Why "seven years of updates" quietly changed how to buy a phone
When a mid-range phone is supported into the 2030s, the case for buying a flagship gets weaker every year. How we got here Google started it, Samsung matched it, and Apple has effectively done it for years: seven years of OS and security updates is now the flagship standard, and it is trickling down to mid-range phones. What it does to the maths A ~$500 Pixel 11-class phone patched into the 2030s is a better long-term buy than an $1,100 flagship you replace every three years out of habit. The upgrade treadmill only works if you keep stepping on it. If you are willing to keep a phone for five or six years, the sensible money is on a well-supported mid-ranger, not the top of the range. The verdict: Long software support turned the mid-range into the value sweet spot. Buy for longevity and the flagship premium gets hard to justify. Sources GSMArena specifications