Common questions I receive about phones

Do I need to upgrade my phone?
It depends what you do with it. If your service is asking you to upgrade, consider if it’s an upsale for commission or a technical need to upgrade your phone so it can work on their newly installed hardware. Do you only place calls with that phone or are comfortable with the old single-digit method of texting on a flip-phone, then you don’t need to upgrade. If you have a smartphone (a phone with a touchscreen), why are you needing that upgrade, possibly to a new model, a “faster” phone, a different brand.

I have a smartphone that is slow. Should I upgrade it?
You might have more than one problem. There’s a possibility of a close-to-death battery, it is low on storage space, low on memory, too many apps installed that you aren’t using, and old operating system that needs to be updated, which depends on the age of your phone and its brand.

What can be done on a flip-phone (dumb phone)?
Call, text, take low-resolution photos (grainy)

What can be done on a smartphone?
Call, text, take high-resolution photos (consumer camera quality), search webs, and most anything you can do with a computer, scanner, and fax but this depends whether you have an iPhone or Android. Depending on your area of work, the iPhone or Android may do more for you.

What is the upside and downsides of having an iPhone?
From my point of view, it is a dumb smartphone. It is not configurable by screen, usually has the same look and feel from year to year with exception starting from iPhone X, you cannot install apps outside of the Apple App Store, each year there is a new iPhone, there’s not much of a change in the look of the phone or the software, but the hardware moves up by a year. The worst part of owning an iPhone is two-fold, you quickly run out of storage space for your photos and videos unless you start paying Apple for a backup solution that is not really a full backup and if you delete photos from your iPhone, they are deleted on the backup too. The second downside is that if you do not put a protective case on it and you slightly drop it, the glass will shatter and you are either living with that, replacing it for $300 minimum or more, or buying a new phone at full price.

I want to spend the least amount of money on a phone.
You are shooting yourself in the foot for the long-term. When you buy a new phone, even if you are under contract, consider it an investment like new tires on a car. The more you spend, the safer you are on the road and the longer they last you in wear. When you buy that smartphone, get the most storage space on it now, most of these phones do not come with expandable storage. The more you have on that phone, the faster it runs and the more it holds, and get a case for it with a warranty that will replace it if you should lose it, break it, or drop it in the water. And if you have the option, get a big screen. The smaller the screen, the more your eyes suffer for it. It is also considered that if the screen is small so is the battery and you will be wearing your phone charger with you everywhere.