Do you own a smartphone?

[Guses]

Skimming through the Iphone 6S thread, it seemed like most posters had a phone and many were contemplating upgrading to the 6S.

Given that I don't have a smartphone, I was curious as to how many people are like me in the 21st century.

Please indicate your situation in the poll. If you don't own a smartphone, please indicate your age in the comments. feel free to expand on the reasons why you do or don't.

For the purpose of the poll, flip phones or other non-smartphones are considered dumb phones.

My situation: I am 31 years old and I don't have a smartphone. I don't plan on getting one ever unless I develop a successful business. I am close to computer at work and at home and I find using a phone is so much slower than just using a computer. I also don't like when people play on their phone when a conversation is happening.

My wife owns a smartphone and lends it to me when I need to be able to call or if I am going away. I could probably get away with using a dumb phone for this.

[imaprogrammer]

I currently own a dumb phone. It keeps me from wasting my time on a smartphone.

[soccerluvof4]

Yes I am 51 and have a smartphone. A galaxy something that cost me around 10$ a month because its past its contract. My wife and kids are phone addicts and it drives me insane.  When its done I will still have phone with having the 4 kids BUT it will be the cheapest, simplistic and probably a dumb phone. I hate phones......believer it be a better world if everyone shut them all off for good all at once. Or at the very least they were just phones.

[ketchup]

I have a smartphone.  The most utilitarian Mustachian use I have for it is to read recipes while cooking.  Beyond that, it's for Google Maps, quick snapshots, email, and texting.  Some web browsing, but not a lot.  No social media BS.  Oh, phone calls too I suppose.  It allows me to travel without a laptop (or a useless tablet), and not have a need for a printer at home (99% of the time).

[MrsPete]

I do.  I've had it less than a year, and it's far from a need.  It's handy while shopping (check prices elsewhere, checking ingredients in a recipe), and digital coupons are pretty cool. 

I see other people "playing" on their phones constantly -- I probably do that about 10 minutes a week.  Many -- perhaps even most -- of my students are genuinely addicted to their phones; addicted to the point of using phones instead of talking to other people, walking into walls because they're glued to the phone, etc.  They don't see a problem.   

[herbgeek]

I have a dumb phone that suits me just fine.  I have tablets for apps, and to take with me for traveling as most places have wi-fi.  I don't want the expense of a smart phone, and I don't want to be one of "those" people who's faces are always in their phone while they are missing out on their life.  I also don't care for all the information, particularly location information, that is collected and could be used in the future should I make enemies out there or decide to run for politics.  ;)

If I had a more mobile lifestyle, I might have one for convenience.  But I work at home, and when I'm away from my computer, I want to be truly away from my computer.

[mathlete]

Yes!!

The things a smart phone provides are priceless to me.

Well not priceless exactly but I gladly spend money on them.

[runningthroughFIRE]

22 year old here, and I've had a smartphone for just a few weeks shy of a year.  I got it with a free upgrade around Christmas time last year.  The only data I use is for checking my facebook IMs and the navigation app.  Occasionally I use Snapchat.

[geekette]

Have it, love it.  Definitely worth the $10/month!

[Zikoris]

I don't have one. Strictly dumb phone. I just don't have any desire to be that level of connected all the time. I feel like once you cross over, it's almost rude to not respond to people fairly quickly, and if I'm out doing fun things I don't want to be paying attention to that.

[Roots&Wings]

Finally got one (at age 33) because I can net about $55/mo from employer phone reimbursement. If not for that I'd still just have my ancient flip phone.

[galliver]

27, on my second smartphone (first lasted 3 years, this one is just over a year old).

I like being appraised of email responses even when I'm doing things in the lab or running errands around campus. I can look up public transit information in any city in a handful of keystrokes. I can easily download and listen to podcasts anywhere. I can access social media, which I find just as engaging for keeping up contact with friends as sending an email or making a phone call, except much easier to fit into standing in line at the grocery store, or a 10 minute bus ride. I think it adds more to my life than it takes away; I have no trouble putting it down for something actually engaging (dinner with family and friends, a show, a camping trip, etc). I'm not saying I'm flawless, I do get sucked into silly games, especially when tired and avoiding a task/chore. But like I said, I find it a net positive.

