Talk me out of replacing my smartphone

[vexed87]

I have smashed my smartphone screen again, damn my clumsy hands! I think this is the third time it has happened. Maybe I should have just bought a rugged/rubber protective case, but alas I never learn!

A replacement LED screen is ~£50, and I can fit it myself, but as this is the third time I would replace the screen, quite a lofty expense. We are entering territory where it would be just cheaper to stop using a smartphone altogether in favour of one of these. Should I cut the "cord" and downgrade to dumb phone, or perhaps cough up and replace my screen?

Embarrassingly I caught myself looking at Black Friday deals to source a "bargain" replacement handset, I don't know why, but the iPhone 6 keeps catching my eye, I'm almost lusting after one of those. It has IOS continuity for pete's sake... Damn those marketers are good!

I'm not foolish enough to get hooked on a monthly plan, I'd simply cough up for sim free device. Tell me I'm not crazy for toying with the idea of getting one of those iPhones (used of course!) Someone talk me down from the ledge, do I repair what I have and get a case this time, or downgrade to even more inexpensive handset, as my track record of looking after mobile devices isn't great.

[Ydobon]

You have smashed three screens?! That is pretty unfortunate.

Have you considered:

1) Changing your habits? Have you broken several screens in the same way?
2) Getting a cheap but effective cover for your phone? I bought a cheap, slim, leather cover that protects the screen with a rigid shell for the princely sum of £3-4
3) Getting a tempered glass screen protector? I'd never heard of these before this morning, but the people selling them claim they're good
4) Getting a phone with a tougher screen (for example, some of the fancy mobile phones come with Gorilla glass or similar (I forget the brand name, not big on phone tech)

Wife and I use Motorola Moto G 2nd gen phones. Tough, smart enough, 4G and easily available for less than £100.

[vexed87]

1) I often drop my phone when I'm preoccupied with something else, lets just chalk it down to poor hand coordination !
2) I used to use a case, but don't like how they turn slimline phones into bulky pocket fillers, perhaps this is something I need to compromise on from now on!
3) Will check these out, new to me too!
4) I think my Galaxy S4 had a tough 'gorilla glass' screen to start with, but the after market replacement components probably don't use the OEM glass, maybe #3 would help here!

Thanks for the suggestion re: Moto G, looks like a nice yet inexpensive handset.

[George the original one]

How much do you use the smart features of your smartphone? If you primarily talk on the phone, then the choice is obvious.

[GandK]

Thanks for the suggestion re: Moto G, looks like a nice yet inexpensive handset.

Check out the Droid Turbo as well. They just came out with a 2nd gen, so the 1st gen will be reasonably priced. They have a Kevlar version and a ballistic nylon version; either is extremely durable. If you're clumsy and you prefer going without a case, I recommend the ballistic nylon, as you can get a better grip on it. I have the Kevlar version; it's tough but slick.

[OldPro]

Time was when a phone was a phone. It may be time to change the name of these devices to something else. I agree with George that it depends on whether what you want is a phone or a smart device.

I have been using the same cellphone for just over 10 years now. Works fine for making and receiving phone calls. Accepts text and voice messages. That's all I need it to do.

[cmonkey]

I bet the DW would be up for crocheting you a slip-in case and sending it free of charge, just because it would be fun to send something to someone in the UK (she has a veritable crush on your country). She made me one with a triforce on it.

[Peanut]

Definitely get a case no matter if you just replace the screen or get a whole new phone. Even a not-wholly protective one (one that's not bulky) will help. I have the tempered glass. It was actually sold to me in a kind of dirty way (surprise $40 charge), but I'm glad I have it because it's taken quite a beating. I'm sure cheaper ones can be found on ebay, etc.

I have the 6 but was happy with the 4. Used 5s should be a good deal I would think.

[vexed87]

Beyond general web surfing (which I now avoid unless connected to free wifi) the only notable smartphone apps I use are Music, Kindle, Camera, Whatsapp/Facebook Messenger, Google Maps and occasionally G-mail. I suppose I would miss not having the option to use those while out and about, though almost all of that functionality can be outsourced to other devices.

@peanut, good shout on the 5s, looks like it supports ios continuity, which I think is a neat feature.

