Phones and Battery Bulge
Three months ago, I wrote a blog post regarding how I wasn’t going to replace my phone because I was pretty much done with the endless treadmill that is “upgrade culture”. At the time my Google Pixel 6 was three years old but continued to serve all my smartphone needs. So I signed up for a new “SIM only” contract with Vodafone and went about my business, feeling somewhat pleased with myself. However, “needs must when the devil vomits into your kettle”, to quote Blackadder. I recently noticed that the screen on my phone was coming away from the main enclosure. There was a distinct curve along the right hand edge, as if there was something inside the phone applying pressure outwards. Sadly, that is precisely what was happening. I searched online to see if this was a known issue and was subsequently introduced to the problem known as battery bulge.
New Phone? No Thanks
I last bought a new phone in March 2022. At the time I decided to move away from Samsung after a decade of brand loyalty and try the Google Pixel 6. Let it suffice to say that I have found this handset to be most satisfactory. I like the size. It fits into the front pocket of my jeans. Its overall performance is very good and it has no issue running any of the apps that I regularly use. Subsequent software updates have improved some aspects of the camera, which initially had a poor zoom. Overall the good points of the Google Pixel 6 outweigh its flaws. Hence despite being 3 years old I am happy to keep using it. I have looked at what the subsequent iterations of the Google Pixel have to offer and I really don’t see any significant improvements or benefits. So despite being offered a handset upgrade by Vodafone, I have decided against one.
New Phone, New Tariff
Technically, I don’t need a new phone. The Samsung Galaxy S10 5G I have already works fine and despite being over 2 years old is still a robust handset. However, my current contract with Vodafone has expired. So I have decided not only to upgrade my phone but to revise my phone tariff. The latter was based upon call and data usage from when I was still working fulltime and reflected how I used my phone back in 2015. Nowadays, I have more incoming calls than outgoing and communicate mainly by text and WhatsApp. I use very little data outside of my home and when I do, I use a lot of the free Wi-Fi coverage that is available locally. Hence I have chosen a new package that suits my phone use and doesn’t come with superfluous trinkets and baubles that I’ll never use.