[Jakejake]

I have a smart phone. I hate talking on the phone, but will email or text occasionally. My husband got me a phone that was only for talking years ago, and it doesn't make sense for people to call me at work (when I'm teaching), or when I'm commuting because I won't answer while driving and don't hear it while biking. So I stopped carrying it. On the rare occasions he tried to get hold of me on it, I was at work and the phone was home in our kitchen. It was pointless.

He caught on that I'm a little addicted to the internet and correctly guessed that if I can get online with it, I will carry it.

To emphasize how little I used the old one, when I got my first smart phone, I tried to get some contacts off the old dumb phone and it wouldn't work. The contract had run out 6 months earlier and I hadn't even noticed.

I like tracking my bike miles on the smart phone's GPS, and I do grocery rebates like nobody's business on it. When I first got it, I was getting a lot of in-store surveys on it; I had a couple months where surveys entirely covered the cost of groceries for us. I wish I was still getting those popping up!

[NinetyFour]

I guess I do have a smartphone, but I have the data set to zero.  So I only used it for making actual phone calls and for sending/receiving texts.  My average phone bill this year has been under $15 per month.

[FiftyIsTheNewTwenty]

I used a flip phone until recently, then finally switched to a hand-me-down smartphone that's two-generations-old.  On Ting, for about $20-25/month.

I always had such a smartphone lying around, to use apps on wifi, but never made the full switch.  Battery life and talk time, voice call quality and signal strength, and compact pocketability were more important to me than apps-on-the-go.  Now I'm using Uber (vs. car ownership), and the in-phone camera vs. carrying a separate one.  I use other apps too, but those two put me over the edge.

[Gyosho]

I am still using the Motorola flip phone that I bought in 2007. I am usually near enough to a computer that I have never seen the use for a smartphone. When I'm away from the computer I like to go on long hikes, far away from any cell phone coverage.

I am in my 50s, and can remember the time before computers and smart phones and thousands of tv channels. These memories are becoming more and more dear to me.

[eostache]

I have a cheap Android phone with prepaid Tracfone service. My phone is a LG Ultimate 2. It is a $100 phone (less now). I've had it for a year now. I don't make many calls/texts/data with it so my use cost is $100/yr or less. (The real story with it is that I've built up so much talk/text/data/service days units through finding sales and perks that I do not have to add anything to the phone for the next few years, it all rolls over forever.) I have used the phone a lot for wifi, camera, gps, mp3, etc, and it has performed superbly for a cheap phone. It's a real workhorse of a phone.

I like to play around with the phone devices if I find them cheap. I picked up a $10 LG Sunrise GSM Tracfone and a $20 AT&T ZTE Maven. (I plan on sticking to phones in this price range as I find them on sale from time to time.) My Ultimate 2 phone is CDMA. I want to go to the GSM Tracfone phones eventually. I still like my Ultimate 2 and I can't decide which phone I want to use next. I may end up having a variety of phones and moving my SIM card around to use different phones for a while, depending on what I'm doing.

[Luck12]

With cost being so low nowadays I guess I don't understand why someone wouldn't have a smartphone, I pay $20 a month including taxes, fees.    I use mine for group texts, public transportation tracking, taking pics, running/biking GPS, general web browsing, and of course calls and texts. 

It also has the added benefit of entertaining me when I'm out in group situations where I'm kinda stuck there and can't just leave (e.g. like going out to dinner in a large group setting where I might only know my SO and a few others).  No, I don't ignore others all the time, it's just nice as an introvert to tune out sometimes. 

[syednaeemul]

Employer pays a $150/month mobile allowance and I have a $65 plan with unlimited calls and 3Gb data per month (contract expires in June when I'll switch to something less expensive). I've got a cracked Samsung Galaxy S3 for the last 3.5 years, the replacement is ready to go but I can't get off! Best bit is with apps like FieldAgent and Google Rewards, there's a little pocket money made.

[Villanelle]

Yes, though according to the 6S thread, it barely qualifies.  I have an iPhone 4.  Not 4S, just 4.  I didn't have in iPhone until I moved overseas to Japan, where the roads are... difficult, and not having interactive maps would have felt catastrophic. 