I bet the DW would be up for crocheting you a slip-in case and sending it free of charge, just because it would be fun to send something to someone in the UK (she has a veritable crush on your country). She made me one with a triforce on it.

cmokey, custom Triforce case? Very kind of you to offer DW's services As it happens, my mother loves to do craft exchanges, maybe we can put DW and her in touch? PM with details if DW is interested and I'll speak with mother

[Ydobon]

Craft exchanges? A new concept for me

[vexed87]

Yes, it's a thing:

http://www.craftbuds.com/craft-swaps-ev ... d-to-know/

[dalralmi]

I love my flip phone. I originally got it for work 9 years ago because I couldn't have a camera. I never upgraded it and the camera rule stuck around. When smart phones hit it big most employees left their phones in the car all day but I enjoy the simplicity of not having distractions. I love the looks on people's faces when I pull out my phone. I especially love when someone at a store or other venue mention adding an app to my phone. I tend to pul it out and go out please show me how to get that app. It makes for fun things and usually gets me a discount because I can't download the app they recommend to get said discount. being as young as I am also causes people to scratch their heads.

I prefer a wifi tablet that fits in my purse for smart phone needs and also doesn't cost nearly as much. I've never had a smart phone so I don't really have the same dependency on them that everyone else has... Makes it easier to not want to get one. In my experience though I've had great adventures with friends by having a flip phone. Conversations, being lost and having to actually navigate blindly and finding new places, having people laugh or smile upon seeing this artifact, not feeling the need to take pictures all the time. I find it liberating, maybe you will too.

[fiby41]

I bought a new phone recently.

I replaced the screen of the old one 2 years ago when it cracked. I was sad. Weather to replace the screen or buy a new mobile depends on what percentage of the phone price the screen costs. Since putting the figures in my currency won't be valuable to you, for me it was 2.5%.

I have used the old phone for 6 years before replacing so how much value you have got from the current phone already is another factor: Cost price/Number of years used. I don't know what is an early age to get a mobile in other cultures, but I got a mobile fairly early by most standards so that parents could know where I am when I used to go to city for scholarship class in 6th grade.

I know there are at least 2 other iPhone users on the forum, so they can give you a first hand experienced account as an answer to your question.

I am not trying to judge anyone, but there are three types of iPhone users:

1 Those who think a/their mobile is some sort of a marker of affluence than a utility device

2 The features of an iPhone meet their particular needs

3 People with more money than brains to find a mobile with specs suited for their intended use

However I've yet to meet anyone falling in category 2 yet.

[GandK]

However I've yet to meet anyone falling in category 2 yet.

My parents do. They're retired Boomers, ages 62 and 67. They're technologically curious (praise God!), and they eagerly adopt anything that they think will make their lives easier. But they're not tech savvy, and they have no desire to be.

I'm the family nerd. Whenever a major piece of new tech comes out, I get phone calls and a ton of questions. As soon as the 2nd gen iPhones came out, I called them and advised them to go in that direction. They did, and they're very happy. They've been able to take advantage of the apps age from pretty early on without much of a learning curve. To me, that's the real advantage that iVerse has. For people who didn't grow up around technology (or who are otherwise ignorant about it and are happy to remain so), but who want to use that technology anyway, the iPhone is the perfect choice IMO.

Having said that, I would never buy an iPhone. I'm a developer by trade, and I love do things like root/overclock my phones and use experimental operating systems that I can tinker with to suit my own standards and needs. The iPhone makes zero sense for someone like me.

To bring this back around to the original discussion... my husband says from time to time that when he retires, he thinks we should go down to one phone for the two of us (I'm already retired). I violently disagree. In examining the strength of my feelings, I realized that having my own phone represents freedom to me in some way. I have a hard time articulating why, but it does. At any rate, since this is one of the rare situations where we both have a position we feel strongly about, and those positions are mutually exclusive, I feel certain we will fight about this eventually unless technology somehow makes the problem go away. I'm willing to have a WiFi-only device as my phone, thus saving the phone plan expense. But I'm not willing to share one device.

[George the original one]

Used to be freedom was defined by a car for every member of the family of driving age... now it's a smartphone? LOL!

[jennypenny]

Another reason not to own a smartphone ... its mere presence reduces cognitive ability.