New smartphones aren't convincing many users to give up their older devices

What you need to know

• We asked out readers how old their current smartphones are.
• Most indicated that their phones were between one and three years old.
• Of the votes, 34% of readers have phones older than three years.

Many of us have trouble letting go, and when it comes to smartphones, sometimes it's not as easy to upgrade as one may think. In our latest poll, we asked our readers how old their current smartphone is or how long they've owned it. Interestingly, fewer of our respondents own smartphones that are less than a year old. However, out of more than 6,200 responses, most were for phones between one and three years old, while many indicate that they've had their phones for much longer.

Many users commented on how they are still holding onto their older phones for various reasons. On Twitter, one reader notes how they those their Pixel 3 over the newer Pixel 6, despite the former recently losing official support from Google:

Other Pixel users aren't so lucky, like one reader whose first-generation Pixel stopped working following AT&T's 3G shutdown:

Still, plenty of users highlight the main reason why they still hold onto their older phones; while newer phones may be tempting with new chips, cameras, and 5G, they still come with plenty of compromises despite the high price attached to many of them.

Many of the best Android phones lack features such as expandable memory, headphone jacks, and more. Some even lament the loss of a removable battery, something that can be the downfall of any smartphone no matter how many years of support it gets.

That said, you don't have to spend an arm and a leg to get many of these features. Many of the best budget Android phones still offer great specs while retaining headphone jacks, expandable memory, and years of software support.