Tricks to the lowest possible monthly phone cost!?

These tips are intended for all those of us in the times of fat cows signed annexes to contracts with operators without rational consideration and bought phones, which we thought we needed. This is also why I will try to guide you through reverse thinking process, which will be based on analysis of own needs. So what do you really need and what is it expedient and what irrational. I have made the steps you need to know if you want optimize your monthly cost for the phone and in the coming crisis spend as little as possible on this segment of money. So let's go step by step and optimize our "life"!

1. Analyze your own consumption, both minutes and transferred data, and choose a suitable "deal"

You might be shocked during your a real need by quantity transferred data and the package he "sold" to you great marketer with one of the telecommunications providers. According to various researches by credible institutions and development companies such as mobilizeglobal.com, is the average transfer to mobile user on a global scale in in 2019 amounted to 2.2 GB of data. In the most developed market USA however, the monthly data transfer of mobile users in 2018 amounted to 4.075 GB (Source:statista.com) Of course, this is global data, which is probably lower than the Slovenian average. However, we are Slovenians "supra nation" and so above average when it comes to data transfers. Even taking into account the fact that Slovenians are perhaps extremely above average here (compared to the global average), I dare to bet that more than 6 GB per month average Slovenian user via mobile network during the year 2020 can't stand it. Global analytics gives an estimate of how much data transfer we realistically need. It is also necessary to take into account that the lion's share of data transfer happens, when we are connected to our private at home WIFI network. So mobile data most of the time we don't actually need to. We also have our own smartphones on WIFI network even when we are at work. For the purposes of this write-up, I checked the average of my mobile data usage over the last three months and found that it would WIthout problems shajal with a package around 10 GB data transfer, to the extent that he would be aware of this limitation. After all, my mobile data usage ranged from 2.3 to 15 GB per month. So on average below 10 GB. It should be emphasized that I always stream music in the car via a streaming service YouTube Music. I often watch YouTube on mobile data transfer and in I am watching a TV program through the application TWIN. So I don't skimp in any way when transferring data. I always drain the phone's "battery" by the evening hours.

A challenge is therefore that between me Slovenian operators find a package that suits my needs. I used the word challenge because all the operators in Slovenia they offer an extremely small and bizarrely ridiculous amount of data in the entry packages - the cheapest ones. So from 1 GB to 3 GB, which is just so much that it is not enough even for the average user. In principle, there is always the next package generally higher than 30 GB. The latter, i.e. the smallest of all, is offered by A1 and is the only package among the major operators with a suitable amount of data for my needs or needs 99 percent of all Slovenian users of mobile services.

Mobile package offer overview:

• A1: offer of A1 GO mobile packages
• Telecom: pcancellation of NAJ mobile packages
• Telemachus: package offer MORE

The problem is that among all the providers, there is no package that fully meets my personal goal of not spending more than 20 euros. This is also why I chose the package it offers as a prepaid service HOT.si. The latter is offered in a package HOT Maxi for 9.99 euros unlimited calls and SMS per month and 40 GB data transfer in Slovenia and 3 GB in EU.
Link: HOT Maxi

Choice correct package is key as it makes a big difference to how much you'll shell out for yours at the end of the month phone bill.

2. Analyze what kind of phone you actually need

This topic is the most difficult, but I will try to simplify it. The difference between phone for 1,000 euros and by phone for 200 euros is quite uncomplicated. Phones for 1,000 euros as a rule, they support today wireless battery charging and the standard waterproof IP68. That's two key differences, which usually make them several times more expensive. In principle, wireless charging is associated with materials: glass, ceramics, etc., which enable conductivity and thus charging. Sealing the phone on the level IP68 standard but it is extremely expensive and in practically useless. You're not likely to forget your phone at the bottom of a swimming pool any more than 30 minutes. Most "budget" phones for slightly more than 200 euros are quite well "insured" against moisture under normal circumstances. Of course, there are also little things like lower processor power, screen resolution, etc. But these are things that the majority of users (90+ percent) will not notice during normal use of the phone, because it is rare to find someone who fully utilizes the potential of today's premium phones. Most also won't notice the difference between a phone photo for 1,000 euros and a phone that costs a little more than 200 euros. These are cruel facts. Namely, "budget" phones are years old 2020 so very good, that the differences between them and the really premium ones are really trivial and in a way a matter of prestige. Maybe it's the ones listed above that don't bother you satisfaction during use and practically do not affect the user experience. I claim you get it 90 percent everything for 20 percent invested money. Especially when we look at the price-to-value ratio. V in 2020 some "budget" phones are so good that you'll be hooked right away tempted to change his barely a year old premium phone. There really isn't a big difference.