We pay for service, though I can't recall what.  I'm told that when I get back to Japan next summer, I may not be able to get service for my 4, and I think they stopped or will soon stop updates for it, so I'm hoping to find someone dumping a 5 so I an upgrade. 

I was surprised in that thread by how many people "need" the most current phone.  There was even an incredulous question about whether anyone was actually still using an iPhone 4S.  I would think that would be an extremely mustachian approach to getting a smartphone, if work doesn't provide one.  Buy a 5ish year old phone, a couple generations from the latest. 

[cerat0n1a]

With cost being so low nowadays I guess I don't understand why someone wouldn't have a smartphone

Technology I've spent most of my life working on is in just about every smartphone there is, but I don't have one myself. This is mainly to troll my teenage kids. So there's a reason for you..

[pbkmaine]

I have an iPhone 4s, inherited from my husband, who bought a 6. Since my last phone was an ancient BlackBerry, it seems like a miracle device to me.


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[Conjou]

I am 44. I own a dumb phone and a call and text plan from Pure Talk that costs me ten bucks a month. If a smartphone offered me money to have it, I would still have to think about whether the payment would be enough to cover the time those things suck from people's lives and the way they seem to inevitably dismiss people's social skills.

[HappyMargo]

Absolutely.
I can't believe I can carry in the palm of my hand: a phone, GPS, my email, a full library of Kindle books, internet access, movies to watch when we travel, & much more.

I HATE talking on the phone (if you call me, your hair or pants better be on fire!) My smart phone makes it possible to stay in touch thru text & email.   

(The surgeons, anesthesia & PA's I work with also do NOT answer their phones.  You *must* text them. My phone is awesome & crucial for my job.)

[ToeInTheWater]

on my 2nd smart phone

had an iphone 4 (**i'm pretty bad about knowing the nuanced names, so this may have been an iphone 4-something or other) that died, got a Galaxy 5-something. 

work pays for the plan, we bring our own phones.

i like having GPS when traveling / biking, i text / email more than make calls, bit of social media (FB, and UNTAPPD), use it for playing mp3s in the car, taking pics, and like that it has things like a flashlight, calculator and stopwatch

and of course the internet

[Tyn]

I have an iphone 4 which I've had for at least 4 years (can't remember exactly when I bought it), originally got it on an upgrade with my contract.  I pay £8 a month for a small text, call and data plan (data is the only thing that hits the limit and not every month). 

When it dies I'll replace it with another smart phone, but possibly second hand and definitely not the latest model of anything.  I mostly use it for the map and social media (and alarm/clock, shopping list, notebook, camera, mp3 player, etc), I think I'd be a lot less likely to walk/bike to unknown places if I didn't have it and it's also handy for looking up train/bus times if I end up traveling at a different time than I'd planned.

[MMMaybe]

I still have my iPhone 4S, which I bought outright 4 years ago. I mainly use data and some texts but make very few phone calls. People here in the Philippines love to text because its far cheaper than calling and I organise appointments, deliveries etc that way.

My monthly costs are very low. I end up spending around USD 4 or 5 total, which buys me 200 mb data and sufficient credit for texting or the odd call. If I travel to another country, I will use a local SIM.

So I am not sure why I wouldn't have a smart phone at that price!

[Guses]

I feel like a smartphone is like a jack of all trades, master of none. Yes, it does do a bunch of stuff but none of it is particularly good*.

Have you tried talking on the phone on a smartphone? That shit is "tin-can with a wire" level of quality.


*Ok, some phones have decent features.

[Schaefer Light]

I also don't like when people play on their phone when a conversation is happening.

Neither do I.  But what's even worse is when the person who's supposed to be running a meeting is looking at his smartphone while the rest of the people in the conference room are twiddling their thumbs.

I do own a smartphone, but I also get a $60 per month stipend from my employer.  Not sure what I would do if not for the stipend.  I think I'd still have a smartphone because I use it to film my golf swing (yes, I'm a golf addict) on a regular basis.  Or maybe I'd just leave the phone at home (I really don't like having the damn thing with me all the time...feels like I'm on a fing leash) and take a camera to the driving range.

