Xiaomi or Samsung: Which smartphone will last longer? 7 key criteria

Why Choosing Xiaomi and Samsung is Not Just a Price Issue

Choosing a smartphone 3-5 years ahead is a much harder task than it seems, and while users used to focus on price and camera, battery durability, stability of updates, and even the ability to fix the device in a few years are now coming to the fore, and this is where Xiaomi and Samsung diverge dramatically.

For example, Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S23 Ultra is guaranteed to receive updates until 2027, while even the top-end Xiaomi 14 Pro will be stopped a year earlier. But this is just the tip of the iceberg. In this article, we will discuss 7 durability criteria that directly affect how long your smartphone will last, from build quality to manufacturer policy regarding older models.

Spoiler: No clear winner. Xiaomi wins in maintenance and price, but loses in upgrades and ecosystem. Samsung leads in support and reliability of iron, but its flagships cost 30-50% more. To understand what is more important to you, read on.

Update policy: Samsung gives +2 years of support

The most obvious factor of durability is the delivery time of security updates and Android versions. Here Samsung is unquestionably leading: from 2023, the company promises 4 major OS updates and 5 years of security for all flagships (S, Z, Note series).

Here's what it looks like in practice:

But there is a nuance: Samsung often delays the release of updates for budget models (series A and M), while Xiaomi, although it supports them less in time, but rolls out patches faster. For example, the Redmi Note 11 received Android 13 3 months earlier than the Galaxy A33.

⚠️ WARNING: If you’re buying a smartphone for years to come, avoid Xiaomi sub-brands (Redmi, POCO) — Their support ends with 2-3 Even if the iron is still working.

2.Battery: Xiaomi degrades faster, but there are exceptions

According to the Counterpoint Research (2023), Xiaomi smartphones lose battery on average 20-25% capacity 2 This is the year Samsung has been doing this. 15-18%. The reason is aggressive optimization of energy consumption in firmware MIUI/HyperOS, charger.

However, there are important exceptions:

• 🔋 Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra – 5000 mAh battery with titanium anode (degradation) ~10% for 2 years).
• 🔋 Xiaomi 14: battery at 4610 mAh with Surge technology G1 (degradation ~15% for 2 years).
• 🔋 Redmi Note 12 Pro+ — 5000 mAh, but without a cooling system (degradation to 30% in 1.5 years).
• 🔋 Galaxy A54 — 5000 mAh with overheating protection (degradation) ~12% for 2 years).

Xiaomi 120W+ smartphones (such as the Xiaomi 13T Pro) wear out the battery 1.5 times faster than Samsung’s 45W models. If you care about durability, choose devices with moderate charging (up to 67W) and Adaptive Battery (both brands have).

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Turn off Adaptive Charging in Xiaomi settings if you want to extend the life of the battery. In Settings → Battery → Select Normal Charging Mode additionally.

3.Build and Material Quality: Samsung Wins in the Premium Segment

Compared to flagships, the Samsung Galaxy S/Ultra and Xiaomi 13/14 Pro are built about the same way: aluminum body, Gorilla Glass Victus 2, IP68 protection.

• 📱 Samsung Galaxy A54: plastic case with metal frame, protection IP67.
• 📱 Redmi Note 12 Pro: All-Plastic case, protection IP53 (splash-only).
• 📱 Galaxy M54: glass back panel, but without water protection.
• 📱 POCO X5 Pro: Plastics Prone to Backlashes After a Year of Use.

According to service centers, 60% of Xiaomi breakdowns in the budget segment are associated with mechanical damage (screen cracks, plume dump), while Samsung has this figure of ~40%. Redmi models with a 3.5 mm connector are especially vulnerable - it often breaks when used intensively.

⚠️ Warning: If you drop your phone frequently, avoid flat-screen Xiaomi (like the Xiaomi 13 Lite). their displays crack when dropped from 80cm, whereas Samsung's curved screens (like the Galaxy) S23+) stand a fall from 1 meter.