An overview of budget smartphones that you can buy from the largest online retailer Amazon

3. Buy a smartphone with no strings attached

As evident from the first two points, you don't need a premium phone, no 70+ GB data transfer. This is also why it seems to be a binding where many times hide contractual penalties, completely pointless. Here, too, we Slovenians are a rather special nation, while our western neighbors the Italians 80 percent of all phones are bought with cash and they generally have on average older smartphones. Slovenians in more than In 80 percent of cases, we buy phones via covert financing, through operators on so-called bindings. There's nothing wrong with that in principle, but that's exactly what makes it yours the cost of a smartphone much higher. The contractual penalties of teleoperators upon breaking the connection are such that you will definitely overpay or pay more for your smartphone than it is worth in free sale, considering the entire European market and the average price of the product on the market. On a global scale, they are in 2016 only 35 percent of phones users bought with binding. And the downward trend has not stopped in the last four years. The Slovenian "anomaly" of tying with the purchase of smartphones through operators is one of the biggest in the world anomalies in the telecommunications market and points ahead to very special ones Slovenian conditions. Somehow. Slovenes are also a special and unique nation here.

4. Change your phone every two years, 24 months, be sure to sell the old one

One of the rules of smart phone buying is that it is your personal item that should be with you at least 24 months. If you change your phone more often, you will lose the lion's share of the smartphone's value in the first few months. I also advise against it buy the cheapest phones, but you are reaching for the middle class of smartphones. So opt for phones in the range between 200 and 400 euros.

You always and always buy smartphones that were introduced by manufacturers no more than half a year ago. It is about current products, which often replace older models at the same price, which is typical for the class of "budget" phones. Count on the phone to be with Android operating system was losing much more than iPhone with iOS. Purchase iPhone whatever the price, it's ironically worth it.

In the first year, such phones lose almost 50 percent of the value, and in two already more than 75 percent. In the meantime, for example, there will be a new one iPhone SE 2020 after two years still worth more than 250 euros or at least 50 percent of its purchase value. "Budget" phones with Android are generally only around 100 euros.

Example: The ideal lowest possible cost of a smartphone and carrier

Objective: the monthly cost of telecommunications including a smartphone is 20 euros
Duration: the calculation is valid when the phone is owned 24 months

I personally bet on Apple products and that's why I will choose the new one Apple iPhone SE 2 2020. The smartphone that Apple started selling on April 24, 2020 and will most likely become one of the most popular phones in the history of this brand. The bottom line is the price of this phone, which in this particular case is the main asset (besides the current A13 processor and the latest generation camera). It is sold in the US for $399, while in Europe you can buy it from Germany's amazon.de for €479.

Buying a phone:

• Apple iPhone SE2 2020 = 479 euros
• The remaining estimated value of the device after 24 months = 260 euros
• Decrease in value = 220 euros
• The monthly cost is = 9.16 euros

So we will pay for the phone 9.16 euros per month. Considering that we will Sold in 24 months for the rest of the value (about 53 percent) for the amount 260 euros.

Selected package from the teleoperator:

• Hot Maxi (unlimited calls to all networks, unlimited SMS, 40 GB data transfer Slovenia, 3 GB EU)
• Monthly cost = 9.99 euros.

Total: €19.15 / monthly

Mission Impossible

You just have to find out for yourself what extra means to you 360+ euros annually in your pocket. Is it an extra week of vacation, a trip to Paris for the weekend or hedonistic indulgence in two in one of Slovenian spas? And all this exclusively at the expense of use common sense of the peasants. But what if you are often not enough! At first it will seem impossible, but I believe that you will be able to think about your phone completely rationally.