By 2020 there will be 2.87 billion smartphone users worldwide versus 1.57 billion in 2014, and we sort of don’t one to be one of them. Remember the T-mobile Sidekick? Or how absolutely cool you felt with the throwback Motorola Razr? What about texting on a numbers pad and slapping the flip down when hanging up. Heaven.
It’s not too late to save your soul from smartphones and their propensity to build negative habits like not actually talking to people, browsing social media before sleep and immediately upon waking up (guilty), and physically panicking and feeling sad from “nomophobia” when your smartphone isn’t around.
Screw facial recognition and high-quality cameras, here are 7 old-school inspired and hyper minimalist cell phones we’d like to ditch our smartphones for.
While smartphone dummies burn through the battery of their smartphones, the Nokia 3310 has battery standby for up to a month. The iconic rounded form pulls from its OG model but with a fresher user interface. And it has the game Snake. SNAKE!
Touted as a “secondary phone” to promote you to leave behind your smartphone, why not make the minimalist Light Phone your No. 1. Intentionally limited only to phone calls and nine speed dials. That’s all, folks, but it does the job. (You can message and set alarms on the Light Phone II.)
For the dude who hates selfies, this hyper-durable flip phone doesn’t have a camera. The Kyocera DuraXV stands up to a beating, beingiresistant to shock and water damage. It also protects against solar radiation, corrosion, and “other extreme conditions,” thanks to its Military Standard 810G rating. The keypad is large and tactical.
Instead of having Google at your fingertips, the self-proclaimed “dumb phone” Punkt doesn’t have internet. There are no app icons, no animations, and special effects. That means you can pocket the cell after using it, and keep it there. Bonus: Punkt is made in small production with top-grade components.
The Blackberry was so cool for a hot second. They’re still being made in the smartphone era with pretty massive capabilities but an old-school feel. The BlackBerry Passport has the heritage bottom keyboard and a big, square touch screen, overall inspired by an actual, paper passport.
Break your massive touch screen all the time? Sonim XP5 is an indestructible brick of a phone literally built for industrial workers who call their hunnies in the most extreme environments. Get it dirty, use it in harsh weather, and don’t baby it. The speaker is also really loud (104dB dual forward-facing speakers).
Sports Car Model F15 Mini Flip Phone
Why not have a racecar phone? Made for kids, the man who never wants to grow up should totally own this Sports Car Model flip phone. The features are early-2000s basic but who cares, it looks like a car when closed and has a calculator, calendar, camera, and alarm.
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