Advice Request Opinion: Smartphones are a waste of money

[Cortex]

I find a smartphone incredibly useful, apart from having music wherever I am including my car (and works as a sat-nav) I have photographs of many holidays I love to look at photos of my children & grandchildren - However I never go for the latest model, you can usually get a brand new iPhone of one or two models down (8+ for me) & if you sell your old one it's not much money - However, young people like my youngest daughter of 20 & partner feel getting the latest phone is a must have, they both work hard & enjoy what they buy even if it's different choices to me - Kids today & their phone are a single entity, they have both bought the latest highest spec Samsung & love them - At the end of the day what we spend our cash on is our business.

 

[Ink]

A flagship model of the year is a waste of money, but the smartphone as a device per se isnt, it is a great piece of technology that makes live much easier, fun and comfortable.

That's right.

 

[TairikuOkami]

It has its benefits of course, when used in moderation. I already spend the whole day at the computer, so a smartphone would finish me off.
I bought a used smartphone for $40, so I could sync my Fitbit watch, but I am looking forward to smartwatch with SIM, that seems more practical.

 

[FireHammer]

I don't know @Spawn, I am quite happy with my Huawei P 30 Lite.

 

[Arequire]

I don't think smartphones themselves are a waste of money; being able to browse the internet, communicate with countless people and utilize the services that apps provide almost anywhere is infinitely useful and I can't imagine going back to a time before I could do so.
With that said I can't justify purchasing anything above what's considered a budget smartphone. Besides screen size, build quality and camera quality, my £150 Moto G6 Play can do basically everything a £820 Samsung Galaxy S20+ can do, and having to wait an extra 2 seconds for apps to open is a negligible trade off for the money I save.

 

[Local Host]

100 GBP is almost 685 Brazilian Reais, this is what I spent in a year with my mobile phone carrier and here in Brazil electronics devices and services are very expensive, so those 100 GBP is insane.

Agree that value is ridiculous, I'm in Europe myself and I pay 75 Brazilian Reais monthly.

Obviously I have a big discount from my company, but even normal plans aren't over 125 Brazilian Reais.

 

[show-Zi]

We believe that services and ways of thinking that presuppose the possession of a smartphone are spreading throughout our lives, regardless of the individual's will.
It's becoming a necessity, but I don't think it's a problem if the development of a new smartphone product is stopped. We are benefiting from services, not devices. In that sense, I think it certainly has an aspect that can be called a waste of money.

My phone is a low-end Samsung J3 (about $150 US) which I use mainly as a phone. We pay $100+ US/mo for 3 phones monthly, including my step-daughter's.


Instead of a new phone, my next treat is having my Telefunken Jubilate 5153W radio refurbished. It's on the work bench now. I will get daily enjoyment out of my rebuilt beauty vs. getting a new phone.

I am a radio addict. Oh, the beauty of analog and vaccuum tubes!
View attachment 246266

For music around the 60s, I feel that a monaural sound source with noise is more suitable than a clear sound source.

 

[Myriad]

Title says it all.

For those looking to buy their first smartphone, borrowing money or looking to upgrade their existing handset.

Spending your savings on mobile phone technology is not worth it.

Feel free to disagree.

No , I fully agree ..... apart from anything else , just look at all of the violent street crime that comes from people
staggering about with a grand's worth of techno-bling on public display .

How about this option ..... just for chuckles ?

Buy a cheap Chinese smart phone ..... you really get a lot of " bang for your buck " with those things !!
[ So long as you can sleep OK , knowing that every device manufactured has already been back-doored
at the hardware level ...... and BTW it wasn't really the Tooth Fairy that left us that money ..... it was Mao ... Ha ! ]

Anyway .....
Buy the phone , do the usual rooting ...... unlock fastboot , enable USB debugging , adb .... blah , blah , blah

Then install Replicant , Lineage or whatever is currently the OS you most fancy .....
..... carry on with the apps you want , carefully avoiding all Google apps , and choosing only open source alternatives

Examples -

The Open GApps Project

OpenGApps.org offers information and pre-built packages of The Open GApps Project. The Open GApps Project is an open-source effort to script the automatic generation of up-to-date Google Apps packages. All Android versions and platforms supported.

