Let's calculate smartphone-related expenses for a lifetime

The smartphone I've been using for 3 and a half years has become obsolete, so when I thought I'd have to replace it if it breaks, I'm starting to wonder “I'll use a smartphone-related thing for the rest of my life,” so I'll do a trial calculation.

Influencing parameters

・Terminal fee

・Monthly usage fee

・Model change frequency

Let's consider each one.

The more particular you are, the more expensive the “terminal fee.”

Waterproof, dustproof, camera quality, battery capacity, mobile wallet compatibility, warranty, newness, etc.

If it's used and out of shape, it's likely that it's less than 10,000 yen, but if it's new, it's probably about 20,000 yen to 40,000 yen for an out of shape model.

Guarantees are sometimes included in credit card services, but if they are used or out of shape, they are often not covered, so you can't expect much.

The “monthly usage fee” is determined by the carrier, number of gigabytes used, call time, etc.

Once you've decided on a plan you're satisfied with with with a cheap SIM, it's nice that you don't have to switch too many times without the hassle.

If the number of gigabytes you use is small, you can do it within 1000 yen.

When you search for information on the internet, the most information on smartphone carriers comes up, and then information on terminals comes up.

However, I feel that the third element, “model change frequency,” that is, “model change frequency,” is rarely talked about in spite of its importance.

Let's say you don't change your plan and continue with a plan of about the same price even if you switch carriers.

What is the formula for the total amount of terminal expenses required in a lifetime

(Age at death - current age) ／ Model change frequency × terminal fee

It will be.

If you live to be 100 at age 40 now, your life expectancy is 60 years.

If you apply the terminal fee as 30,000 yen to the formula

60 years/ model change frequency × 30,000 yen

It becomes.

If you do the calculation by changing the frequency of model changes

60 years/2 years x 30,000 yen = 900,000 yen

60 years/3 years x 30,000 yen = 600,000 yen

60 years/4 years x 30,000 yen = 450,000 yen

Then, there is a lifetime difference in units of hundreds of thousands of yen.

If you take the carrier fee into account here, the formula is

Monthly fee x 12 months x 60 years

as

1,000 yen x 12 months x 60 years = 720,000 yen

2,000 yen x 12 months x 60 years = 1,440,000 yen

3,000 yen x 12 months x 60 years = 2,160,000 yen

Every time the monthly fee increases by 1,000 yen, it increases by 0.72 million yen.

If you subtract the maximum and minimum of the total value

3,060,000 yen − 1,170,000 yen = 1,890,000 yen

It becomes.

This one is pretty big, isn't it?

There are also cases where the monthly fee is even higher if you sign up with the three major carriers.

So, let's think about what I would realistically be like.

It's less than 1,500 yen per month, the terminal fee is 30,000 yen, and the frequency of model changes seems to settle down to about once every three years,

The terminal fee is 600,000 yen plus the carrier fee of 1,000,000 yen = about 1,600,000 yen.

Ah, will it be even higher when inflation is taken into account?

Well, that's quite a bit of money.

Use it carefully so you don't lose it.

Be sure to turn on the “Find My Phone” function.

Also, choose a good career and a good plan.

Please try out the trial calculation, too.

Incidentally, I currently have 10 minutes of free calls attached to Mineo's 20 Gb plan, but I plan to switch to a 10 Gb plan when the 990 yen campaign period is over.

Before that it was LINEMO.

Japan Communications SIMs are cheap, but you can only choose DOCOMO lines that have had a bad reputation recently.

I don't like Rakuten, so I excluded it.