Table of ContentsThe Best Computer, Phone, and Tablet Brands for LongevityLaptops: Macs Are Built to LastLaptops for Work: Apple Computers Outlast Windows SystemsDesktops: Not Even Self-Built PCs Can Match Macs Gaming Desktops: MSI Machines Have the Longest LifespanDesktops for Work: Apple and Lenovo Tower Over the PackPhones: Samsung's Handsets Age GracefullyTablets: Apple Tablets Stand the Test of Time
Most people buy phones, tablets, and computers with the understanding that they'll likely be obsolete after a few years of use. Whether it's because they won't be able to keep up with software updates, the batteries can only survive so many charge cycles, or the companies behind the products will eventually stop supporting them, it's practically guaranteed that you'll need to upgrade or replace them after a certain period of time.
But what if you don't want to follow that costly cycle? Which brands should you buy from if longevity is among your main concerns?
To find out, we dug deep into our annual Readers' Choice surveys on laptops, desktops, phones, and tablets. In these polls, we ask readers to indicate how old their devices are before rating their overall satisfaction. This allows us to segment the data and see which brands still receive good ratings for products that are more than four years old. Any brand that can satisfy customers that far down the road deserves attention. These companies build the best tech for the long haul.
In this year's survey results, nine laptop manufacturers earn scores for products that have been in use for four years or more. This suggests that people are holding on to their devices for a good, long while. But of all the laptop brands that people are using for the long term, none are quite as highly-regarded as Apple. The company earns an impressive 9.2 out of 10 for satisfaction with machines that users have owned for at least four years, putting it well ahead of the competition.
For comparison, we've also included a tab above that displays the scores that vendors earn for short-term satisfaction as well -- that's for any devices that are less than a year old when rated. Fewer laptop brands meet our response threshold for inclusion in this category (another sign that people are hanging on to laptops longer), but of the four companies that do, Apple remains on top with even higher scores than it earns for old machines. That's not unusual in our survey results. People typically report higher satisfaction levels with newer technology, so it's interesting to note that Lenovo laptops actually score worse after just a year of use than they do after four years or more.
Apple doesn't earn enough responses for short-term work laptops to make the standings, which puts Lenovo in the lead with the exact same scores it earns for long-term satisfaction. No laptop brand earns enough responses for us to have a chart on IT-managed laptops in the long term.
For more, read Business Choice 2024: The Laptop Brands Our Readers Recommend.
For years, we've seen in our Readers' Choice surveys that the highest-rated PCs are often ones that readers build themselves. The sense of satisfaction that comes with doing something yourself typically translates into higher overall satisfaction with the finished machine -- and that's almost the case here. Long-term satisfaction scores for self-built PCs are near the top of the list, well ahead of all Windows-based PC brands.
But even self-built computers can't match the longevity of Macs. Apple computers earn the highest overall satisfaction scores of all four-plus-year-old desktop systems -- even ahead of the DIY rigs that users construct themselves. It's true for newer desktops as well. Apple's short-term satisfaction scores on recently purchased desktops are as close to a perfect ten as we typically see in our survey results.
The next best thing to a self-built gaming system is one from a gaming-specific PC vendor that allows you to choose the hardware and components that go into your computer. Companies like MSI, Alienware, and CyberPower (among many others) excel at this kind of thing. These vendors top the list for long-term satisfaction with gaming machines over four years old, each with a score of 9.0 or higher.
But even in a field with such strong competition, MSI is the clear winner overall, earning standout scores for both satisfaction and likelihood to recommend.
The only number MSI can't beat is the rating for long-term satisfaction with self-built PCs. However, even DIY users don't recommend their systems as much as the rest (except Dell; they definitely recommend build-your-own gaming rigs more than Dell).
For more, read Readers' Choice 2024: The Desktop PC, Peripheral, and Component Brands You Trust Most.
When it comes to desktop computers used in the workplace, Apple stands out yet again with exceptionally high ratings for computers over four years old. The difference in this category, however, is that self-built desktop PCs score higher than Macs when it comes to overall satisfaction. Self-built desktop users don't necessarily recommend their DIY PCs for work, though, as both Apple and Lenovo have higher long-term recommendation numbers.
As for the brand of desktops preferred by IT professionals, Lenovo earns the top score for long-term satisfaction, narrowly edging out Dell to win our Readers' Choice Award for the work desktops category.
Neither set of work desktops displayed any short-term satisfaction numbers, which indicates that users typically keep desktop workstations for longer periods of time before upgrading or replacing them.
For more, read Business Choice 2024: The Best Desktop PC and Monitor Brands for Work.
Competition is stiff when it comes to long-lasting mobile phones, with four vendors all tied for overall satisfaction with handsets over four years old. But that's where having our other important score -- the likelihood to recommend -- comes into play and serves as a tiebreaker. While satisfaction scores for older phones don't differ much across brands in this category, there's a notable difference in their recommendation scores. All things considered, Samsung is the best choice for phones that last.
Compared with computers and tablets, mobile phones are typically on a quicker refresh cycle with the American public. Trade-in service SellCell.com says the average smartphone lifespan in the US as of 2024 is 2.75 years. So maybe it's not surprising to see consistent long-term satisfaction for phones that are more than four years old, since anyone who holds onto a device that long is likely happy enough with their phone's performance that they don't feel compelled to upgrade.
In the short-term ratings, Apple, Google, and Samsung all tie again for satisfaction, but Apple has the edge over the others when it comes to the likelihood of recommendation.
For more, read our Readers' Choice 2024: The Top Mobile Phones and Wireless Carriers in North America.
Apple's iPad is well ahead of the competition in the tablet category, easily earning our final award for longevity. The company's satisfaction and recommendation scores are considerably higher than those of second-place finisher Microsoft, and almost 1.5 points ahead of the last-place finisher, Amazon.
The short-term numbers also put Apple ahead of the pack. The scores on the more youthful tablets are better in general for the brands that appear in our results, but the overall ranking of brands is largely the same as it is for tablets over four years old. Apple iPads clearly make users happy after their initial purchase, and that happiness endures for years to come.