For the past 2 weeks, I have been battling with my mobile phone by twisting the USB-C cable and tilting phone position in order for it to be properly charged.
Since yesterday, I have sent the phone for diagnosis at Xiaomi service centre and 2 reputable mobile phone repair specialists. They all concluded that the issue lies with the motherboard, not charging port nor battery. It is not cost effective to replace the motherboard with a low chance of recovering back the data.
This budget Xiaomi Pocophone M4 Pro finally died today as it could not properly channel electric charges anymore. I have only used it for 13 months and was unlucky to have missed the warranty by just 1 month.
Nonetheless, I have given up hope of using this phone. As an interim solution, I migrated the commonly-used banking and authenticator apps back to my old Huawei phone which has been a trusted and reliable powerhorse even after 6 years. I have also ordered a new Oppo budget phone - A78 4G for under $280 by applying discount vouchers at Shopee today.
This is not the first time I experienced an unexpected death of a mobile phone. Many years ago, my Asus Zenphone could not boot up due to firmware issue. Before the pandemic, my iPhone 7 crashed from selfie stick onto ground while taking selfie in Taiwan.
A broken spoilt phone can be a real pain, but it can also be a surprisingly enlightening experience. Here are 5 lessons I learned from my time with this broken phone:
1. Importance of Backups
The only regret from this incident was not to backup the photos, videos and data in my phone regularly. This resulted in me losing a large part of the photos and videos taken during vacations last year. I have accepted the loss, being part and parcel of life, which itself culminates in death. This experience served as wake-up call to regularly synchronise data into cloud or backup photos and videos to computer or hard disk drive. Backup is a great form of data insurance and security.
2. We Can Live Without Constant Connectivity
In this digital era, being without a phone can feel like being cut off from the world. I experienced this disconnected feeling from the long number of hours being without a working mobile phone. This disconnected experience allowed me to appreciate the beauty of the real world and survive interrupted focus.
3. There is More to Life Than a Phone Screen
I realised that I spent too much time fiddling with phone everyday. I believe it is the same for most digital warriors out there. A broken phone forces us to live and rediscover the real world around us. I found myself simply living in the moment and having no distraction. I used the PC more for work and updating personal spreadsheets properly. I was also able to greatly reduce Youtube and Tiktok video watching time on phone.
4. The Value of Minimalist Digital Life
A temporary switch to a legacy slower phone made me realise how many unnecessary apps I have installed and hoarded. I have also stored too many years of data, photos and videos in my phone. This experience prompted me to declutter my digital life and prioritise apps which add value. It also gives me an opportunity to start off from a clean slate in accumulating new life experiences in the form of new photos and videos.
5. It is just a Phone
A phone is very important in our lives but actually it is a lifeless object which can be easily replaced. What has sentimental values are the stored photos which collect memories of our past life experiences. This realisation enlightened me to detach from material possessions and focus on what truly matters in life.
I hope all of you take care of your phones well and not end up in a situation like mine.
Thanks for reading.
Update: I sent my phone for motherboard repair at CitriMobile at 101 Upper Cross Street, #01-47, People's Park Centre, 058357 and managed to restore it back intact for me to recover my photos and data.
With love and peace,
Qiongster
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