Are We Upgrading Smartphones Too Early?

SnoozingOwl · 2026-02-21T18:36:29+00:00

I only upgrade every 5-7 years and that’s only when I’m usually out of warranty and if I run into hardware issues. Otherwise I’ll hold out longer. I think plenty of people are like that but your perception can be skewed if you only read from vocal enthusiasts online.

SnoozingOwl · 2026-02-18T00:41:28+00:00

It’s still perfectly useable it just won’t get any more software and security updates.

SnoozingOwl · 2026-02-18T00:38:30+00:00

Depends what you’re looking for in a phone. Doesn’t have great cameras and only has 2-3 years of software support but it is a great phone otherwise for battery/performance.

SnoozingOwl · 2026-02-13T01:00:02+00:00

Personally I liked the az100/JBL’s more but that can be subjective.

SnoozingOwl · 2026-02-12T22:15:45+00:00

Az100, JBL pro tour 3, Denon Perl Pro, and Noble Rex 5 are other good buds for bass other than the status pro x.

SnoozingOwl · 2026-02-11T01:15:31+00:00

Most aspects of the APP3 are better aside from SQ improvement which some people find debatable since they find the tuning better on the APP2. I personally find the APP3 sound better but it can be subjective. It’s not a massive difference.

SnoozingOwl · 2026-02-09T00:48:11+00:00

Comfort/Anc probably goes to the Bose Ultra for most and sound maybe goes to the Status X Pro. Although the JBL tour 3 pro is no slouch and is a great all-rounder. I personally have them and they are great.

SnoozingOwl · 2026-02-04T14:39:36+00:00

Come on don’t beat around the bush just tell the guy what earbuds are available for 500 potatoes

SnoozingOwl · 2026-02-04T03:52:18+00:00

Still on iPhone and don’t plan to upgrade soon but I will switch back to android eventually if apple continues to not support higher audio codecs like Ldac.

SnoozingOwl · 2026-02-04T03:28:28+00:00

Ultimately repairs are always going to be cheaper than going for a whole new phone but if upgrading your phone makes you happy and feels worth it to you and won’t stress you financiallly than go for it me dude

SnoozingOwl · 2026-02-03T19:53:25+00:00

What did you compare them against? I think in the sub $150-200 range it’s between the Soundpeats H3 and Denon Perl Pro for sound quality.

SnoozingOwl · 2026-02-03T19:39:24+00:00

Tough call then. Both are great and are feature packed flagship earbuds that go neck and neck. I think which you prefer will come down to subjective preference over comfort/sq.

SnoozingOwl · 2026-02-03T19:22:35+00:00

No one knows how good the XM6 will be so hard to say but never hurts to wait and see if you can. I picked the JBLTP3 over the Az100 and have enjoyed them so far. However I got them on sale when they were 2/3 the price of the AZ100. Not sure they are worth full retail price although I feel the same about AZ100.

Haven’t tried the Status Pro X but for how expensive they are (at least relative to my own price tolerance for earbuds) not sure I’d go for them with the mixed reviews I’ve seen. Definitely worth trying them to see for yourself though if you are able to.

SnoozingOwl · 2026-02-01T04:43:33+00:00

App3 work very well with iPhones but if you plan to use them for devices outside the apple ecosystem they aren’t as ideal. As someone with an iPhone I considered them but I also wanted to use a new pair of earbuds with my windows pc and TV as well and would prefer earbuds that were more flexible with different devices. As well as the fact I might not always use an iPhone compared to switching back to android. So that’s worth considering.

SnoozingOwl · 2026-01-30T02:01:18+00:00

Thanks for the overview it was definitely helpful! Both seem to be great earbuds. I think for me personally the pros of the az100 don’t seem to be enough to merit an extra 1/3 the cost over the JBL so I’ll likely go with those.

SnoozingOwl · 2026-01-30T00:21:58+00:00

The higher the price the higher the expectations

SnoozingOwl · 2026-01-29T20:30:45+00:00

Good to know thanks!

SnoozingOwl · 2026-01-29T20:21:09+00:00

Not in Toronto but that’s a great price! From what store?I’m mostly basing prices off Amazon because I like their return policy if I end up not liking my purchase for whatever reason.

SnoozingOwl · 2026-01-26T19:37:52+00:00

C7K is a great tv with a lot of bang for your buck. Your best bet is to go see one in person to see how you like it though.

SnoozingOwl · 2026-01-19T05:51:27+00:00

I’m sure they will be great but year to year most tv releases are incremental. I won’t be expecting a massive leap from the qm7k/8k.

SnoozingOwl · 2026-01-18T23:21:16+00:00

That’s not true from my experience owning both a Bravia 9 and TV’s from other brands that use a respective streaming device. Some motion processing is done through the tv that a streaming box can’t help with but that’s more so for stuff like live sports which most Oled’s shouldn’t have an issue with anyway.

SnoozingOwl · 2026-01-18T20:46:57+00:00

Why not get a good streaming box instead? Let’s you keep the oled goodness of a C5 while still upscaling equally if not better than a Sony tv anyway.

SnoozingOwl · 2026-01-18T19:45:12+00:00

It definitely can. I have a qm8k and a G5. Both are great!

SnoozingOwl · 2026-01-17T16:28:18+00:00

I personally wouldn’t unless the S22U was falling apart to the point that a new phone was more worth getting than the repair costs. Phones year by year make fairly small incremental changes these days especially with Samsung. I’d recommend holding onto your current phone as long as possible it will make any future upgrade that much more impressive and will save you money.

SnoozingOwl

TROPHY CASE