I've been avoiding this conversation but yeah, it's time to accept that I'll need a new phone. My current phone has been showing signs of aging and giving me all the signals of a need for replacement.
I've had my OnePlus 9 for over three years now and in that time, it has been a trusty device. When I got it, I dazzled everyone with my awesome camera, fast processing speed and elite performance in gaming, amongst many other benefits.
One thing I will say is that in terms of performance and processing speed, I don't feel like I'm missing out on much. Most new devices come with ultra powerful snapdragon processors that lead to microseconds in speed that the average person cannot detect.
My phone hasn't slowed down or at least not to the point of it being frustrating to use. Interestingly, my phone has also never crashed since I've had it.
Back in the day, Android devices often crashed when they were overloaded. They'd give no warning and just fail as a result of stress from so many things pulling it apart. It's incredible how advanced the phones are today that after using my phone for what is approaching the fourth year and mind you, my device was originally sent out to the market in 2020, it has never crashed on me.
I feel sentimentally attached to the phone because of all the memories we've had. Sadly, the device feels like a shadow of itself and well, that's just what time does to everything under the sun.
The major issue I have with my phone right now is that the battery is quite weak and the camera just doesn't seem as sharp as it used to be. My pictures in poor lighting are quite shit and even those in natural lighting don't sparkle the way they use to.
On top of the hardware issues, my phone no longer gets android updates or any sort of software updates for that matter.
I've given it a good thought and buying a new phone makes so much sense. The newer devices from Google and Samsung offer up to 7 years of Android updates, making them the ideal option for me as I know that my next phone will be with me for at least 5 years.
Money, on the other hand is in short supply because I've been operating on a very tight budget. For the next five months, at least, I'll be paying for certifications and while doing that, I also have to save a major chunk of my income because we're looking to move into a slightly bigger place.
I'm not exactly stretched thin, I simply don't have any extra to spend on a phone right now. Hopefully, before my phone's 4th birthday by July, I'd have some extra to cash to spend on phones for the family.
