Yup. The inevitable has happened. My OnePlus has faced a serious hiccup in it’s 18 month journey with me. The front and rear camera don’t work any more. I have never been a fan of cameras in my entire tech journey but that was of course because I never had to live without one.
So, starting from 2010, here’s what my cellphone journey has looked like:
- Nokia N95
- Nokia N8
- Nokia E7
- iPhone 4
- iPhone 5s
- iPhone 6
- HTC Dual 820
- iPhone 7
- iPhone X
- Oneplus 6T
- Oneplus 7Pro
Yup. That is a whopping number. Now that I started earning and saving, this is something I am not proud of.
While I immerse myself in the guilt of being an absolutely ruthless and inconsiderate son, this post is going to cater to a slightly different agenda.
List of Devices I have used since 2010
So Wabi Sabi is a Japanese concept I came across in the book called Ikagai. It is centered around the notion of acceptance of imperfections. This blogpost is centered around the fact that how I came to terms with a camera-less phone in 2021. My experiences and way forward!
How did I decide to live with it?
Some may find this as a fancy way to cover the excruciating urban poverty we live in, in reality, it is actually much more than that.
It is, indeed, a way of life which I implemented to finally live with a broken phone. All of us are flawsome in some way or the other. So phones don’t have to be perfect.
This is coming from a boy who always thought that phone is extension of one’s personality. So it has to be perfect and top notch. An unusual statement coming from someone preaching financial literacy.
Wabi Sabi- A concept that believes in fixing rather than discarding
Letting go and healing are two personality traits that I have worked upon in the past. This was a real test of my efforts to win within.
Coming to the phone, now that I think about it, it was more of an attempt to mask my inner insecurities.
Remember how we all pull out our phones in a social gathering to avoid awkwardness? Something very similar.
This enforces my belief in the benefits of practicing self confidence and overcoming my materialistic desires.
The Hysterically Amusing Realization:
Well, one may ask that how did I realize that this actually was a problem?
I do not use face unlock feature for my OnePlus. I am more of a fingerprint guy as I don’t want the motorized camera to pop out and pop back in every time (~200 times a day) I unlock my phone.
Also, I am not into capturing photos or taking selfies.
Then? It was an embarrassing situation indeed. Like a boss, I took orders from my wife regarding the groceries to be collected, and went downstairs.
As I collected every item on the list (thoughtful of the brand/quantity), I felt really happy to strike off all the stuff mentioned.
I reached the counter and got the SKUs scanned. Listened to the each beep very carefully and patiently. As a routine, I don’t carry wallet. And this time, my phone couldn’t scan the PayTM barcode.
The shopkeeper didn’t offer any number where I could have paid instead. As I watched a line of 4 people behind me, I have no other option than stepping out and quitting on diligently collected groceries (*Cries in a corner*)
What Happened Next?
After this incident, I decided that it was enough. I needed to get my phone fixed. I called up OnePlus service center. The executive tried troubleshooting my problem through some fixes.
Deep inside my heart, I knew that it ain’t going to work. After all, I clearly remember the moment I dropped my phone, where it all started. I also clearly remembered the moment when my wife warned me against using the phone without protective cover.
Anyhoo, the situation aggravated when the executive also confirmed that due to Coronavirus, none of the nearby service centers are operational.
I was soon moving to my hometown Amritsar after all this. I decided to get it fixed there instead.
Turns out, nearest OnePlus service center here is 85km away in a city called Jalandhar. I tried showing it to a local repair shop. The guy kept my phone for 3 complete days (topic for the upcoming blogpost) blaming IC, Motor and my character for it’s current condition. Finally we settled at a point where he said that there is no way this could be fixed!
Conclusion:
Well, it is not that bad to have a broken phone. I always judged people with shattered screens. But shit happens. Deal with it. Do I plan to switch? Hell no. I take my inspiration from Social Maharaj. Giving up then? Nope. Will try until I get ‘no’ for answer from official service centers when I move back to Mumbai. Wish me luck!
Have you ever used a damaged phone? For how long?
Got questions? Want to take it to the next level? Reach out to me using your preferred platform from the links below
Until next time..
Wow, bade log. Started with N95. But surprising thing is Symbian to iOS to Android. Would love to know the rationale behind that. Not many folks switch from iOS to Android and back. And I cannot love without a camera, you know! 😬
Stay tuned. There’s a lot of wasted money and thought behind this.
As far as camera is concerned, I’m testing my resilience. Let’s see. 🥲