How many smartphone generations do you, the average (!) user, skip?

I would consider myself to be an average user, someone who doesn't spend all day with a smartphone in his/her hand and who uses it when needed (daily communication needs, when on the road, etc.).

Still, I'm just genuinely interested in your "smartphone upgrade history".
Am I the only one who runs around with a comparatively ancient phone?

I could easily afford a new one, but I simply don't see why I should. I'm still sitting here with my S10 5G, bought in 2020, one year after it appeared on the market. As far as I recall, it stopped receiving updates sometime in 2023. The phone is fine, the battery still works well, there isn't a single app that is "slow", animations are smooth, screen is as new, the camera is above average ... in short: perfectly fine.

So, my Samsung upgrade history has been a "lame" one:

-> Samsung S5 -> S7 - S10 5g\*

That's it.

*I bought the S10 5G way back when because I wanted a headphone jack and wouldn't consider a phone without one (which excludes Samsung from any future consideration and will probably severely limit future choices).

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Update:

I was overwhelmed by the many responses here. When I posted this, I just wanted to get an idea in regard to whether other people see/have seen the need to upgrade.

On this side of the planet, it's dinner time now (on a Sunday), so I'm going to step away until tomorrow. I still intend to answer/reply to comments.

To be quite honest, I'm not really surprised about many of the replies here, which are often affirmative:

  1. Phones are a subjective thing and it depends if you use them privately or for work. The latter might force you to upgrade before you yourself see the need to, the former might well entice you to upgrade to get the latest innovation, no matter if it is a bigger step up or not.
  2. Lots of people agree that innovation has slowed down and that upgrading to the next generation isn't a given anymore (as much as it, perhaps, used to be).
  3. Many people are weary in regard to features being dropped.
  4. Lots of people have skipped several generations simply because their phones continue(d) to work well and nothing forced them to upgrade (broken screen, deceasaed battery, slow CPU, etc.)
  5. Samsung phones, as is my experience, are pretty sturdy beasts and outlast the end of support, other software updates and continue to work well beyond their intended life spans.
  6. Last but not least, in regard to Samsung, the latest S25 doesn't really seem to be the expected substantial upgrade many expected (S Pen, slots, etc.)

And, what I found especially fascinating, people outlined some very interesting upgrade paths that encompassed the most diverse manufacturers and models.

I'll be back ...

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Update 2:

Thanks a million for all of your responses. I never expected to get so many replies and really appreciate how many people took the time to also write longer answers, but there is no way I can reply top all 650 of them. Sorry.

In addition to what I summarized above, let me add this:

  1. Many people reminded me of the missing security updates on my comparatively ancient phone. Yes, that's also my main concern, but because I removed banking apps and other security sensitive stuff, I'll just risk it and see how I far I get without things im- or exploding.
  2. I have been chastised for still wanting a headphone jack. Still, it remains a must for me as long as any reputable company still produces smartphones with one included (and as long as wired headphones still exist that aren't too demanding on the battery). Once they don't anymore, I'll move to a dedicated music player. Music - and its sonic quality - are important in my life. All these Bluetooth etc. phones simply didn't do it for me at all.
  3. After many comments here, I researched the Sony Xperia models a bit more and might go for a future model once that rolls around in May (or so). Those have their shortcomings but sound like they might easily cover my needs.
  4. Most importantly, I don't need to feel so alone anymore. Tons of people replied that they let "millennia" go by before they updated, were very choosy when it came around to what they updated to, as expected, use-case scenarios differ widely and, last but not least, the comments showed that just about every model ever available on the market was at least given a chance by someone who responded here.

Again, thanks a million for everyone's input! Much appreciated.