opengapps.org

F-Droid - Free and Open Source Android App Repository

© 2010-2020 F-Droid Limited and Contributors

f-droid.org

------

I'm seriously interested to hear from anyone who has done this , and is happy with the results ..... thanks

 

[roger_m]

Buy a cheap Chinese smart phone ..... you really get a lot of " bang for your buck " with those things !!
[ So long as you can sleep OK , knowing that every device manufactured has already been back-doored
at the hardware level

Really? I've only been using cheap Chinese Android smartphones for the last 8+ years and have never had any such concerns, so I sleep just fine.

Do you have any actual evidence of what you say? I'm aware that there have been cases of Chinese phones which came pre-installed with malware. But that's not usually the case and I've never heard of phones coming with compromised hardware.

 

[Myriad]

Do you have any actual evidence of what you say?

None whatsoever !

To be honest , it was a tongue-in-cheek comment ..... based on all of the hullabaloo about Huawei
and the "risks" of using their equipment in 5G networks .

But I'm dead serious about the other stuff in my post ..... LineageOS or Replicant as an alternative to Android

 

[TairikuOkami]

I'm aware that there have been cases of Chinese phones which came pre-installed with malware. But that's not usually the case and I've never heard of phones coming with compromised hardware.

It does not have to be hardwired, if it can not be uninstalled/disabled, it is as bad.

Chinese malware found on U.S. government-subsidized phones

Cybersecurity firm, Malwarebytes says it has found pre-installed Chinese malware on some U.S. government-subsidized phones. The phones are offered to low-income families at significant discounts under the FCC’s Lifeline Assistance program that was first introduced three decades ago.

www.digitaltrends.com

 

[show-Zi]

What is a smartphone to you?

If it is a 'high-performance and convenient phone', the investment for replacement may be wasted.
If it is a 'high-performance device with telephone functions', there is a possibility that a comfortable environment can be obtained by investing.

I am a 'high-performance and convenient telephone' sect. I feel that the evolution of the call function, which is the original form of smartphones, has stagnated.

 

[bribon77]

I think that going to the latest smartphone fashion is for those who like phones,

Although in these times it is essential to have a phone, especially for work.

In my case I think I am a bit out of date, when it comes to mobile telephony.

 

[oldschool]

In my case I think I am a bit out of date, when it comes to mobile telephony.

Me too!

 

[Ink]

It may be relevant to a few, but the 2018 Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 is still largely better than the 765G, with the exception of 5G support and a smaller 7mm, versus 10mm.

There really is zero incentives to upgrade your $800 to a newer $500 smartphone. 5G is great, but it isn't widely available as the existing networks.

Thoughts?

 

[Soulbound]

A smartphone is only a waste of money if you are going for hig end/flagship route.
affordable mid range phones cost less than 300 GBP for example and they are good, even for those who do not use social media.

but then again each to their own.

 

[Chuck57]

Ours came free (Motorola Moto G6) by signing up for a 2 yr plan with T Mobile. Two phones, 20G each hotspot per month for tethering, unlimited when phone is used, for $50 a month each all taxes included. Recently updated to Android 10.

All the above said, a smartphone is only a waste of money until one's wife decides her husband is at the age where he should be carrying one 'just in case.' I'm the husband, I suppose I'm at 'that' age, and I had no choice but to obey or suffer the consequences.

 

[show-Zi]

In other words, 'waste of money' means chasing and acquiring the latest technology. To put it another way, it might be likened to a 'luxury hobby.'

Me too!
View attachment 246591

The thicker the string, the more comfortable the conversation will be.

 

[mlnevese]

@bribon77 @oldschool When did the two of you win the lottery... those are clearly extremely expensive phones!

Anyway if you can get a flagship with a huge discount then go for it, otherwise it really is a waste of money... For the price of a Galaxy Note 20 +, for instance, you could get an excellent laptop.

 

[oldschool]

@bribon77 @oldschool When did the two of you win the lottery... those are clearly extremely expensive phones!

@bribon77 's is for totally private calling - encrypted end to end. Mine OTH is the truly stylish one!