Android obsolescence?

Aren’t they just saying that the latest AI features are only available on the latest hardware, kind of like how the latest iOS AI features are only available on certain processors?
 
This is about on device ai, gemma 4 models. For proper performance it needs latest higher end hardware. It can run on cpu but slower and eat more battery, so at least for now this is excluded. The rest of Android should still work and get shipped for all

Now, i am not even sure this feature is entirely a good thing: do i want my phone listening and transcribing everything 24/7 and sending that f*** knows where?! No, not really. It is probably already doing that though. How do you otherwise explain gemini launching unpropmpted around midnight and telling me that ai cant be turned off. This really happened
 
For various reasons I got out and recharged a Windows phone today - last update 2016. It's actually nice to use, if just a little laggy, and if the various apps hadn't gradually been turned off I might have carried on using it for a couple of years more.
 
I liked my old WinPhone! Only changed it to get (a LOT) more useful apps.
 
Craikeybaby said:
Aren’t they just saying that the latest AI features are only available on the latest hardware, kind of like how the latest iOS AI features are only available on certain processors?
Click to expand...
Exactly...how it's always been with new features that aren't supported on older hardware. I'd take it as a plus my phone can't run some genAI garbage anyway.
ancient_mariner said:
For various reasons I got out and recharged a Windows phone today - last update 2016. It's actually nice to use, if just a little laggy, and if the various apps hadn't gradually been turned off I might have carried on using it for a couple of years more.
Click to expand...
I had a Lumia 925 years ago and thought it was a really nice design with a plastic material that felt good in hand but tough as well.
 
That's not a feature; it's antifeature (harmful/anti-user "feature").

I don't currently use smartphone; and if I ever needed to get one in the future, this is going to be one of many reasons I would get an old brand-model, or go second-hand entirely instead of brand new.

Tangentially related:
pivot-to-ai.com

Google Chrome force-installs a 4-gigabyte AI model — how to get rid of it

A lot of people just found out that Google’s Chrome web browser happily downloads a four-gigabyte AI model. For all users. The model is “Gemini Nano”, which is a smaller, distilled version of Gemin…
pivot-to-ai.com pivot-to-ai.com
 
i think most phones get 3years updates from launch?
we use xiaomi phones and keep them for about two years
 
Mr Bump said:
i think most phones get 3years updates from launch?
we use xiaomi phones and keep them for about two years
Click to expand...

We aim for 3-4 years, although if they keep working ok then we would hang on rather than change.
 
I was lucky to get 2 years out of my Android phones (Samsung S3 and LG G4). I know other people still using their jurassic Android phones without issues but I must have been unlucky.

My iPhone 8 is still running well after 8 years (but is now the 'music device' in my Saab), although the battery seems to go flat within a day now and my current 3-year old iPhone 14 is fine
 
My Moto phone is on Android 13 and it's last update was April 2025.

Still works fine but will likely replace it next year???
 
Still rocking a 6 ½ year old iPhone 11, which does me fine

That may change this year, the battery is starting to get annoying and I am not sure it is worth spending more money on it at this point as I think it is finally going to fall out of support for the latest version of iOS in the autumn.

Edit - I just checked and no, it's going to be supported in iOS 27, but still, it may be it's time has come.
 
Last edited:
I'm tight and hate wasting money, I buy top of the range phones second-hand, when they've been replaced by the latest model. I'm currently on a Samsung S23, now regarded as old but it's perfect for my needs.

My very first phone, back in the 80's, had to be carried around on a shoulder strap, cost a fortune to buy, £25 pcm subscription and every call was charged for, and only made and received phone calls, if I was lucky enough to be in the right place. Maybe that's why I don't care whether my phone has some features that I don't need :)
 
Garry Edwards said:
My very first phone, back in the 80's, had to be carried around on a shoulder strap...
Click to expand...
My first cellphone was NEC's P3, which would actually fit in a pocket, allbeit with the aerial sticking out.

It was still expensive to buy, connect and use but it paid its way, at that time. There's a brief write up and a picture here...

Top Ten popular mobile phones

Mobile phone ownership has increased dramatically since the 1980s. By 2000 over half of the population in the UK had a mobile phone. But what were our favourite models?
www.mobilephonehistory.co.uk
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top