[dang1]

my daily driver is a 2013 moto x. it has pretty much replaced my PC. Plus, i check for heavy traffic while commuting so I can route around them.

[Davids]

I have the ZTE Awe through Virgin Mobile. I paid $25 for it 18 months ago and I am on their grandfathered $25/month plan since this is just a 3G phone.

[elaine amj]

We have smartphones. Yes, it's a luxury item. But it sure is a nice one - amazing how many cool gadgets now fit into one magic device. My whole family all like our smartphones (DH primarily uses his for email and isn't a heavy user). I do agree it's a non-Mustachian indulgence. But that's OK - I do feel the value we get out of it is worth it. The kids have their iPhone 4 (purchased used for $25) on wifi-only mode with no SIM cards. My DH is moving to a data-only plan that will cost us about $10+ a month. My BB is paid by my work. DH really only "needs" a basic smartphone - but we got him the iPhone 6S and the kids and I will get to use it when he's not at work :)

It also serves a practical purpose. I hate carrying cameras around and have few pics of my kids early years. With my smartphone + Facebook - I have been more motivated to preserve so many family memories. I always say that my FB is first and foremost for me - as my family scrapbook. Knowing my friends and family see my pics does push me to take more photos and record more memories.

Normally I don't mind having an older phone a few generations behind. But I do find it problematic for apps and there are many apps out there that have made my life so much easier. My DH was planning to get a used iPhone 5 but when the AT&T CC deal came out and we could get the latest 6S for the same amount of money, I was thrilled to get the latest and greatest.

On a side note, I'm OK with it being an entertainment device for my kids and have no serious philosophical opposition to screen time or using technology. I'm completely OK with it not being "the good old days" and enjoying the conveniences of modern life.

[dodojojo]

I hate it when I surf mindlessly on the phone but otherwise owning a smartphone brings value to my life.  I don't drive so I use the phone for public transportation and occasional Lyft rides.  I'm hopeless with directions so mapping is better than gold. Audio books and magazines from the library--hours of free entertainment and an marked increase in books 'read'.  Evernote for recipes.  Google Hangouts to video chat with my grandmother who lives in another country. 

[HPstache]

Yes, of course I do.  I work with a few people who are hard set on keeping their simple phones.  Every once in a while one of them caves and it's satisfying to see them realize what they've been missing out on.  It's a no brainer.

[Guses]

Yes, of course I do.  I work with a few people who are hard set on keeping their simple phones.  Every once in a while one of them caves and it's satisfying to see them realize what they've been missing out on.  It's a no brainer.

Why is it a no brainer?

My wife has a phone, but I don't see why I would also need one.

[cjottawa]

Not having a smartphone these days is like not having a telephone c.1980: you're "that guy."

You don't have to be glued to the screen playing with social media; it's just a tool for grocery lists, GPS navigation, getting timely updates about, say "an impromptu game night your friends want to invite you to."

You miss out on opportunities to interact with your social circles if you don't have one.

No need for an expensive plan; mine's $42CAD (about $30USD) for enough voice and data to get me through a month. (free long-distance, free evenings and weekends etc)

To each their own; maybe your social circles are completely disconnected but even my 70+ year old parents email me through the day. I see the email immediately and can plan my day accordingly. (for example: if they've invited me to dinner, I can go there directly from work instead of detouring because I didn't see their email until I was home - several bucks and between minutes and hours saved... that adds up over the course of a month)

[alsoknownasDean]

Yes I do, and I find it very useful.

The modern smartphone combines so many functions into one device, and it makes it a very useful tool.

I bought an unlocked previous-gen Android flagship and use it with an antimustachian $50AUD a month SIM-only plan. Having an unlocked phone on a no-contract plan means that I can chop and change as I please. There's been a mobile data price war here lately so the flexibility is worthwhile.

[GuitarStv]

I don't have a cell phone.  If I need to navigate I use a map, I use something called scrap paper (usually from junk mail) to record grocery lists, and if I need timely updates about something impromptu my friends will call our house or email me.  If I'm not at home near the phone or a computer it means that I'm busy, so wouldn't be available anyway.

