Smartphones are steadily increasing in price. Owning the newest model of any smartphone is often only possible for the wealthy. Smartphones have become a luxury item, and only a portion of the population can afford a new cell phone every year or two.

More serious still is the impact COVID-19 has had on the economy, causing a greater divide between who can afford a luxury item and who cannot. As people are increasingly having to tighten their budget, they are not only removing unnecessary items from their spending but also trying to find ways to save on items that they view as necessary.

Is a smartphone a necessary expense? In this modern world, most people view their smartphone and cellphone service as a necessary expense. A recent worldwide survey has found that 84% of the participants could not go a day without picking up their phones.

Why People Are Looking To Save Money On Smartphones

Alongside COVID-19, other local, national, and global crises are causing people to question what they can spend their “fun money” on (if anything at all). People are now instead of looking for ways to save money for many good reasons; one of the easiest ways is to continue to use common everyday items as long as possible before buying new ones.

Smartphones are expensive, and not everyone has the finances to purchase a new one every few years. One company that continues to raise the price of their smartphones is Apple; the iPhone 12 Pro comes with a large price tag. The iPhone 12 Pro's price, if bought new without trade-in starts at $999. Of course, there is also the iPhone 12 Pro Max which starts at an even higher price. The phone prices rise when adding more capacity.

Of course, almost anyone can get some money knocked off from trading in their old phone depending on the model and the condition of their old phone as well as their cell phone carrier.

Buying a new phone (even when trading your old one in) can be expensive. Here are some great ways to make your smartphone last as long as possible and (most importantly) save money. 

1. Pick The Right Case

A good phone case will help protect your phone from breaking and will help determine how long your smartphone will last. They also make your phone look nice and can come with other features such as cardholders. If you own a smartphone, finding the right case should be at the top of your list to keep it safe and functioning properly if you don’t already have one. 

There are many options when it comes to cases available for most smartphones. Finding one should not be difficult. 

More reasons that you should get an adequate phone case:

• Cases protect your smartphone from bacteria.

• Phone cases are cheaper than repair costs for fixing your phone.

• They add extra protection for other parts of your phone, such as your camera. 

• Your phone will be easier to grip. 

• Your smartphone will be harder to lose. 

Among plenty of other reasons….

Getting a case for your smartphone is necessary for a safe and well-functioning phone as there are many reasons and benefits that a phone case can provide for its purpose.  

2. Replace Your Phone's Battery

If your phone is dying quickly, a new battery would cost you far less than a new phone and would likely help your problem. 

Of course, before dishing out your time and money to get your phone’s battery replaced, you may want to try a few tricks to see how long your smartphone battery will last. For example, seeing what apps are eating up your battery life can help you determine if you need a new battery or if how long your smartphone battery will last. you just need to spend less time playing apps that eat through your battery life. 

A few more ways to check your smartphone's battery:

• Close your apps so that they aren’t eating your battery. 

• Check your app permissions on your phone’s settings, as some are running even when you aren’t using them. 

• Put your phone on low power mode. 

• Turn off the Wifi connection when you can if your phone uses a battery to locate WiFi often. 

If your battery still is dying soon, you may want to consider getting a new battery if your phone isn’t more than a few years old. If it’s several years old, it may be time for a new phone. 

3. Update Your Phone

Smartphone companies release updates for a reason. Phone updates help companies by keeping their devices running smoothly, among other important things. 

Phone updates can help your phone last longer by:

• Fixing any bugs. 

• Repair any performance issues such as heating problems. 

• Keeps your phone secure. 

Updating your phone also provides your phone with exciting new features. While this doesn’t necessarily help your phone last longer, it is still fun to have “new tricks” on your phone. 

4. Never Max Out Your Phone’s Space

Smartphones tend to fill up fast. 

As a smartphone owner,  you can rapidly top off your gadget until it doesn’t work. If you find that you have no space remaining on your phone due to having too many photos, apps, videos, music, etc., stored on it, you may need to free up some space. 

A few ways to free up space on your smartphone:

• Check your apps to see which ones you can live without. 

• Store your photos and videos somewhere else. Alternatively, some smartphones allow you to keep your photos and videos on your phone in lower resolution while storing the data on an alternate source (Example: iPhone has an optimized storage feature).

• Go through all of your photo bursts and select only the ones you want to keep.  

• Delete old voicemails. 

• Remove any unwanted large attachments from your text messages. 

• Delete any songs that you don’t listen to or uninstall them from your phone if you have the option to use Wifi to listen to your music library. 

5. Keep The Port Clean

It’s always important to maintain a clean smartphone port so that it doesn’t quit working. Unfortunately, it is easy to get phone ports dirty. Little bits of soil, residue, and buildup can easily make their way into your smartphone’s port. 

There are ways to clean your smartphone’s port so that it may work properly. However, the easiest way to ensure that your smartphone’s port remains clean is by being careful to set your smartphone to ensure that it stays protective. A phone case also provides extra protection for your phone port. 

6. Avoid Extreme Temperatures

Extreme temperatures can have a profound effect on your smartphone. If you are outside or even inside with your phone and it’s too hot or too cold for your phone to function properly, your phone may malfunction, and it could even cause serious and perhaps permanent damage. 

Extreme hot and cold temperatures can do smaller things and negatively impact your phone’s battery life. 

Additionally, your phone may even get too hot, not from the outside weather but from having too many apps in the background or overheating from some other form of overuse. That could mean it's overheating! Make sure never to overwork your smartphone to prevent it from overheating. 

7. Protect Your Phone Screen

Cracking your phone screen is NOT fun. Not only can repair a phone screen cost time and money, but it also can cause permanent damage to your phone. If you want your smartphone to last longer, you need to protect its screen. 

Smartphone screens are getting bigger, and some are even less durable than their older models. It’s easy to crack a phone screen, even one that is part of a $1000+ smartphone. Delicate phone screens can cost over $100 to repair, so it's important to protect them. If you don’t, then the chances are that you will be repairing your screen (and perhaps other parts of your phone) multiple times a year. 

A few tips to protect your phone screen:

• Buy a screen protector. If you're not sure what one to purchase, you can buy one at your service provider’s nearest store. Many stores will even put the screen protector on for you. 

• Please don’t place your smartphone in your back pocket or anywhere where it can easily fall out. 

• Use a car phone holder not only to protect your phone but to make sure both your hands are available while driving. 

• Pick the right case, as discussed in tip #1.  

Wrapping It Up

If you want to keep your phone functioning properly for as long as possible, you need to take care of it. Being reckless with your phone will result in a short lifespan for your expensive smartphone. Following the above tips will help keep your phone lasting longer and save you valuable time and money.