The average lifetime of a smartphone is between two and three years. Once you throw them away, the recycling process doesn’t really get that much raw material back, and so unrepairable laptops and phones result in a growing mountain of e-waste.
We asked Chloé Mikolajczak from Right to Repair how the future of smartphones should look like. Their 10 Year Smartphone campaign envisages a device that can be easily opened and repaired, allowing the consumers to take back ownership of what they have.
So, tell us: what phone do you have and how long has it lasted?
Thanks for posting this Alexandra! My current phone is a Samsung S8 and I've owned it for just over a year. The phone screen cracked about 6 months ago but the phone itself still works - however I feel like it's just a matter of time until it happens again.
For my next phone I want to get a Fairphone, something I've been meaning to do for years, and actually repair the parts that break!
My Huawei P20 is 3 years old. Battery is going but I just use a power bank to top up if I'm out and about. My tips would be to share unused or unwanted phones with friends and family so they get reused. Buy refurbished - standards are much better now than a few years ago and you can get some real bargains. Buy a Fairphone - a modular handset that you can repair and upgrade yourself (the latest model is 5G enabled). The big one is to resist the upgrade when your contract comes up for renewal. We're stuck in such a cycle 'upgrading' but it's just unecessary. Lastly, I would switch network provider to Honest Mobile, your coop mobile or eco talk. All ethical alternatives and they don't hard sell you to upgrade unneccessarily.
My current phone is an iPhone SE I got as a graduation present from my parents in september 2016 (so it’s five years old now), before that I used a second hand iPhone that used to be my mom’s.
There seems to be a bit of prejudice against Apple, but their smartphones really do last a long time. They're well built, and the company provides software updates for many years. Of course, screens are delicate, but I always use a case and have never had a crack. I also usually don't buy new phones, but refurbished ones, on sites like Rebuy.
I have a Samsung Galaxy A3 (2016) and I have it since summer 2016. I would definitely buy a phone that can be repaired and where its materials are fairly sources!
My phone is 6-7 years old, a LG spree and now I HAVE to get a new one...but I think I am going phoneless instead of putting 5G in my pocket....email will be my only connection....fuck 5g
I have a Samsung Galaxy S20 that I bought a year ago after moving from US to Belgium. I hope we stay here long enough to get at least 4 years out of it before moving again. It does have a few cracks but I've put the case back on and hopefully it will be ok!
Thanks for posting this Alexandra! My current phone is a Samsung S8 and I've owned it for just over a year. The phone screen cracked about 6 months ago but the phone itself still works - however I feel like it's just a matter of time until it happens again.
For my next phone I want to get a Fairphone, something I've been meaning to do for years, and actually repair the parts that break!
My Huawei P20 is 3 years old. Battery is going but I just use a power bank to top up if I'm out and about. My tips would be to share unused or unwanted phones with friends and family so they get reused. Buy refurbished - standards are much better now than a few years ago and you can get some real bargains. Buy a Fairphone - a modular handset that you can repair and upgrade yourself (the latest model is 5G enabled). The big one is to resist the upgrade when your contract comes up for renewal. We're stuck in such a cycle 'upgrading' but it's just unecessary. Lastly, I would switch network provider to Honest Mobile, your coop mobile or eco talk. All ethical alternatives and they don't hard sell you to upgrade unneccessarily.
My current phone is an iPhone SE I got as a graduation present from my parents in september 2016 (so it’s five years old now), before that I used a second hand iPhone that used to be my mom’s.
There seems to be a bit of prejudice against Apple, but their smartphones really do last a long time. They're well built, and the company provides software updates for many years. Of course, screens are delicate, but I always use a case and have never had a crack. I also usually don't buy new phones, but refurbished ones, on sites like Rebuy.
I have a Samsung Galaxy A3 (2016) and I have it since summer 2016. I would definitely buy a phone that can be repaired and where its materials are fairly sources!
My phone is 6-7 years old, a LG spree and now I HAVE to get a new one...but I think I am going phoneless instead of putting 5G in my pocket....email will be my only connection....fuck 5g
I have a Samsung Galaxy S20 that I bought a year ago after moving from US to Belgium. I hope we stay here long enough to get at least 4 years out of it before moving again. It does have a few cracks but I've put the case back on and hopefully it will be ok!