Smartphone

Brief

You are designing a new mid-range smartphone. Customers want a thin and durable device, but phones are commonly replaced after 2–3 years even though they are almost entirely functional. You decide how to build it, how long to support it and what happens to it after years of use.

Learning goals

1. 1

   Compare the effect of materials, construction and servicing on a device's overall lifetime.

2. 2

   Explain why the length of software support and a replaceable battery often decide how long a phone is used.

3. 3

   Use E = P · t to estimate charging time and understand what charging losses mean.