There is an urgent need to extend the lifespan of our digital devices!
In France, on average we change our smartphone every two years, and our laptop every five years.
By choosing the right products and maintaining them correctly, you can increase the lifespan of a smartphone from two to six years, and that of a computer from five to eight, or even ten years.
A fight led in particular by the association Stop planned obsolescence, which is at the origin of the site Produitsdurables.fr: a wealth of advice for choosing and making your digital equipment last.
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Question your needs
We often change our devices while they are still working.
However, manufacturing this equipment contributes to the depletion of natural resources and represents 80% of the environmental footprint of digital technology, even before our uses!
Not to mention the social impact: child labor in metal extraction mines, infernal speeds in Chinese factories... Do we really need a new smartphone?
Focus on reconditioned
If you really need to change your device, have the reflex of reconditioned: checked and repaired by professionals, these used devices have nothing to envy of new ones and come with a legal guarantee of conformity of six month minimum.
Choose a solid device
Do you know the protection index?
All digital equipment is classified according to this international standard: it is written IP followed by two digits.
The first number, from 0 to 6, designates the resistance of the device against dust and solids;
the second number, 0 to 9, indicates its resistance to liquids.
If you can't find the information on the Internet, ask the manufacturer... but that's often a bad sign!
Choose durable equipment
“It would be stupid to part with a car because a tire or the battery was flat,” writes Frédéric Bordage in his book
Tending towards digital sobriety
(Ed. Actes Sud).
You still need to be able to change the battery!
Look at the repairability index: it is a score between 0 and 10. The higher it is, the easier the device is to repair: below 8/10, move on.
To change the battery, the microphone, the photo lens or even the speaker of a phone, you can benefit from a €25 discount on the invoice thanks to the repair bonus, put in place by the State at the end of 2022. Computer side , the repair bonus increased from €45 to €50 on January 1st.
Pay attention to the screen
Opt for a Gorilla Glass screen: it is the strongest, it is more resistant to shocks and scratches.
In all cases, add protection, in tempered glass or hydrogel film, and choose a flip case which will further protect the screen in the event of a fall.
Good news: since January 1, the repair bonus also includes the replacement of a broken screen.
To make last
Frédéric Bordage encourages us to take care of our digital tools “as if they were the last to have been manufactured on earth.”
Regularly dust the keyboard and the cooling system of your computer, and ensure good ventilation: always turn it off before putting it in your bag.
To protect the batteries, prefer short charges during the day: leaving them charged all night will damage them!