly. it might actually look pretty neat! Software wise, not so much.... As mentioned, I would sell my Triumph in a year when there is a better phone or a new carrier with better whatever.
Sorry my 2 cents wont buy anything!
 
Palafox said:
eBay or Amazon, you can buy them:l
Click to expand...
Ah, gotcha. Thanks.
rvarn1 said:
No offense, but why? I suppose it COULD last that long... if you bought a case, and stayed with old software, which at this point is either gingerbread or Ice cream sandwhich. you'll just have less and less compatibility, till its nothing more than an old, slow, and frustrating phone. physically lasting, if careful, certainly. it might actually look pretty neat! Software wise, not so much.... As mentioned, I would sell my Triumph in a year when there is a better phone or a new carrier with better whatever.
Sorry my 2 cents wont buy anything!
Click to expand...
I don't really understand your reasoning.
The best thing about Android device is that you are able to upgrade to other version of OS or even use third party MODs if you choose to. So, if you are not happy with the current version of OS for whatever reason, you can upgrade on your own and it's not that hard if you follow the steps.
So, I don't think that is compatibility issue here if you do that. Yes, you probably will find more and more apps that require more powerful CPU sooner or later. But that's the fate of any gadgets you buy.

I am replacing my good old G1 with Triumph which lasted for 3 years. So I can reasonably assume that Triumph will last somewhere around that. I am keeping my fingers crossed. ;)

Yes, VM is not great in terms of coverage and weak signal, and Triumph has issues here and there. As long as this is not high risk failure such as none-working GPS or whatever, I don't think this deal is a bad one considering you only pay less than $500 annually. (either $25 x 12 or $35 x 12)

At the end of the day, this is just a phone that I am happy with if I can make a phone call, play some games when I am bored and check my emails from time to time.
 
Palafox said:
Mmmky, I done some 2nd grade math (cost basis: $35 plan :( + $250 hardware (includes leather case, hdmi cable, car charger and a future $20 replacement battery)

1 yr = $670 ($55.83 a month to operate a MT)
2 yr = $1090 ($45.41/mth... -19% from 1 yr cost)
3 yr = $1510 ($41.94/mth... -25% from 1 yr cost)
4 yr = $1930 ($40.20/mth... -28% from 1 yr cost)

Of course the beauty of VM is getting discounted airtime online, let's average out 5% discount (sometimes we find 3% sometimes 10%) at 5% off air time:

1 yr = $649 ($54.08/mth)
2 yr = $1048 ($43.66/mth... -19% from 1 yr cost)
3 yr = $1447 ($40.19/mth... -25% from 1 yr cost)
4 yr = $1846 ($38.45/mth... -29% from 1 yr cost)

The sweet spot IMO is 3 years which cuts the monthly cost 25% vs just keeping it for 1 yr...
Click to expand...

The best part imo,

Verizon cost:
1 yr = $1279.88 (89.99/month + initial phone cost)
2 yr = $2359.76 (89.99/month)

This is with a droid 3 and 2 yr. plan, with the minimum 450 min, Unlimited msg, and 2GB data. This does not include the extra hidden fees they add in every month. Other carriers will probably not be far off, ymmv.

I know they way I did my math, was different from the OP, but you get the idea.
 
Keeping it for 4 years seems a good idea the way the economy going. The phone should last considering you have a leather case along with the Gorilla glass.

There are already Cyanogen mod coming out for it, which makes it a bit more usable. It can play 720p video just as well as my dualcore tablet. As you discover more android apps it'll become quite a useful tool. It's a great phone if you know how to customize it.

I could resell this thing, but considering it has camera yellow blob and backlight bleeding, I can't see making much money back.
 
what I meant is: after a year or two, there will not be any more development for this phone. It won't get any new roms, and apps will not be compatible. For my part, I am behaving like I am on a one year contract. at that point, we will see if there is anything worth getting.
 
Ok, i'm pretty sure this will be a short good statement to help you out. Telling by your post it seems your person not to much into app and being advance. The already having of a overclockable kernel helps, with power in the future, and cm7 and customs roms help the phone stay updated to the best of the its ability. The phone is getting a OS version update in a year, so that will help you have a goal for a year. So with all that it should last 4 and half years, but heres the downside; the poor manufacturing, not to many have this phone, meaning smaller developing community. Since this phone is a Huewii and already have a number of quality issues, not to many people will even try to develop for this phone. Lastly, in the future by around 3 - 4 years, you will WANT new features out of your phone, which you WILL see in other phones. Also, you might have more money. So that brings it down to 2 to 3 and a half years.

Personally, i'm getting my next VM phone when VM gets a HTC, a REAL Motorola, or a powerful, big screen, with keyboard. Only 3 choices for me.
 
Thanks to all the good words, I agree with all the ups and downs of the 4 yr plan ;). (I'm thinking 3 yrs would make better financial sense) The responses are exactily as I hoped, good insight from experience users!

Having had the MT for 2 wks, I'm still learning the benefits of a smartphone to my life style. Right now it's mail, messaging and job hunting on the go. I'm still debating if it's safe to shop and bank with a smartphone. As for shopping, I same searched thru a computer and mobile app (Amazon)... got different results, the better deal came thru the PC :confused:.

Sidenote: in my 1st post I stated not having GPS issues, well I'm getting lag, I hope a SW fix is just around the corner.

Austrie, as for a 'real Motorola', I've never had a Motorola so you know better than me, I do agree the phone's feature-less exterior could be a giveaway to lower grade internals. However I've watched many youtube reviews of many cell phone brands and even high end phones have issues.
 
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