Once upon a time, the phone was called a “landline” (lol), and it never left your house. Now, our phones are glued to us like a third limb and can do everything. Set alarms, book doctor’s appointments, take photos, play music, give you emails, host your work Slack channel, be a part of drunk-texting your ex on a Saturday night, AND call your mum. Phew.
Yes, phones are fairly important to be able to, well, function in this day and age. Luckily for us, we have choices in the smartphones we own and hold so dear to us (under our pillow as we sleep). Here’s what your chosen device says about you.
A Second-Life Phone
The superiority complex I gained when telling people I’d ‘never bought a brand new phone before’. Off the charts, besties.
That’s right, for a good seven years I would exclusively buy my friend’s “old” phones when they got an upgrade. This meant I didn’t have an expensive phone bill every month as I could buy my data and usage when I wanted, and I saved hundreds on the phone compared to buying brand new. The phones always worked like a charm and were better for the environment. A win-win.
If you’re looking to buy your own second-life phone, then try Belong Second Life Shop.
It has a range of refurbished mobiles, powered by Kingfisher, that have been rigorously tested. In case you’re still nervy about the thought of a second-life phone, they all come with a 12-month warranty*. The internet won’t know the difference if you use a refurbished phone, but the planet will. If you choose a second-life phone, you’re an environmentally-conscious queen who doesn’t care what other people think. We love.
Flip Phones
Flip phones are BACK, baby. All the cool girls have one, so it’s great to see that nothing has changed in the last 15 years. Who could forget the allure of the hot pink Motorola flips in early high school? If you have the updated version, then you’re a trendsetter who’s nostalgic for the 2000s (aren’t we all?).
Samsung has a range of flip phones, so keep your eyes on Belong to see if you can nab a second-life one.
iPhone
Has anyone on the planet not owned an iPhone in the year of our Lord, 2023? People with iPhones are reliable and relatable. They’re exactly like other girls and that’s fine because it means we can all AirDrop and send blue iMessages to one another. Teehee.
But, if you own an iPhone and still send green messages, you’re mysterious AF. Where is she? No one knows. (And no one knows if she’s received your text.)
Samsung
I have a secret to confess. I think Samsung people are actually very cool. I know, I know, you can just ~tell~ when a Samsung user uploads a photo on Instagram but, you’ve got to hand it to them, they know exactly what they want and like.
Samsung owners are the elder siblings of society, they know that what they have is the best, but they’ll let you decide that for yourself… when you’re ready.
Brick phone
If you’re so offline that you don’t need a smartphone to exist, then I truly applaud you. Imagine if email existed on a Nokia device?! It’d be goodbye social media and doom-scrolling and ‘hello, old friend’ to the cramping text thumbs of yesteryear.
If you still have one of these non-smartphones, you are super cool, mustn’t work in tech or media and have absolutely no idea what’s going on in the world of pop culture. For that, I’m jealous.
