Factors in Selecting a Smartphone

I recently decided to make the long overdue decision to upgrade from a regular cell phone to a smartphone. As a Verizon subscriber, I had the choice between a wide variety of phones. After some initial research, I narrowed it down to three choices: the iPhone 4 by Apple, the Droid 2 Global by Motorola, and the Droid Charge by Samsung.

I compared the three phones using the standard criteria: price, battery life, app capabilities, etc. Each of these phones had their specific pros and cons, but to me, they all seemed fairly similar. I was still unsure, so I decided to evaluate the phones using new criteria. 

Not long ago, I learned that some of the minerals in our phones may originate from conflict areas in the Democratic Republic of Congo and our purchases may be indirectly funding armed groups committing atrocities there. I also learned that a new generation of conscious consumers has emerged in response to this crisis, similar to those who confronted blood diamonds and sweatshops. These consumers are pressuring electronics companies to investigate where their minerals are coming from and work towards guaranteeing their minerals as conflict-free.

With smartphones in mind, I was curious to find out what Apple, Motorola, and Samsung were doing in regards to the conflict minerals issue. I decided to give them each a call.

The first company I called was Apple. When I asked about the DRC and the origin of their minerals, the representative took a few minutes to do some research. When she returned to the call, she informed me that she is "not sure about that information." She said Apple products are, "mercury free, arsenic free, and bromine free," but that Apple has not commented on the situation in the DRC.

Next, I called Motorola. I was transferred several times to different representatives, but I finally got in touch with someone who could tell me more about the Droid 2 Global. However, when I asked him about minerals, he told me, "To be honest with you, sir, I have no information on that at all. I have no idea where to get that information."

Last, I called Samsung. The response was similar to that of Motorola. The representative spent a while searching for information, but he eventually just told me, "We don't have any information on that. I am not in the right position to give you that information. I can assure you, all the minerals are legal, so you don't have to worry about that."

Since calling the companies did not give me much information, I decided to check online. I discovered that an advocacy group, The Enough Project, has published a report grading each electronics company on their efforts to trace conflict minerals. According to the report, Motorola is doing better than Apple and Samsung. However, Apple recently joined the Conflict-Free Smelter program that puts pressure on mining companies to verify their minerals as conflict-free. The Enough Project offers consumers the chance to email companies and ask them to do more to work towards a mineral certification scheme. 

I encourage everyone to consider the issue of conflict minerals when purchasing electronics. Whether or not you make your decision based on a company's efforts on the issue, simply asking them about it can make a difference. It shows them that consumers care about where their products come from, and if enough people ask about conflict minerals, companies will change their behavior. They will invest more time and effort into tracing their products and guaranteeing them as conflict-free. In this way, we can help work towards ending the violence in the DRC.