&gt;Cars require maintenance the expectation of which greatly influences our purchasing decisions (e.g. &quot;Toyota tax&quot;).<p>There is a thriving phone repair industry patronized by people that can&#x27;t afford to throw away expensive electronics every few years. When the most common &quot;failures&quot; are cracked screens and dead batteries, both of which are fairly easily replaced, it makes sense if you don&#x27;t &quot;need&quot; the absolute latest and greatest to signal.<p>&gt;People generally don&#x27;t buy used phones.<p>Used iPhones retain their value pretty well.<p>&gt;Phones don&#x27;t come in mutually exclusive form factors (2dr coupe, airport van, cab and chassis, everything in-between). They&#x27;re all touchscreen slabs with one or more buttons at the bottom.<p>I dunno, the difference between a regular smartphone and a &quot;phablet&quot; is pretty striking to me.<p>&gt;You also won&#x27;t get fired from your job if you break your phone and your bosses call goes to voicemail. If you don&#x27;t show up for work because your car is broken you&#x27;ll probably be fired.<p>Where the heck do you work?