The smartphone has become an important part of modern life. You may be able to survive without it, but the younger people will do whatever it takes to have a smartphone. I remember the days of dial up Internet that was metered by the hours of use. It cost 20 bucks a month and if you used it much you ended up with a second phone line. Now I have a WAY faster connection everywhere I go. We never even imagined being able to stream a movie to a hand held color high resolution device.
I often go for days at a time without making a phone call on my iPhone. I rarely go more than a few hours without using my smartphone for some other task.
Just yesterday I needed a new blade for my edger. I whipped out my phone to take a picture of the model number of the blade. When I went to the mower shop they handed me a blade with a different number. They went back and got one with the same number and the only difference was the size of the mounting hole. My phone saved me the hassle of a second trip to the store and the delay of getting ready to edge. This is the actual photo from my phone. I did crop it some for this post but with the phone it is real easy to zoom in and clearly read the number on the blade. Heck there is a PhotoShop app right on the phone.
I know I could have done that same task with a pencil and a scrap piece of paper. But I would have to almost lie down to get close enough to read that tiny little hard to read number, double check the number was written down correctly, and remember to carry that piece of paper with me until I got to the store. I was trying to read the serial number on a new radio. That number is just tiny. A quick photo with my smartphone and it is very easy to read the photo.
I have to pay 100% of the cost of my phone, and my wife's phone to boot. I can share her calendar so if one of us has an appoitment is will show up on just my phone or we can share, it is up to me to decide.