I usually keep my previous phone whenever I get a new one so I have a backup in case I break/lose my main one and it takes a little while to get a replacement.

I usually keep my previous phone whenever I get a new one so I have a backup in case I break/lose my main one and it takes a little while to get a replacement. Other than that, I was going to use an old iPhone or Android phone as a wall-mounted touch panel for my Hue lights or to run media apps to cast to one or more Chromecasts around the house. The original plan was to put the phone in a 3-gang box in the wall with some foam or other material to hold it in place. Then I attempted to use my dremel to rout out an opening in a blank plastic wall plate so the phone was held in place but the screen was accessible. Unfortunately my dremel skills aren't good enough to the point where I could get one looking good enough that I'd want it on the wall. I guess I should just have one 3d printed but I've slept on it after the initial disappointment. Additionally, I wouldn't be able to mount the power supply in the wall if I want it to be safe/up to code so I would need to run the wire down behind the wall and have it exit out of a notch in the receptacle wall plate below it near the floor with the wall wart plugged in. Still not very attractive so there are definitely shortcomings with this concept. In the end, it's just been easier to use our existing phones since they're always close at hand and my ambition comes and goes with projects like this. It's a real shame that there don't seem to be any ready-to-buy, relatively universal wall mounts for charging and using smartphones or tablets this way. I've seen some but they're usually specific to one model of phone or tablet and they tend to be pretty expensive and ugly.