How To Keep Your Phone For A Longer Time - Guide

Smartphones have become more than just basic communication devices that replace home line phones. They are our point-and-shoot cameras, navigation units, media consumption devices and add many more unique features to help us out in real world use-cases. With every new year comes a new generation of SoCs, camera sensors, charging and display technologies. This is also why it is tempting to buy the newest flagship phone on the market. 

Adding the hype around these devices, people most are likely willing to upgrade sooner to the next gen devices then their use-cases require. 

This creates many problems: First, changing phones every one or two years creates a large amount of waste and that way harms the environment. Also, new devices need resources that are most likely only available in mines with inferior labor rights compared to modern industrial countries. Well known cases of child labor and slavery shouldn't become a norm to satisfy the public. 

But what are our options?

Apple devices are well known for their long update cycles. This is a huge advantage for customers since they get new features and security updates for at least 4 years and can continue using their phones without safety concerns. iOS is already a very safe platform because the applications are sandboxed and ipa's can't be installed other than from the App Store or the developer options. 

The update situation differs on Android phones. Google and Samsung flagship phones get at least 3 years of security updates. Three years will be enough for some customers but not for others. The solution could be a custom rom that would update your phone to the newest Android Version. This will void your warranty and disable security features but could be an alternative to buying a new phone and help you use your phone for longer. Keep in mind that your online banking software and many games won't run without some work on rooted devices. You could also damage your phone in the process of rooting the phone. 

What most phones have in common

Every phone has two key elements that are prone to break or degrade. These are the battery and the displays/digitizers. It's important to look for phones that are easy to repair. Even Though most of the current mid-rangers and flagships are nowhere near this stage, some phones are easier to work on than others. Depending on the brand and model, potential customers can do their research on platforms like YouTube and various websites to check the reliability of the devices. 

Me repairing an old iPhone 6 Plus

If you have problems with your storage capacity, then look out for reliable and secure cloud services where you can regularly sync your photos and videos with to safe local space on your phone. Also check your installed Apps and look after Apps that you rarely use. They can also eat up some battery life because of background activities.

Fixing the situation

Android users should choose with their money. Don't buy devices that don't fit your upgrade cycle. Manufacturers will notice the trend and adapt with update policy changes if needed. If not, then choose other devices. 

Whether you are an Android User, you should support initiatives like "right to repair” and help organizations that push these topics to the political field. If the right legislative passes, then your options as a customer will increase. This will help you financially and the environment in the long run. 

Keep in mind that a display replacement, whether it's an OLED or an LCD, will be cheaper than buying a brand-new phone. This is obviously still linked to the repairability of your chosen phone. Look into repair manuals here and decide if you could do it yourself. Don't forget to backup your file. 

Consider the following points when buying a phone for longer usage: 

• OLED displays can degrade after a few years. There could be burn-ins. LCD should be enough for daily usage. 
• Quick Charging can degrade your battery sooner because of the extra heat. 
• Cheap phones most likely won't have long update-cycles. You won't get many security updates. Check which manufacture delivers the most updates. 
• Modern SoCs are mostly more efficient than older SoCs. Choose the most modern ARM-Chip that is available at your price range. 
• Newer SoCs will also help your phone to run smother with the increasing power usage of apps. 
• Buy a phone with a SD-Card slot to increase your storage capacity afterwards. 
• Get your old phone recycled or give it away to someone who could still daily the phone. 
• Look into getting a refurbished phone. Make sure that the battery was replaced or in brand-new condition. 
• Check for 5G compatibility. Some recent cheap phones have 5G capabilities. This will future-proof yourself. 

Keep in mind that if you and many others change their buying behavior, that right changes can be made most effectively over the free market. No one will produce a phone nobody wants to buy.