Cheap tech upgrades anyone can do

March 7, 2024

By Kim Komando

Reading this on a two-year-old iPhone SE 3? Go ahead and make those over-the-hill jokes — it’s reaching the average smartphone lifespan of 2.5 years.

Upgrading your laptop or smartphone is inevitable. But wait before you throw out that clunky computer. Even when a piece of tech starts showing its age, you’ve still got options to give it a new lease on life.

Make room for vacation photos

Modern phones don’t have memory card slots. Expand your cloud storage instead to offload photos, videos and other files to free up space. (And saving to the cloud means you get secure backups, too!) 

• For my Android-using friends, Google One upgrades start at $2 for 100GB of space.
• If you’re on an iPhone, iCloud+ pricing starts at $1 for 50GB.

Pro tip: If you and the fam all use iPhones, share an iCloud+ account to save some money. I do this with Barry and Ian!

Playing the oldies

Old speakers, that is. Want to get Spotify or Apple Music streaming around your home? You don’t have to invest in a full Sonos set of wireless speakers if you’re still rocking the older wired kind.

🎶 Add a Bluetooth adapter (like this Esinkin model), and those old speakers can play the classics — or the latest hits — beamed right from your phone or computer.

According to one Amazon reviewer, “This thing was literally plug-and-play on a 56-year-old family console. Best of both worlds. Modern tech with classic design and sound. Now I can listen to vinyl, AM/FM stereo or my own playlist in style.” Sold!

Wi-Fi from anywhere

Tired of walking around with your laptop to find the best Wi-Fi signal? Blast Wi-Fi dead zones with a Wi-Fi extender.

⚡ Boost your router’s wireless signal with options like the TP-Link RE305. It’s certainly cheaper than going out and buying a whole new router or mesh system, so if you’re having connectivity issues, it’s a good place to start.

Work your workstation

Your laptop might not be speedy, but upgrading your workstation has real benefits: 

• A comfortable keyboard can speed up your typing.
• A larger monitor is easier on your eyes and gives you more screen space.
• An ergonomic laptop stand eases serious strains on your neck.

Increase your TV’s IQ

You can bring any TV into the streaming age as long as it has an HDMI port. Try a Google Chromecast with Google TV, the Amazon Fire TV Stick or the Apple TV 4K to make your old box smart and streaming-ready.

PC performance booster

Feeling ambitious? Upgrade your computer by upgrading your RAM. Tons of guides online can help you with this one — just don’t blame me if you take on a techy project you’re not ready for.

🥶 Computers that freeze up and are generally slow-moving can benefit from this upgrade, but you’ll need to open them up. 

• Inside your computer, you’ll find slots for RAM sticks, the memory that gives your computer room to think.
• Swap out the current RAM sticks for new ones that are faster and offer more capacity for a significant PC performance boost.

Play on, player

This one’s for the gamers. You can buy extra storage for both PlayStation and Xbox consoles that simply plugs in and gives you more room for your games.

🎮 The PS5 has an internal storage slot you can fit an M.2 SSD card into, too — something like the WD Black SN850.

• You’ll need a screwdriver, a few minutes and Sony’s instructions. 

🎮 On an Xbox Series X or S, it’s even easier — the expansion slot is on the outside.

• Buy a compatible card like this Seagate one, and follow Microsoft’s instructions.

One thing I can’t help you with? Upgrading your landline. But at least it helps you track down your smartphone!

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