4. Repairability: Xiaomi is cheaper to repair, but parts are worse

According to the portal iFixit, the average repairability of smartphones looks like this:

• 🔧 Samsung Galaxy S23: 6/10 (It’s hard to replace the battery, but the display is easy).
• 🔧 Xiaomi 13: 7/10 (It is easier to disassemble, but parts are often unoriginal).
• 🔧 Redmi Note 12: 8/10 (Modular design, but the screen is glued strongly).
• 🔧 Galaxy A54: 5/10 (It's hard to get to the motherboard).

The main problems:

1. Price of spare parts: screen for Galaxy S23 worth ~15 000 ₽, Xiaomi 13 — ~10 000 ₽.
2. Availability: original parts for Samsung are in 90% of services, for Xiaomi – in 60%.
3. Quality: Xiaomi’s non-original batteries are 30% less than the original ones.

Conclusion: Xiaomi is cheaper to fix, but after repairs, there is a high probability of new problems. Samsung is more expensive, but the warranty for repairs is longer (up to 1 year for parts vs 3 months for Xiaomi).

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5. Performance on the Long Horizon: Why the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is losing to the Exynos 2200 in 3 years

On paper, Xiaomi and Samsung’s flagship chipsets look equally powerful: Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 vs Exynos 2200/Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy. But after 2-3 years, the difference becomes obvious:

After 2 years, the flagships on Snapdragon begin to “lay” due to the accumulation of debris in MIUI. Samsung, on the contrary, actively optimizes One UI even for older models (for example, the Galaxy S20 after upgrading to One UI 5.1 began to work smoother than when released).

The exception is Xiaomi’s HyperOS smartphones (2026), which showed a 15-20% improvement in performance over MIUI, but long-term data is not yet available.

6.Ecosystem and interoperability: why Samsung wins in the long run

If you plan to use a smartphone for longer than 3 years, it’s important to consider how it will interact with other devices.

• 🖥️ Dex Mode: Full desktop (supported even on Galaxy) A54).
• ⌚ Galaxy Watch: sync with any Samsung smartphone (including older models).
• 🎧 Galaxy Buds: Automatic switching between devices.
• 🖨️ Samsung Print: Printing on any printer without drivers.

Xiaomi is also developing an ecosystem (Xiaomi HyperOS, Mi Band, Mi Home), but it only works stably with devices released after 2022. For example, the Mi Band 7 does not sync with the Xiaomi Mi 10 (2020), while the Galaxy Watch 6 has no problems connecting to the Galaxy S10 (2019).

Another important point is service compatibility: Samsung guarantees Samsung Pay, Secure Folder and Knox on all devices older than 4 years, Xiaomi has similar features (Mi Pay, Second Space) often cease to be supported after 2-3 years.

7 Price in 2-3 years: which smartphone is better at keeping value?

According to Avito and Yula (2026), Samsung smartphones lose an average of 30-40% of value in 2 years, while Xiaomi loses 50-60%.

• 💰 Galaxy S22 Ultra (2022): price 2 year-end — 60-65% primordial.
• 💰 Xiaomi 12 Pro (2022): price 2 year-end — 40-45% primordial.
• 💰 Galaxy A53 (2022): price 2 year-end — 50-55%.
• 💰 Redmi Note 11 Pro+ (2022): price 2 year-end — 30-35%.

Reasons:

1. Samsung has been supporting devices for longer, so they remain relevant.
2. Xiaomi releases new models more often, which devalues the old ones.
3. The demand for used Samsung is higher due to the reliability of the brand.

If you plan to sell a smartphone in 2-3 years, Samsung is definitely the best choice, but if you use it to the death, the difference in cost is not critical.

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Samsung flagships (S, Z, Note series) retain 50-60% of the value after 3 years, while Xiaomi flagships only 30-40%.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions