6 Smart Buying Tips For Saving Money On Smartphones

The smartphone is the one item of tech that many of us cannot live without. On average, we spend three hours and fifteen minutes each day on our phones. That equates to almost one whole day each week. App developers and phone designers have found ways for us to use our smartphone for every aspect of our lives. From being the cornerstone of our social lives, through to managing our finances, tracking our moods, managing our lives, and so much more besides. So, it is no surprise that changing our smartphones is something we all do very often.

But buying a new phone every year or two can get quite expensive. But as our older model slows down and cannot keep up with our busy lives anymore, we need something sleeker, faster, and more powerful that we won’t have to wait around for. 

Keeping up with technology and paying for the phone bills needn’t be quite as much of a burden as is it can be though. There are many ways to save money on your smartphone and phone bills. Here are a few tips for saving money on smartphones. 

Try To Keep Your Phone As Long As Possible

Phone manufacturers want us to keep changing our smartphones every couple of years. They want a constant stream of revenue, and their shareholders no doubt demand increases in profit each year. However, with such a large proportion of the population already owning smartphones, the solution to selling more handsets is to constantly innovate. New models come with huge hype, and it is very easy to feel as though you need that product in your life when the advertising is so strong. 

You might look at your own phone and think that it is not as fast as it was. There might not be enough space left on your phone to store new things. Your battery might not hold its charge quite as long. These are often the types of things that happen to a phone to make the owner think that they need a new one and start looking around for tips for saving money on smartphones. However, all of these issues can be addressed, and you can increase the lifespan of a phone quite considerably by giving it a little bit of TLC. 

1. Delete unwanted apps There may be a number of different apps that you have on your phone that you do not ever use. If you are able to do so, you should uninstall these. They will be taking up considerable space in your phone’s memory and they may even be running processes in the background which may have been slowing your phone down.
2. Use cloud storage By uploading all of your files such as photos, videos, and email attachments to the cloud, you will be able to access them on other devices seamlessly while keeping them secure, and reducing the space they are taking up on your phone. 
3. Delete unwanted big files such as photos and videos You might have hundreds of photos and videos on your phone that you did not even mean to take, or that are just not good enough to keep. By deleting any unwanted files, you might be able to free up space on your phone and help it to run a little smoother. 
4. Clear your cache Whenever you visit a website or use an app you will be storing information on your phone in the cache. Although this data is only small, over time this can really start to mount up. By deleting cache data stored in your phone you will be able to speed up its overall processes.  
5. Check for virus’ Virus’ can put your phone and your personal information at risk from hackers. It can also slow your phone down considerably. Having good antivirus software on your phone is vital. You should make sure you perform regular scans to identify viruses or potential malware on your device. 
6. Buy a new battery If your phone is not holding its charge, you might be able to fix this by buying a new battery for it. Speak to your local phone repair shop. Changing the battery may be easier on some phones than others, so before you try to change it yourself, make sure it is something that you are able to do. 
7. Change your settings There are often many default settings on apps that will require data or GPS use at all times. This means that these apps are constantly eating your data and taking up valuable resources to run the location services. If you don’t need this app to be working all of the time, look at changing the settings to speed up your phone. 

Switch To SIM-Only 

Your contract may cover the cost of a phone. However, if you currently own a phone and don’t need a new one, then you could just opt for a SIM-only deal with the phone network. There are some very versatile options available such as this smarty MiFi SIM which you can use in your phone, tablet, or portable WiFi. You’ll save yourself quite a bit on your monthly bills by sticking with the phone you already own. 

Don’t Buy The Biggest Brands

The biggest phone brands such as Samsung, Sony, and Apple are often the first choice for many customers. This is natural because people will always gravitate towards a name that they know because it is easier to trust them. 

There are plenty of other Android phone-makers on the market who create great devices that match up to the big-named brands in terms of technical ability. Make sure that you do your research if you are buying a new phone and do not overlook the brands that you don’t know too much about. Be sure and read a few different reviews from reputable sources before you commit to the phone that you are going for. While sometimes you can find some lesser-known brands that make great phones, there might also be some that don’t. 

Buy Last Year’s Phone

If you are updating your phone, chances are you don’t need the newest phone on the market, especially if you want to be saving money on smartphones. It might have a better processor and a slightly bigger screen, but ultimately, last year’s model or even one from two years ago might be suitable. Always look to see which other models are still on the market. Generally, when a new model is released, at the very least the previous generation is still available, as well as a simplified version of the newest release.  When the hottest phones command the highest prices, these less desirable models can drop dramatically in price but are still very worthwhile pieces of tech. 

Buy A Used Phone

Another way you can consider saving money on smartphones is to buy used! Refurbished or reconditioned phones are always worth looking for when you need a new device. There are several great reasons to buy a used-phone that has been refurbished. Firstly, you are making sure that a phone does not end up in landfill before its lifecycle is completed. There is a massive environmental impact due to the rate of change in the technology industry. And, by keeping a phone in use for longer, you are making an environmentally conscious decision. 

Refurbished phones are obviously considerably cheaper than buying brand-new. Many people may be wary about buying a used phone because it could have been stolen, or it might have someone else’s data on there. However, a good refurb company will do their due diligence and will check any registers to make sure that the phone is not stolen. They will also completely erase the phone and perform a full reset and reinstall the operating system. Often it is possible to buy a refurbished phone that has a warranty too.  

Find Alternative Insurance

An expense associated with running a smartphone is phone insurance. Having phone insurance is vital. If your phone is lost, stolen, or damaged, then you will need your insurance to buy a new one. If someone steals your phone and runs up a big bill, then your insurance will protect you from having to pay the phone provider. Not having phone insurance is not a great idea. 

But when your phone insurance is often as much as twenty per cent of your total phone bill, it can be very tempting to refuse to take it out. After all, it is an optional extra that phone companies will offer when you take out your contract, and you can refuse it. 

You may be able to get your phone insurance much cheaper elsewhere. The phone providers preferred vendor may be quite expensive, and, as you are under no obligation to take theirs, you should shop around. 

But before you take out phone insurance, check that you are not already paying for it in another way. Your bank may have phone insurance as an option on your account. Many bank accounts such as ‘Gold’ or ‘Platinum’ accounts will have lots of added features. These might include things like travel insurance, but they may also include phone insurance. Check with your bank to see if this is something that they offer. 

Make Your Smartphone Last Longer With a Phone Case

It’s inevitable for smartphones to degrade over time but there are steps you can take to delay it. Getting a sturdy phone cover helps protect it from scratches and dents. Smartphones in a case tend to last longer and they’ll still look good even when you change to a new one. Perfunctory smartphone covers do what they need to do but they tend to be boring. Get yourself a bespoke phone cover with designs you made on your own at Custom Envy! They have a wide range of models to choose from so there’s always something for you.  

If you’re hoping to find tips for saving money on smartphones, we hope the above information helped!