I think I got my first contract mobile phone when I was about 20 or so. Back then, I think I was with Three and I had this really cute white and green phone that I now can’t remember the make of. Anyway, I loved it but when my 12 month contract ran out, I was glad that I could pick something else. Over the years, contracts have slowly changed from 12 months, to having an 18 month option to only being 24 months in length. I remember the first time I had to have a 2 year contract and I was not happy about it.
Now I’m 32, and have had my fair share of different phones over the years, I think I can say with some certainty that phones just do not last their contract length.
Over the last month or so my battery hasn’t really been lasting very long and it’s been very tempremental. Some days it would decide that there was no battery left even though it said 75% or some days 60% or some days 40%. There was no real rhyme or reason to what the battery would do or how long it would last. I was carrying a power bank (or 2) with my constantly just to make sure it didn’t die while I was out or when Erin was at nursery etc. On a recent trip to London the phone died 3 times in 1 day and in the end I had it connected to a power bank while taking photos around London Zoo for a review. Although I had my G7X Mark II with me, as a blogger I do always need a phone too for things like Instagram stories and live Facebook updates.
Then, one day the phone didn’t even last for me taking Erin to nursery and it died on the way home. Nursery is a 15 minute walk away, maximum, so that meant the phone lasted around 20 minutes when it said the battery was at 100%. Unfortunately, my contract wasn’t due to end until mid-November and my free early upgrade wasn’t until 30th September. I definitely couldn’t go a whole month without a phone that worked so luckily, John lent me his Huawei P Lite and he went back to one of the old phones we had on hand.
Looking back, I don’t think any of my previous three phones have lasted the whole 24 months of a contract. I know I have always upgraded early because I have had to or I would have been without a phone. Do I use my phone more than the average person? Maybe. However, I’m not on it constantly and more often that not, it’s sat somewhere across the room not even being used. Yes, I use the camera quite a lot and I do use it for blogging if I’m travelling but now that so many people are on social media etc. I think phones should be able to cope with this kind of usage.
Luckily, EE have been very nice and for a reason I don’t know, waived my early upgrade fee. I did do a live chat once to explain my phone didn’t work any more and asked what my upgrade fee would be on a certain date (as I wanted a new phone before going to Center Parcs) and the next day that fee just wasn’t there any more. So, I have now upgraded to the Huawei P20 Pro and I am so excited to be able to figure out everything it can do. I think we’re a Huawei family now as I previously had the P9 and John has the P Smart and they have been a nice change from the Samsung phones we had both had for years.
Do you find your phone lasts it’s contract or does it slowly start dying towards the end?
I don’t have a contract phone but I have had my Samsung S5 for about 7 years and a few months ago I bought a replacement battery (for under £20) because it wasn’t keeping it’s charge and it is now brilliant again. I use my phone a lot. Eek!