In that case, Putting the phone in DND mode 24x7 and only using it only when we need it exponentially limits phone usage and interruptions.

But, not many can afford having their phone in DND mode all the time due to their job/family requirements(I do it and I've read few others on HN doing it). Then again, there are jobs which require you to install apps on your personal device or at-least communication apps like Slack, Teams etc.; In those case even Light Phone cannot be used.

I have DnD 24x7 and it is bliss.

How is your relationship with your friends who are not located close to you?

P.S. Please don't mind the bland nature of my question.

We usually pick up right where we left off. Most big news are communicated directly through WhatsApp. I obviously check my messages every once in a while.

Honest question, do you need to be reachable 24/7 to have a relationship with your friends?

Not necessarily. DnD 24/7 means; the time they wish to reach you, they cannot.

You can, but, IMO, smartphones are starting to feel like a money pit, too, not just a time pit. You spend $500 - $1500 on a device that can't be expected to last more than 4 years (presumably a fair bit less if you cut too close to the $500 end of the range), and will have an annoyingly short battery life in 2 years. You have to constantly be careful with it, because if you drop it or it gets scratched by a key or something, there's a good chance that that enormous, fragile screen will shatter and need replacement. etc. etc.

I am considering switching back to a dumbphone because I miss being able to buy a phone for $100 and have it work, without fuss, more-or-less indefinitely. Throw a hotspot feature in there so I can get my $200 iPod Touch connected when I need to, and I've still got a decent enough way to listen to podcasts or catch up on my Instapaper feed while I'm waiting for the bus, or whatever, while saving a fair bit of money. It also theoretically lets me have all the apps and suchlike while still being able to mitigate distraction.

I like this phone in principle, but I'm afraid $350 price point is a bit tough to swallow. I assume that a big part of the price is the eInk display, which is a bit of a shame since it looks like it doesn't actually have any features that wouldn't also work just fine with a cheapo monochrome LCD.

My current device, the moto e5 play, retailed for $120. It still works just fine for me for use cases like web browsing, 720p video, remote desktop, etc. Prior to that I had the e4 which worked great until I dropped it down 5 flights of stairs.

Regarding the battery health issue, I have found the biggest factor to be not recharging soon enough. Don't let your battery drop too low and you will have substantially better battery health.

EDIT: The moto e6 retails for $99.

Looks dirt cheap, maybe good for poor students. Also:

Updates? No.

Unlocked bootloader? No,it's Lenovo.

Security in chinese phone? LOL, I even not started talking about company who sold laptops with crapware in BIOS.

Everything is made in China these days. Even stuff "designed in California".

> Updates?

Motorola usually provides 2 Android updates beyond the year each model was released. Not always a rule but you can see for yourself here: https://www.getdroidtips.com/list-of-android-10-q-supported-...

In fact it does support unlocking the bootloader. I believe that's true of all current motorola androids.

The camera’s the main thing keeping me on smartphones. My iPhone 7 Plus is a better camera (for me) than anything but maybe a newer iPhone, and also entirely replaces a document scanner. May drop the data plan though, go WiFi-only.

> ou spend $500 - $1500 on a device that can't be expected

no, you just buy a model 2 years after its on the market and you pay a fraction of the initial price.

The downside is you get only a year or two of security updates.

You still save something like 400 dollars this way. Not sure what is the actual trade off in your world?

And cut its expected lifespan, already only 2-4 years, by 2 years.

No more software updates isn't such a big deal on dumbphones with limited capabilities, but, on a smartphone, I really do want to be getting those security patches.

No. Most android phones come with a ton of ininstallable apps that take up a huge amount of room

No. You can disable even the stuff that is installed by default - you can't erase them but once they are inactive they won't bother you anymore.

You must not have a Samsung.

Actually I have almost always used Samsung.