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My current smartphone, as I've mentioned elsewhere, is a Samsung Galaxy Note 8. I first got it in December of 2017, and as I wait for its replacement to finish a remanufacture, it seems likely that I will continue to use it until at least August--assuming it doesn't break in the meantime.
If I do have the Note 8 through August, I will have used the same smartphone for three years and eight months. That will make it the longest-used mobile phone I've ever had. As of now, the mobile phone I used the longest was the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, accruing three years and six months between June of 2014 and December of 2017. Interestingly, my previous longest-lasting mobile phone was also a Samsung and was the mobile phone used immediately before my Note 8. Maybe I'm just less willing to throw things out as I get older.
The Note 8 has given me quite a different experience from previous mobile phones I've had. It's the first smartphone I've had that didn't have a 16:9 screen aspect ratio. It's the largest mobile phone I've ever owned and the only one with a display diagonal larger than 6 inches. It's the first smartphone I've had with a fingerprint scanner, dual cameras, USB-C, and no physical buttons on the front. It's also the first mobile phone I've ever put a case on. It is the second mobile phone I've owned that did not have a removable battery (the first was an Apple iPhone 3GS), but it is the first with an IP68 water resistance rating. Most of these things are standard features today, and I've become used to them since I've owned the phone for so long, but they are still features I've never had with other mobile phones.
The Note 8 was also the penultimate member of the Galaxy Note series to include a 3.5mm TRRS jack. This is a feature I dearly love and use quite often, and as far as smartphone features go, this is quite frankly a hill I am willing to die on. I will never own a smartphone that does not include a TRRS jack, no matter how old or obscure a device I have to purchase to get one.
The Note 8's hardware is great, but I am less satisfied with the smartphone's software. My least favorite feature of the Note 8 has been its lack of customizability and user control. Samsung has unfortunately been slipping down this slope for a while, and it gets worse with every generation as Samsung and Apple convergently evolve. Android's own creeping restrictions with each update don't help, but that's an issue with Google, not Samsung.
I have had two smartphones in the past that required replacing due to failing internals. From the beginning, I've tried to avoid stressing the hardware of the Note 8 to help it last as long as possible. By carefully choosing software and enabled features, I've tried to be quite conservative in my use of the smartphone. As a result, it runs almost exactly the same as it did the day I bought it--the only sign of its age is somewhat reduced battery life, which is expected after well over a thousand charge cycles.
Over the years, I have not found myself missing the more advanced features of the Note 8 that I don't use, such as the fingerprint scanner or smart gestures. I also keep services such as location turned off unless I am actively using them. As a result, I've used the Note 8 in a much simpler way that it was likely intended for, and I have been quite happy with it.
Whether I feel as happy with my next smartphone is to be seen. It will be a while before I have any experience with it to even talk about.
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[Last updated: 2021-10-28]