A phone that lasts for years

What I would look at first

These go to Amazon. If you buy, Ibrahin earns a commission and you pay the same price.

Seven years of updatesGoogle Pixel 10 and 10aView on Amazonpaid link

Seven years, if you prefer SamsungSamsung Galaxy S26View on Amazonpaid link

If the budget decides: up to six yearsSamsung Galaxy A57View on Amazonpaid link

Picked with this guide's criteria, without testing them. How it is decided

What has happened

Since 20 June 2025, two EU regulations set a minimum for almost every phone sold here, even if the brand never mentions it. Very few are left out: phones with a rollable screen, those built for high-security communications and those made for areas with a risk of explosion; foldables are included.

EU legal minimum, since 20 June 2025

What the law requires from the brand

Even if it promises nothing anywhere

System updatesAny it releases, free and for every phone of that model. Until at least five years after it stops selling it, not from your purchasefree, 5 years

Spare partsThe figure that decides whether a repair is realistic. Seven years from when it stops selling the model, delivered within five to ten working days7 years

BatteryIt has to last and be replaceable. On smartphones, at least 800 full charges while keeping 80% of its capacity (500 on basic phones)800 cycles

Energy labelIn the shop and next to the price online. Shows battery life, battery cycles, drop resistance and dust and water protectioncompulsory

Repairability gradeThe most useful thing on the label for comparing. From A, the best, to EA to E

There are two important details. First: those periods are counted from when the manufacturer stops selling that model, not from the day you buy it. Second: the law does not say how many updates the brand must release. It says that, until at least five years after the model stops being sold, any updates it does release must be free and reach every phone of that model. The European Commission explains it as a way of making sure you keep receiving them for that time, but it is not a figure the brand promises you: that is why it pays to check what the brand guarantees in writing.

Why it matters to you

That floor doesn’t mean every brand gives the same: some promise seven years of updates and others far fewer. And what usually retires a phone isn’t that it gets slow, but that it stops getting patches, the battery wears out or a repair costs more than the phone itself. Choosing well when you buy saves you replacing it early.

The specific years each brand promises, with names, are in what each brand promises.

What you can do

1. Look at the energy label in the shop

For smartphones it is compulsory in the shop and, online, it must be shown next to the price. It shows battery life, charge cycles, drop resistance and dust and water protection. The most useful part is the repairability grade, from A to E.

2. Check how many years of updates the brand guarantees

Look it up on the manufacturer’s official website and check from which date it is counted. The brand must also state it, in years, in the product information sheet it publishes in the EU energy label database. The manual or other documents that come with the phone must show how to reach that sheet: a web address, a QR code or the product’s registration number. A phrase like “extended support” is no substitute for a number. These are some of the ones that promise the most years:

3. Ask about the battery and repairs

The battery is the part that wears out most. The law requires spare batteries to be available and that you can replace it without being a technician, except on phones whose battery and water resistance pass tougher tests. Even so, ask how much the replacement costs and who does it near you. The same goes for the screen: a repair that is possible but expensive or far away is not a solution.

4. Choose storage with room to spare

Photos, videos and apps take up more and more space. With just enough capacity you’ll end up deleting things or paying for cloud storage you hadn’t planned.

5. Start from how you really use it

Don’t pay for a professional camera if what matters to you is reading the screen comfortably and having the battery last the day. And buy where the warranty and returns are clear.

The recommendation

Before comparing cameras, compare this:

• How many years of updates does the brand guarantee for that model, and from when are they counted?
• What repairability grade does the energy label show?
• How much does a battery replacement cost and who does it?
• Does it have enough storage for several years?

Sources

• Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/1670 on ecodesign for smartphones and tablets — EUR-Lex
• Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/1669 on energy labelling of smartphones and tablets — EUR-Lex
• New EU rules for durable, energy-efficient and repairable smartphones and tablets — European Commission
• Do Android update requirements cover only minor versions? — European Commission
• Regulation (EU) 2025/2006 amending the ecodesign regulation — EUR-Lex

Related

• Phones that last: what each brand promises
• What to do before changing your phone

Review

Responsible for publication: Ibrahin. Date: 2026-09-02. Last checked: 2026-10-17. Legal minimums taken from the text of the EU ecodesign and energy labelling regulations for phones and tablets.