easy or annoying. Either way, it can be done — just contact your provider and ask for the unlock procedure. Note: The carrier won’t unlock your phone until you pay it off.
You Need a Few Accessories, Too
As with most big-ticket purchases, you probably need to buy a few accessories to realize full benefit. For any item that you plan to use over several years, you need to get the right accessories to extend the life of the device.
Power charging blocks — volts and watts matter
Determining whether you have the correct phone charger used to be no big deal. I studied power charging for a few years and found that most of the charging blocks that are supplied with phones delivered the proper charge. This properly matched charger provided, at no extra cost, the exact supply of volts and watts that the phone needed for optimal charging. (The volts and watts of each power block are printed on the sides of the blocks, in miniscule letters.)
Unfortunately, a current trend of manufacturers is to withhold the charging block from the purchased phone, as noted in the later sidebar “Who’s on (or off) the no-charger bandwagon?”
Behind this no-charger strategy is the assumption that you already have a compatible charger from a previous device. Even if you have an older charger you can use, the reality is that you won’t get the benefits of the newest, fast-charging technologies. Yes, you can probably use your existing (lower powered) charging blocks on your new phone — but your phone may not receive the quick-and-complete charging you expect.
The bottom line is that you may have an added expense for a phone charger. Be sure to check out whether your phone comes supplied with the fast-charging option and matching charger. If not, plan to buy one.
The first device to withhold the charging block was the iPhone. An approved, wired, 30-watt charging block for the most recent iPhone costs about $50. Then, if you want a wireless solution, that’s at least another $50.
Samsung has jumped on this bandwagon, too. Some of the company’s latest phones require you to purchase a charger separately. If you think you can successfully substitute any randomly chosen charger from Amazon, you’re mistaken. The Samsung website says: “Using third-party chargers may invalidate your warranty and cause damage.” Then you have another $35 expense for a fast-charge block.
At this point, other manufacturers are still supplying power chargers. The OnePlus 9 Pro has a proprietary Warp Charge technology that can get your phone charged from 10 percent to 80 percent in the blink of an eye with the included 65-watt charger. Such fast charging seems unbelievable, especially because the OnePlus 9 Pro 4,500 mAh battery is split in two (so you’re charging two batteries at once). But it’s true. The OnePlus 9 Pro also has a fast wireless charger that will fully charge a phone in 45 minutes. But that charger will cost you an extra $69.
MicroSD card
If your phone has an external slot for additional storage, buy the fastest and highest-capacity microSD card you can afford. Extra internal storage is a lot more expensive when you pay for having it installed in your phone versus installing an inexpensive brand-name card.
I changed my philosophy on the extra-storage situation. I don’t buy a card until I max out my phone’s internal storage, and that rarely happens. You can add external storage to your phone at any time. If you take (and store) a lot of videos, installing extra storage might be a good idea. See Chapter 3 for instructions on how to insert a microSD card.
Phone case
As beautiful as your phone is, you might feel safer if you keep it in a protective case. Aside from being protected against impact, your phone may be less slippery and easier to grip when you add a case. If your activities or behaviors are tough on your phone, consider a case graded Mil-Spec, which means that it’s approved by the Department of Defense for use in the military. And here’s one thing I’ve learned about phone cases: You get what you pay for.
You need to buy a case specifically designed for your phone. If the phone manufacturer makes its own cases, one of these may be your best bet. But you can find other high-quality phone case brands (at a savings) for Android phones. Here are some that stand out:
Spigen makes excellent cases, including a superthin, transparent case that I have used on my phones for years. Spigen also stands by its products. One of my cases cracked on its corner. I emailed Spigen within the warranty period and received a replacement right away.
OtterBox makes incredibly tough and protective cases. My athletic trainer won’t keep his phones in any other brand.
Speck makes high-quality cases for a wide variety of phones.
Phone Sanitizer
I bought PhoneSoap, the original UV phone sanitizer (see Figure 2-4), years ago. I’m not a germaphobe, but I do understand how many germs are on my hands and, therefore, how many must be on my phone. (I’ve read a widely quoted study that said the average smartphone is 18 times dirtier than a public restroom.)
Photo courtesy of © Marsha Collier
If you wash or sanitize your hands and then pick up a germy phone, you defeat the purpose of a cleansing routine. Using cleansing wipes can be questionable if you miss a spot on the phone, and alcohol can damage the coating of the phone. Especially because many people are now concerned about spreading pandemic germs, a PhoneSoap sanitizer can be an important device to have on hand.
Bathing a device in UV light completely sanitizes it in as little as 5 minutes. A PhoneSoap device kills 99.99 percent of the bacteria and viruses that live on the phone. According to the manufacturer’s website, this includes “even the hardest-to-kill germs like E. coli, Salmonella, Staph, Influenza A H1N1, and many more.”
I upgraded to a PhoneSoap Pro recently and couldn’t be happier. I can also use the device for sanitizing my earbuds, keys, fitness band, and other small items. You can find several PhoneSoap models, starting at $79.95, and you may get lucky and find a discount code on the website at www.phonesoap.com.