Samsung A13 32Bit System Disappointment

[countrykid]

Main question: when choosing a new phone: Android or iPhone, how do you know what its lifespan is in terms of receiving updates so that the various apps will still work? 

A friend of mine needed a new phone about 20 months ago. Not flushed with cash at that time but being keen to get a Samsung she opted for a £120 A13. Cheap I know but it seemed to tick all her boxes.

She has now discovered something which she'd no reason to know about, but which is the cause of her favourite game suddenly no longer being playable.

Turns out that to now play this game (and probably some others) the phone needs to be 64 bit and the A13 is 32 bit.

She has now done some research and learned that 32bit began being phased out in 2015 so she's disappointed that a respected brand like Samsung were still producing 32 bit when she bought hers.

She is now prepared, if reluctant, to shell out on a new phone and spend more in an effort to get one that can receive updates etc for as long as possible. This might include considering an iphone if this meant getting overall better value rather than keep changing her phone every 2 years!!

She been told an iPhone 16 has 5 years of updates but presumes some Samsung Android models must exist that give this length of support.

Any suggestions/advice appreciated. Anything else to watch out for eg reliability/quality.

[chelle7272]

It's a ahsmae she did;t realise that 32GB would not be enough. They are still on the market as for some poeple they are enough and the cost is less. Most phones are now 128GB.

Samsung S series is supported for 7 years and some of the A models if they came out in 2024 or later for 6 years.

She will still need to make sure that ther is enough storage on the phone for other things besides operating system and updates.  

[Bazile]

I've just bought a Samsung A56, for  er indoors , which is classed as a midranger

8GB RAM 

256GB storage

6 years software and security updates 

Released March 25

Direct from Samsung currently at £424 ( I got 10% discount from little miss bazile work discount  scheme )

You can get it cheaper from other retailers , but i preferred to go to Samsung for peace of mind .

As to performance , I would suggest you have a look at review sites like Techradar or GSM arena or others who have done full reviews of this phone and loads of other phones  to see if it's a phone that would suit your friend or indeed check out other phones to see what would suit .

 

 

 

 

 

[Old_Geezer]

That seems to be down to the app designers rather than the handset.  Decent designers try to keep their code backwardly compatible as far as they practically can.  Or have their earlier versions remain available.

 

You could always websearch for sites holding old versions, but of course you run the risk of downloading infected code.

[countrykid]

Many thanks for helpful responses. I'll share the info with her.

Chelle7272, just to clarify my enquiry didn't relate to storage capacity but rather the phone's processor handling ability, hers being 32-bit rather than 64-bit. 

Bazile, the A56 sounds a good option 👍

[Bazile]

You mention she can't play a particular game again .

I've no idea as to whether or not the A56  can handle that game to a high standard or how important gaming is to your friend .

However the reviews says that its  not the best for intense tasks such as gaming ,but it wasn't designed for that