Every mobile plan may be different, but the one I have allows for an upgrade after a certain length of time. If I upgrade right away, I get a discount on a new mobile phone. If I wait, I get an even bigger discount. Since I'm usually not in a big hurry to start over with a new phone anyway, I wait as long as I can (unless the phone break or the battery dies). I've ended up with a free upgrade or a very cheap one. I paid 99 cents for the phone I have now. Do have a similar option? Do you wait or upgrade right away?
I am not so keen on mobile upgrades (particularly OS upgrades) because my phone either ends up corrupted or slower than it used to be when it was still using the previous OS. Since the differences between the latest OS and the previous one aren't really that huge, I tend to stick with the OS installed in my phone when I first bought it. The last phone I bough was a Samsung J7 with an Android 5.0 Lollipop OS. It works well so no immediate plans of upgrading to Marshmallow. And there's already a Nougat. Gosh, these updates are never-ending.
I cannot buy a new phone without the approval of my husband. His reason - phone is for communication and not for fashion. When my Samsung SIII broke down, that was an opportunity for me to buy a new one. But I bought another Samsung J7 because I am comfortable with a Samsung. So even if I would have the budget for a new phone, I have to wait until this Samsung breaks down again before I can buy a new one. And I agree with my husband because I have friends and colleagues who seem to be phone collectors, they buy new phones every year at least.
I wouldn't upgrade immediately if I could get a bigger discount on a phone later. That's unless you are one of those people who upgrades as soon as there's something on the market. That said I use a prepaid phone so I never have to upgrade unless I want to. I can keep a phone for a decade if I could as long as it is still working that is.
I'm notorious for keeping my phone until it absolutely doesn't work. My husband actually went and got my last phone upgraded after two years because he knew, I would've waited until the thing just died. I absolutely hate the way these cell phones are set up, but I guess that's the way the Tech industry is set up....an upgrade every two to three years, me on the other hand, I want to keep my phone for ten years, if possible.
I use my phone until I begin to hate it. This usually happens in 3-4 years. I don't upgrade much, but I think I should. When I use phone for too long, it will lose its usability and eventually I will have to throw it in a dustbin. However, if I change it when I have already used for a year, I can get a good value for my phone.
I upgrade my phone when I can afford to. The one I have now is a piece of junk I really would love to upgrade, but I have other financial priorities right now. I will be doing it as soon as I can though. I just think it is not my main priority at the moment. It is just one of the things that I want to remember to do when I get some money though, because having a bad phone can be aggravating.
My bro gets a free phone or tablet every 2 years because of his postpaid subscription. As for me, I'm just a prepaid user, so I only change phones if I feel like it or if the one that I'm using got broken.