Repairability is a fair complaint - but the initial lifespan of $android is max 2 years. I consider it broken once it does not receive security updates. So $android phone is “broken” after 2 years.
If that's your definition of a lifespan, "max 2 years" is absolutely not true. Android has two types of support: new major releases and security patches.
An average Android usually supports new major Android releases for 2 years, but security patches usually go longer. Not as long as an iPhone, but more like 3-5 years.
Nexus 5X & Nexus 6P (released September 2015) - last update January 2019 [1] ~ 2.25 years Pixel & Pixel XL (released October 2016) - 2019 (can't find a good reference) ~ 3 years Pixel 2 (released October 2017) - December 2020 [2] ~ 3.3 years
[1]: https://9to5google.com/2018/11/07/nexus-6p-and-5x-final-guar... [2]: https://www.androidpolice.com/2020/10/05/pixel-2-and-2-xl-re...
My conclusion: an iPhone outlives (at least) 2+/3+ android phones
Pixels starting from 6 -> 5 years.
Recent Samsungs -> 4 years.
Fairphone 2 (Dec 2015) -> lost support last month.
Things have improved since Nexus 5X, and even that one had a year longer support than your "max 2 years". I'm not saying it's better than an iPhone, I'm saying make a fair comparison.
Pixel 6 came out last year, the 5 year promise is still just a promise.
Samsung's 4 years isn't 4 years of major Android version updates. IIRC it was 2 years of Android updates + 2 years of security patches.
We'll see in 6 years whether the Nexus 6 can get the latest Android version. I'm pretty damn sure my iPhone 14 will still get updates in 2028.
A lot of people buy cheap $no-brand phones that probably don’t get (any) updates.
I have an iPhone. I'm just sick of their hypocrisy. This is nothing but marketing to get you to buy more product from them. "oh apple is so good to the planet, so security oriented, they really value your privacy"