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The cost of smartphones nowadays is quite extraordinary ranging anywhere from £300 to over £1600 for the flagship devices. On average we replace our mobile phones in just under 2.5 years, which is shocking when considering the cost. So the big question is, what can we do to extend the lifespan of our phones and how can we begin to adopt sustainable smartphone use? Is it just preventing the number of times you clumsily drop your phone or is there more to it? So in this blog we will highlight the best practices you can follow to make your smartphone last longer which goes hand in hand with sustainable smartphone use as well as ensuring you are saving money in the long run.
First up we have our beloved battery, the thing that keeps our phone powered up and running. If the battery goes wrong or starts to deteriorate, you will notice your phone isn’t as responsive anymore and slows down in performance. You can adopt these tips to improve your iPhone battery or boost Android battery health, but here’s the lowdown of what to keep in mind:
Industry’s advice is to keep your battery charge at 20-80% on a daily basis so the battery cell inside your phone goes through its capacity of 500 charge cycles as slowly as possible. With modern software capabilities, iPhones and Samsung Galaxy have built-in features to regulate this and cap charge at 85%. It is recommended to take advantage of these to maintain battery health and it’s beneficial to use battery saving modes when needed, rather than letting the battery drain completely.
This could be certain apps refreshing in the background without you knowing, or GPS and Mobile Data turned on in low signal areas draining battery faster. Turning these off when not in use can save battery power, and something as simple as switching your phone to ‘Dark Mode’ uses on average up to 47% less power. This setting will apply dark muted colours throughout the user interface which additionally will protect the pixels in your screen from excessive wear.
Our mobile phone screens are the most power consuming part of our devices, using 37% of a phone's overall energy consumption. Most smartphones allow you to set screen timeouts, brightness levels and other restrictions for healthier digital wellbeing. So explore what your phone can do to help you reduce the power consumed by lighting up your screen.
Updates are important as they protect against malware, fix bugs and improve software optimisations that help the phone work more efficiently. It’s a myth that new software and security updates cause phones to start crashing in a bid to aid planned obsolescence. In the past Apple have been caught out for doing just this and resulted in a scandal we all now call Batterygate which has seen millions of dollars claimed in compensation. However, since then manufacturers have been more transparent about software updates and stopped performance throttling to avoid public scrutiny.
So don’t skip software updates, and always install them when connected to Wi-Fi.
You don’t have to buy a new smartphone because it has run out of storage. If that annoying notification ‘You’ve run out of storage’ is interrupting your daily mobile phone use, consider external storage options if your phone has expandable storage or get a subscription for cloud storage. Whichever you choose, just know that purchasing a new device just isn’t necessary.
Apple offers extra cloud storage for just under £3 per month. Similarly Google has subscription plans for less than £2, so there are more cost effective options to ensure that your current phone can cope with all the storage you need for your emails and apps. We think this is a much better option than spending £1000s on a new smartphone that will only encounter the same issue in the future.
This part is a little more straightforward but also the most neglected. Putting a tempered glass screen protector and a durable eco-friendly phone case will ensure your smartphone’s exterior is protected from that accidental drop and daily wear and tear.
Additionally, regular wipe downs are necessary too. When was the last time you cleaned your phone? If you can’t remember, then go grab an antibacterial wipe and give it a clean. We take our mobile phones with us literally everywhere and germs get transferred onto our beloved smartphones. So cleaning your phone regularly to remove germs, dust, and any sort of debris is a great habit to start that will also contribute to long-lasting smartphone ownership.
Using our smartphones more sustainably is important to reduce the environmental impact of phones and a lot of people do not know what it entails. Below we’ll share with our recommendations for sustainable smartphone use:
Keep your current phone for longer
This practice requires you to keep up with the maintenance of basic wear and tear by protecting the cosmetic condition of your phone. If your phone acquires a cracked screen or battery is giving up, choosing to repair it instead of replacing it with a new phone will go a long way.
Insure it
Having electronics insurance as part of your current account package with your bank or an individual policy will protect you from extra spendings and guarantee a repair service in case of damage to your phone.
Choose refurbished
When shopping for your next phone, going with a refurbished model essentially extends the life of a once new phone and helps to reduce its carbon footprint as well as saving you a considerable amount of money. Plus, using Compare and Recycle to sell your old phone will ensure there are more refurbished phones and more savings to enjoy.
Last but not least, it’s worth understanding the main specifications of your current phone so that you can make an informed decision on whether an upgrade is worth it, so that you are not being fooled into buying a shinier version of the phone you already own! Remember, the better care we take of our phones, the longer we’ll be able to keep using them which ultimately will minimise our environmental footprint. Not to mention, when the time comes for you to sell your mobile phone, you can get the best price for it.
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