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Smartphone

It is possible to have a long-lasting smartphone. Unfortunately, most of them are not made that way.

If a smartphone could survive ten years, what would it look like?

Most of us haven't had the luxury of giving this subject much thought. Because many smartphones are made to be changed every two to three years, this is the case. Each year, new models are also released by Apple, Samsung, and other manufacturers of mobile devices to entice consumers to upgrade.

A smartphone would likely be created so that we could easily open it up to replace a part, such as a worn-out battery or a cracked screen, if it were made to endure for ten years. Many of its parts would be upgradeable, so you could simply replace the outdated camera out for a more modern, more potent one if you desired a better one. Indefinitely, you could download software upgrades from the phone's manufacturer.

Sustainable and logical, yes?

Many of its parts would be upgradeable, so you could simply replace the outdated camera out for a more modern, more potent one if you desired a better one.

The idea of such a device is particularly pertinent right now as the start of phone season, the time of year when tech companies bombard us with new models, approaches. The iPhone 14, which Apple revealed on Wednesday, is strikingly similar to its predecessor. Google also disclosed last week that it would unveil new Android phones in October. Additionally, Samsung unveiled a variety of folding phones last month.

These newest products show how poorly constructed today's cellphones are. To prevent you from using them, the majority of the gadgets are carefully sealed up with adhesive. A la carte upgrades are not possible for components like cameras and panels. Only a limited period of time, typically two years for Android devices and around five years for iPhones, is guaranteed for software updates.

It's excellent for the tech industry and their bottom lines to keep us on such short cycles of smartphone ownership, but perhaps not so great for us and our wallets.

Don Norman, a former vice president for advanced technology at Apple and the author of almost two dozen design books, claimed that smartphone manufacturers were guilty of treating consumer technology like fashion wear, releasing products every year that are harder to repair and incorporating features that hasten obsolescence.

The computer should be made from a single piece of metal and should be as thin as feasible, according to Mr. Norman.  

Therefore, the battery has to be made without a case, making access extremely difficult. You substitute glue for screws.

However, a longer-lasting phone need not be a pipe dream. 

One already exists: the $580 Fairphone 4 produced by the Amsterdam-based start-up Fairphone. The Fairphone 4, which is only available in Europe, has a readily removable plastic shell that reveals its inside components. By removing a few regular screws, its components can be changed out in a matter of minutes.

The Fairphone is designed with the premise that you may acquire a new phone with new technology without completely replacing your current device, and if something goes wrong with the phone, like you drop it, it can be fixed. The Fairphone is thus the antithesis of the majority of cellphones currently in use and demonstrates how technology companies might design the devices differently, for dependability and sustainability.

How the hardware might affect things

Take a careful look at your iPhone or Android phone. Take note of how it is tightly fastened with unusual screws that call for specialised screwdrivers. Even Apple created its own screw.

On the other hand, the Fairphone comes with a little screwdriver that begs you to open it. So that's what I did first when I started testing it.

It was simple to disassemble the Fairphone. The plastic cover was removed to show the device's camera, battery, speakers, and other parts. They were fastened in place using common screws that could be removed readily with a screwdriver. I took out all of those components in less than five minutes.  

I put the phone back together in roughly the same amount of time.

Dismantling the phone was a liberating experience. I was sure that if I needed to make a repair or perform some basic maintenance, like installing a new camera or battery, I could do it quickly and affordably. (A fresh battery costs $30 and a camera costs $80 on Fairphone.)

On the other side, disassembling my iPhone was a nightmare.

During a prior test, I disassembled the Apple device by melting the glue holding the casing together and removing the unique screws using a specialised screwdriver. I had to use tweezers to yank on the little pieces of glue holding the battery in place. Even though I eventually was able to change the battery, the operation resulted in the iPhone's screen being broken, and a new display would have cost roughly $300.

The Fairphone's plastic cover isn't attractive and would likely come off if it landed on something hard. However, breaking a glass-backed Apple or Samsung phone on the ground and having to pay hundreds of dollars to have it fixed wouldn't be much fun either (or to get it replaced).