Does anyone not have a smartphone by choice?

Not me, but I can see the appeal in 'normal' phones:

+Better battery life
+Typically have better buttons for using as a telephone than most modern smartphones i.e. big green/red buttons for dial/hang up etc
Pet hate on my Galaxy S3 is how bloody fiddly and unresponsive it is when it comes to hanging up a call, it takes a couple of seconds to disconnect. Also occasionally when on the phone the touchscreen touches my cheek.

The whole "I don't want to be on the internet" thing doesn't factor in to it, if I don't want to use those features I don't have to.

On the flipside ignoring the entertainment side of things, I find the most useful thing on a smartphone is mapping/gps, very useful for finding your way around places you don't know very well.
 
Better battery life? WAT? Far from it as certain Apps will connect to the interwab every so often hence battey life is not great. 1 day 23 hours according to Gsam here.
 
I don't have a smart phone, can barely stand having a mobile to begin with :p

The only reason I carry/use a mobile is for emergencies, and the rare times I need to call a taxi or something whilst out.
I think my yearly call cost is under a tenner:p
 
I do find lots of advantages to having a smartphone - especially for locating places that would take me hours to find otherwise , checking train times when travelling, quick price matching, being able to call for free, capturing some moments with a camera, do some reading while on the train if I don't have a book or kindle with me etc.

I turn my phone to complete silence (no vibration) for useless notifications most of the time unless I'm not busy.

edit: also to add - I'm only paying £5.50 a month on a monthly rolling contract which gets me 300 mins + unlimited text and data which is more than enough for what I need.

double edit: I'm currently using galaxy S3 which I bought with cash... I hate being in a contract paying £25+ a month for 2 years.. the deal I got works out cheaper :)
 
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I was skeptical of them but my wife bought me a galaxy s3 and with 4G it's brilliant. I dont use any apps just email/web/youtube and sometimes the navigation.
 
I know lots of people that don't by choice, including people that work at my co,pano who would have their contract paid for - they actively choose to pay for a pay as you go.


I was like that for a long time but have smart phone for a couple of uses:
1) GPS navigation on the road. Not critical but nice.
2) GPS navigation in the ountains. Should really have a dedicated GPS but it seems to suffice. I mostly use the map and compass technique but since I have moved to oregon navigating through endless forest with no visible features is very challenging.
3) checking emails when away from home.
4) weather forecast dates when I'm making an early morning trip to the mountains.


TBH, I could buy a dedicated GPS and live without a smartphone.
 
Xordium said:
Don't have one don't see the need for me to have one.
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Indeed, me too. Basic phone is all I have ever had, my wife has an iphone, she uses it quite a lot. I am generally either working or at home, so contactable at either place, and any net access I require can be from home or using out ipad.
I also cba with a monthly fee for smartphone usage, its just one bill less in the household.
 
Werewolf said:
I don't have a smart phone, can barely stand having a mobile to begin with :p

The only reason I carry/use a mobile is for emergencies, and the rare times I need to call a taxi or something whilst out.
I think my yearly call cost is under a tenner:p
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Indeed, and I only need to charge it once every 10 or 12 days.
 
I used to live on my smart phone to the point it become quite sad. Me and the Mrs would go for a meal, sit down and get our phones out on the table to, with Facebook open or some other app. We wouldn't really be giving each other full attention as there was always a message, update status or email.

We went to Spain on holiday, took our phones but had no internet, we also decided against WiFi in the hotel. This pretty much rendered the phones boring and useless to us so we left them. This made us take much more interest in the world around us and more importantly, each other!

I got home and sold my SGS2 on eBay and bought a chepo 5 quid phone. I now love going out and not being connected and have people pester me or having the distraction.

When I'm out shopping I often see people walk around on their phones glued to them on Facebook or whatever and I'm thinking its quite sad.
 
I find the maps on my phone invaluable. The amount of times they've gotten me out of a jam is unreal. Also saves me a lot of time finding places, getting postcodes for the satnav etc.

Pros outweigh the cons for me.
 
@ Hikari - That's the way I see it. I know the charge per month is relatively negligible but I could put that money to better use eg kid's pensions etc. I am contactable for all who I need to be anyway. Anything by email can wait and if I am being totally truthful as I get older I like a little bit of peace and quiet and removal from the fast pace these days. I also avoid cities where possible for the same reason. I rather like the distance. I can see the use though for a lot of people and can see how they could be invaluable just not for me.
 
ince said:
You only realise you need a smartphone when you get a smartphone
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Convince me then. 'Cause I can't see the benefits? What could I use it for? If it was useful I would get one I just can't see the use in something thats functions are available elsewhere in a better format.
 
I also upgrade my handsets by paying for the device, which also negates me getting tied into a lengthy contract. My contract has been rolling for years now and the price of 'normal' mobiles has plummeted in recent years, though new one's are still coming out when I need to replace mine.

I still may take the plunge at some point but it is good to know I am not the only one on here happily living with older tech. If I want to take a photo, I use my camera. If I want to listen to music, I use my MP3 player. If I want to drive somewhere new, I will use my Sat-Nav.

I already own these items, so it seems a little silly paying for them again, albeit in a nice shiny package. Let's be fair as well, the music quality and the camera's on phones (and indeed the GPS) are pretty poor compared to their separate counterparts.
 
Still using a Sony K800i here on payg. I don't really need a smart phone although the thought has crossed my mind of getting one on occasion.
 
isonomicjedi said:
I have a £17 pay as you go Nokia from Tesco's that I've had a few years now and it suits me fine.

Makes phone calls and does texts. No Camera, No Internet, No email, No games.

It costs me between £10 & £20 per year for calls.
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I'm with you. I have a £15 jobbie from Tesco, it came with £5 free credit too. Costs me about £20 a year to run, charge the battery once a week.
I do however have a Samsung Galaxy mp3 player which does most things smart phones do (a part from make calls) do but only has wifi connection.
 
the main reason i don't have one is because i'm poor. :p but even if i did have one, i'm perfectly sure i would never use it when in social situations. it's just rude.
 
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