The $399 iPhone SE is currently on it's sixth year of OS updates.

Android phones don't break even if they stop getting updates. Big popular apps like Firefox, Kindle, etc. work on old versions of Android like 6.0. $400+ is still a steep upfront cost to a lot of people.

I consider phones that don't have constant security updates as broken as I do a lot of banking and personal communication on my phone. Iphone updates IOS for years and years and I kept my last iphone for 5 years,probably will keep my iphone12 for a similar amount of time barring something catastrophic; it won't be from "desire to get the latest and greatest"

> Android phones don't break even if they stop getting updates.

So when Google issues a kernel patch for an actively exploited zero day you aren't vulnerable?

Don't be ridiculous.

Vulnerable != Broken. An iPhone SE is vulnerable to the same bug used by checkra1n. Is it broken?

Checkra1n relies on a hardware issue that cannot be patched.

Software zero days can be patched and on Android even the vendors with the best support policies only cover half as many years.

Cheap Android phones don't even get that.

The OG iPhone SE is on it's sixth year of OS updates.

The iPhone 5s just got it's eighth year of security updates.

Which means it's permanently broken by your standards right? Or do you have some sort of non-nonsensical exception for hardware vulnerabilities?

By your standards a flaw that will never be patched is perfectly acceptable.

Even if it's a software flaw that can easily be patched, but the vendor prefers to force you to buy another device and toss the first into a landfill.

iPhone SE on the Apple website today is $429.

$250 is about the max I would consider spending on a smartphone.

Exactly. I was recently talking to a guy who had had his iPhone stolen. But it was no big deal - he had replacement insurance and the deductible was only $200. Which is more than I have ever paid for a phone in my life.

Price of phone shouldn’t be used as a barometer. It should be the price you end up paying per month when all is said and done.

I buy unlocked phones without financing them and use Ting for mobile service. I don't buy phones from the cell providers.

I wasn’t critiquing you. Just pointing out what makes sense. I’m positive you come out with less paid in every metric than most. Since I live in the US and my cousin and brother want to be on Verizon. The price of Verizon with 4-5/lines and carriers that piggyback off the big three are not too different, for me, I do end up getting a $1K phone every 3 or so years without paying anything directly. I’m locked to the big 3 carriers at that point for 2 years.

It’s not as flexible but my end cost for the phones is usually $5 more a month in plan cost and being stuck to a big 3 carrier, I haven’t paid much for a phone since I started doing this after Att paid T-Mobile equivalent of $4B in break up fees a decade ago and that pushed for more competition. Though back then I was rocking webOS then Windows Phone before sadly going from iPhone to iPhone. I believe it was iPhone 6 to 8 to 13 Pro. So 3 year and 4 year gaps waiting for deals where I wouldn’t pay anything except a trade in and being tied to the carrier.

I also use a ton of data. Except during the first 1.5 years of the pandemic. During that time period I for sure was wasting money.

I pay £10/3 months plus £200-300 every 4 years for a phone.

Wow the 10 every 3 months is cheap. Even if little data is included. Nice.

I use an iPhone but I was surprised the OP mentioned price as a reason to switch.

I buy unlocked.

I would rather have a 10/month phone bill than a 40-50 one.

I buy unlocked too. But you can get a decent Android phone that does all the major things for far less than an iPhone.