Guardian podcast host Kai Wright refuses to buy a new phone, instead relying on his partner’s hand-me-down handsets and pushing back on the idea that a smartphone should ever need replacing. The Peabody Award-winning journalist shared the habit, along with the rest of his daily tech routine, in a questionnaire-style interview.
A stand against smartphone obsolescence
Wright co-hosts Stateside with Kai and Carter at the Guardian and has previously fronted shows including Notes From America, The United States of Anxiety, and Indivisible. When he is not reporting on race, sex, and politics, he gardens, listens to John Coltrane, and resists upgrading his phone.
His core complaint is one a lot of buyers share: he wishes he could have bought a single smartphone and simply never replaced it. “Why must it constantly go obsolete?” he asked, before admitting the gripe is mostly on principle — he has not actually bought a new phone in years because he takes his partner’s old ones. It is the kind of frustration that quietly fuels interest in longer-lasting handsets across the wider mobile market.
Why obsolescence is a real debate, not just a gripe
Wright’s irritation lands at a moment when phone longevity is genuinely contested. Buyers increasingly hold devices for several years, while regulators in some markets push for longer software support and easier repairs. His refusal to upgrade is a personal habit, but it rhymes with a broader pushback against the assumption that a working phone should be retired on a schedule.
The rest of his tech routine
The interview paints a picture of someone who values utility over novelty in his gadgets.
- He champions the humble wheelbarrow as the most underappreciated tool he owns, earned through hauling enough dirt and rocks.
- He keeps 10 tabs open in his active window — plus 11 more windows he says he cannot account for.
- His most disappointing gadget was an over-complicated coffee machine, arguing caffeine should not require an engineering challenge.
- He wishes he had created The Memory Palace, which he calls podcasting at its best.
Asked what creation he is most proud of, Wright pointed to his entire garden, describing it as a constant exercise in learning, applying that knowledge, and trying again — a process he says veteran gardeners insist you never fully figure out. His advice for anyone feeling creatively stuck is simple: put on a John Coltrane record until the block clears.
A low-tech philosophy
His guiding principle ties it all together. The best advice he says he ever received is to “live an honest life” — meaning to try your best to tell yourself the truth and make your choices accordingly. It is a fittingly low-tech outlook from someone who would rather keep an old phone running than chase the next upgrade, and a useful counterweight to a tech culture built around the annual refresh. For more takes on the gadgets people actually keep, browse our reviews.
There is a broader point buried in Wright’s habits. Resisting the upgrade treadmill is not just thrift; it doubles as a small environmental choice, since manufacturing a new handset carries a far bigger carbon and materials cost than running an old one for an extra year or two. As repairability rules tighten and software support windows lengthen, the kind of stubbornness he describes is quietly becoming easier to justify — and more common across the smartphone market.
Frequently asked questions
What phone does Kai Wright use?
He does not buy his own; he uses hand-me-down handsets from his partner, saying he has not purchased a new phone in years on principle.
What is Kai Wright known for?
He is a Peabody Award-winning Guardian podcast host who co-hosts Stateside with Kai and Carter and previously fronted shows including Notes From America, The United States of Anxiety, and Indivisible.