[HPstache]

Yes, of course I do.  I work with a few people who are hard set on keeping their simple phones.  Every once in a while one of them caves and it's satisfying to see them realize what they've been missing out on.  It's a no brainer.

Why is it a no brainer?

My wife has a phone, but I don't see why I would also need one.

The no brainer reason is because it makes your life more efficient... which in turn saves time & money.

[Guses]

You don't have to be glued to the screen playing with social media; it's just a tool for grocery lists, GPS navigation, getting timely updates about, say "an impromptu game night your friends want to invite you to."

To each their own; maybe your social circles are completely disconnected but even my 70+ year old parents email me through the day. I see the email immediately and can plan my day accordingly. (for example: if they've invited me to dinner, I can go there directly from work instead of detouring because I didn't see their email until I was home - several bucks and between minutes and hours saved... that adds up over the course of a month)

First part, I really hate using a cell as a grocery list. It takes way more time to type it in than write on the piece of paper and then you have to tick it off to remove the item on the list. Also, I am not the only one that does the shopping. So either you duplicate the list or you end up not having it when you need it.

Second part, maybe I am introverted, but I don't like being invited last minute to an event planned that same day. I like to plan ahead what I want to do in my spare time. I also don't like being available all the time via text. Each time you receive a text, you feel compelled to reply something even if it is just "lol". This is draining for me.

[Guses]

Yes, of course I do.  I work with a few people who are hard set on keeping their simple phones.  Every once in a while one of them caves and it's satisfying to see them realize what they've been missing out on.  It's a no brainer.

Why is it a no brainer?

My wife has a phone, but I don't see why I would also need one.

The no brainer reason is because it makes your life more efficient... which in turn saves time & money.

Please explain.

Here is a link to an article from the Wall Street Journal claiming that smartphones are not making us more productive:
http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887323982704578455163211575512


From my experience, it allows one person to be less prepared but it is not exactly more efficient.

Being efficient would be looking the stuff up at home before leaving (which is much quicker than on a phone anyways).

[GuitarStv]

From my experience, it allows one person to be less prepared but it is not exactly more efficient.

Being efficient would be looking the stuff up at home before leaving (which is much quicker than on a phone anyways).

This is also my experience dealing with chronic phone users.  They typically don't bother to show up on time, and feel a burning need to tell people to wait for them.  They don't bother to look up where they're going in advance, and thus need something to tell them where to go.

[cjottawa]

You don't have to be glued to the screen playing with social media; it's just a tool for grocery lists, GPS navigation, getting timely updates about, say "an impromptu game night your friends want to invite you to."

To each their own; maybe your social circles are completely disconnected but even my 70+ year old parents email me through the day. I see the email immediately and can plan my day accordingly. (for example: if they've invited me to dinner, I can go there directly from work instead of detouring because I didn't see their email until I was home - several bucks and between minutes and hours saved... that adds up over the course of a month)

First part, I really hate using a cell as a grocery list. It takes way more time to type it in than write on the piece of paper and then you have to tick it off to remove the item on the list. Also, I am not the only one that does the shopping. So either you duplicate the list or you end up not having it when you need it.

I used the "Grocery IQ" app and have "favorites" set up. I don't have to write anything - I just go to my favorites list and check off "milk, eggs, tomatoes...etc" and they're added to my list. The app sorts by aisle (and you can sort by store, but I don't bother).

For me, this is WAY more efficient than finding a pen and a scrap of paper.

Regarding sharing of grocery lists between family members: GroceryIQ can be synced. When I had a live-in spouse, we shared a list... if she was picking up a few items on the way home, they automatically got check off on my list.

We shared a Google calendar too so we could plan around shared resources like the car.

To each their own.

Second part, maybe I am introverted, but I don't like being invited last minute to an event planned that same day. I like to plan ahead what I want to do in my spare time. I also don't like being available all the time via text. Each time you receive a text, you feel compelled to reply something even if it is just "lol". This is draining for me.

This has absolutely nothing to do with technology and everything to do with the human part of the equation.

I can choose to reply, or not. I don't feel compelled to immediately jump on every message that comes in. My friends know, if I'm not replying, I'm busy. I don't "play" with my phone when I'm around people, though maybe I did for the first few weeks of having a smartphone.

