I’ve been reviewing phones for almost 18 years — here’s my advice on when to upgrade your phone

I’ve been reviewing phones for nearly two decades now. In the early days, flagship models were often just $200 with a two-year contract — but things have changed, and those heavy carrier subsidies are long gone.

Back then, it was standard practice to upgrade every two years as your contract neared its end. Today, the landscape is very different because of how many of the best phones easily exceed $1,000. With such a substantial price tag, it’s much harder to justify upgrading as frequently as we used to.