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You can, but, IMO, smartphones are starting to feel like a money pit, too, not just a time pit. You spend $500 - $1500 on a device that can't be expected to las
by mumblemumble 7y ago
You can, but, IMO, smartphones are starting to feel like a money pit, too, not just a time pit. You spend $500 - $1500 on a device that can't be expected to last more than 4 years (presumably a fair bit less if you cut too close to the $500 end of the range), and will have an annoyingly short battery life in 2 years. You have to constantly be careful with it, because if you drop it or it gets scratched by a key or something, there's a good chance that that enormous, fragile screen will shatter and need replacement. etc. etc.
I am considering switching back to a dumbphone because I miss being able to buy a phone for $100 and have it work, without fuss, more-or-less indefinitely. Throw a hotspot feature in there so I can get my $200 iPod Touch connected when I need to, and I've still got a decent enough way to listen to podcasts or catch up on my Instapaper feed while I'm waiting for the bus, or whatever, while saving a fair bit of money. It also theoretically lets me have all the apps and suchlike while still being able to mitigate distraction.
I like this phone in principle, but I'm afraid $350 price point is a bit tough to swallow. I assume that a big part of the price is the eInk display, which is a bit of a shame since it looks like it doesn't actually have any features that wouldn't also work just fine with a cheapo monochrome LCD.
- shawnz 7y agoMy current device, the moto e5 play, retailed for $120. It still works just fine for me for use cases like web browsing, 720p video, remote desktop, etc. Prior to that I had the e4 which worked great until I dropped it down 5 flights of stairs. Regarding the battery health issue, I have found the biggest factor to be not recharging soon enough. Don't let your battery drop too low and you will have substantially better battery health. EDIT: The moto e6 retails for $99.
- paulcarroty 7y agoLooks dirt cheap, maybe good for poor students. Also: Updates? No. Unlocked bootloader? No,it's Lenovo. Security in chinese phone? LOL, I even not started talking about company who sold laptops with crapware in BIOS.
- ekianjo 7y agoEverything is made in China these days. Even stuff "designed in California". > Updates? Motorola usually provides 2 Android updates beyond the year each model was released. Not always a rule but you can see for yourself here: https://www.getdroidtips.com/list-of-android-10-q-supported-motorola-devices/ https://www.getdroidtips.com/list-of-android-10-q-supported-...
- shawnz 7y agoIn fact it does support unlocking the bootloader. I believe that's true of all current motorola androids.
- shantly 7y agoThe camera’s the main thing keeping me on smartphones. My iPhone 7 Plus is a better camera (for me) than anything but maybe a newer iPhone, and also entirely replaces a document scanner. May drop the data plan though, go WiFi-only.
- ekianjo 7y ago> ou spend $500 - $1500 on a device that can't be expected no, you just buy a model 2 years after its on the market and you pay a fraction of the initial price.
- mumblemumble 7y agoAnd cut its expected lifespan, already only 2-4 years, by 2 years. No more software updates isn't such a big deal on dumbphones with limited capabilities, but, on a smartphone, I really do want to be getting those security patches.
- npongratz 7y agoThe downside is you get only a year or two of security updates.
- ekianjo 7y agoYou still save something like 400 dollars this way. Not sure what is the actual trade off in your world?