Humans (writ large) have not yet adapted to the technology, hence things like "nocializing" and "message anxiety." I'm sure the telephone c.1915 made people jump when it rang.

[Luck12]

Being efficient would be looking the stuff up at home before leaving (which is much quicker than on a phone anyways).

Well, shit happens on the way too and with a smartphone you can much more easily improvise.  Smartphones can be cheap and does all the really useful shit everyone's mentioned, thereby also allowing you to do without other tools/devices. 

[2ndTimer]

I am 58 and do not have a cell phone.  I used to have one but then realized that it was for everybody else's convenience not mine. 

[TheAnonOne]

A 'smart phone' might as well just be called a 'phone' at this point. As I doubt many 'dumb phones' exist anymore. (Certainly SOME do, just not a lot)

They are negligibly more expensive, they do not require a data connection, they are given out for free with plans in most cases, there is a strong secondary market, and they can replace some PC work. They are all around good devices to have as long as you can be reasonably smart about the plan.

[BlueMR2]

41 years old.  I currently have a 2006 Motorola bar of soap shaped dumb phone.  I had a SmartPhone prior to that though (PocketPC OS).  2002-2006 I believe?  Smartphone was helpful with my job at that time (and was company provided).  When I had to start paying for a phone myself, I went as cheap as possible.  I've stuck with it because there just aren't any killer smartphone apps for me yet.

[meyling]

A 'smart phone' might as well just be called a 'phone' at this point. As I doubt many 'dumb phones' exist anymore. (Certainly SOME do, just not a lot)

They are negligibly more expensive, they do not require a data connection, they are given out for free with plans in most cases, there is a strong secondary market, and they can replace some PC work. They are all around good devices to have as long as you can be reasonably smart about the plan.

I really wish nice dumb phones still existed. Now it seems like they only make flip phones for people who are hard of seeing. I just want a nice flip phone :/

I actually do have a smartphone because it's required for work. I don't pay for it.

[justajane]

I am 38 and have a flip phone that I probably only use a few times a month. Only about 15 people even know the number. For the rest of my phone talking I use my landline -- mostly to talk to my mother, the schools my kids attend, doctors, various home stuff, etc. For messaging, I use Facebook from my laptop at home.

I feel like the MMM forums should be a "safe place" where you can embrace your lack of something or a certain practice you engage in for whatever reason you engage in it. For instance, I have read about people who prefer to sleep on the hard floor rather than having a mattress. There are people who wipe their butts with cloth rather than disposable toilet paper, etc. etc. I personally don't do those things, but more power to anyone else who wants to be "extreme" for whatever reason they want to be. Sometimes it saves money. Sometimes it is done for entirely different reasons.

On a frugality/counter cultural forum I don't think it's my role to convince them to live their lives differently. But for whatever reason, smartphone users very often feel the need to proselytize or talk about all the ways people who don't have them are missing out.

Fine, do that in your normal life, but here? I say live and let live.

[I'm a red panda]

I have a smartphone, an Iphone 4 (note- not 4S, it is an OLD model) and my employer does pay towards it, but I had it before my employer subsidized it in anyway. (If I don't take the subsidy, they issue me an Iphone 6 that can ONLY be used for business reasons.)

I won't get an Iphone next time. This time I got it because it was the "free" phone, with a contract, and I refused to pay for a phone- but we don't do contracts anymore since we have a prepay plan, so next time I'll have to pay out of pocket. My husband just got an android that cost $70 and it seems good.  They all die within 2-3 years anyway, so there is no way I'll buy anything that costs more than $100.

I use my phone for a lot of work reasons.  Personal reasons- mostly to browse the internet and check email, and I LOVE it for that. I play some games. It doesn't work great for navigation, because it won't read the directions to me anymore (I lost that when the operating systems last updated- the Iphone 4 is no longer supported.) But I LOVE it for being able to look up directions when I'm lost.  I just have to use it like I did when I used to print out directions.

If I wasn't an internet addict, a regular phone would probably be fine if I didn't need the work functions; but really, I rarely call or text anyone, so basically it's a hand held browser.