Key Takeaways
- Feature phones are still popular due to their affordability, battery life, and ability to act as a backup device.
- Buying a feature phone will give you a hit of nostalgia and allow you to partake in regular digital detoxes.
- While I never thought I would buy a feature phone after I had switched to smartphones, I’m now in the market for one.
Feature phones, also known as dumb phones, given their relationship to smartphones, are making a comeback. Through a combination of nostalgia, people desiring a simpler life free of distractions, and the increasing cost of buying and owning a smartphone, these supposedly dumb devices are back.
And I must admit, my head has been turned, too.
Feature Phones Are Still Going Strong
Feature phones are increasingly popular, with more Millennials and Zoomers choosing to buy one. Given that feature phones are, in their purest form, old technology completely superseded by smartphones, I never thought these devices would even be available now, let alone doing rather well. But here we are.
To be honest, feature phones never actually went away. There has always been a market for them despite the rise of smartphones. My dad never made the switch from a feature phone to a smartphone, and he was absolutely fine with that. He wanted to be contactable by phone call or message but not be encumbered by all the other stuff that smartphones come with.
5 Reasons Why Feature Phones Are Still Popular
There are multiple reasons why feature phones are still popular and even growing in popularity. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest reasons…
1. Feature Phones Are Extremely Affordable
The most obvious reason for feature phones’ enduring (and growing) appeal is their sheer affordability. Top-range smartphones can set you back thousands of dollars—and that’s just for the handset, not taking into account the price of a decent data plan.
And sure, while the best smartphones are extremely powerful and capable of doing so much, is that price point just too much to ask? For many people, it is. For example, older folks who don’t necessarily need the latest and greatest smartphones to get by, or people in developing countries for whom the price of a smartphone can be several years’ wages.
2. Feature Phones Boast Amazing Battery Life
The biggest technological advantage of feature phones over smartphones is their battery life. Smartphones are essentially mini computers and, therefore, burn through battery life at a rate of knots. Feature phones, by comparison, are relatively easy to power.
Anyone over a certain age who owned a phone before iOS and Android will be aware of how long a feature phone can last on a single charge. Old Nokias used to be able to sit for 30 days on a single charge (while on standby). And even modern feature phones can last a week or more on a single charge.
3. Feature Phones Offer a Dose of Nostalgia
A clear reason why people over a certain age will be drawn to feature phones in the age of smartphones is pure nostalgia. As the history of cellphones teaches us, what we now call feature phones, or dumb phones, were, at one point, just phones. Years before Steve Jobs stood on stage and presented the original iPhone to the world, these pocket devices were the height of mobile technology.
Therefore, nostalgia for a simpler time before we were all connected 24/7 via these mini-computers in our pockets is compelling. Sure, dumb phones connected you via calls and SMS text messages, but it was a passive experience. Now, with so much to see and do on a smartphone, it’s an active experience that means you’re likely to reach for your phone regardless.
4. Feature Phones Allow People to Digitally Detox
While the above reason may explain the popularity of feature phones to people of a certain vintage, what about younger generations? For them, a feature phone represents a chance to digitally detox and get away from the stresses of social media and a society that demands we’re always online and available.
If you see someone sitting somewhere, they will likely be staring at their phone for one reason or another. It’s as though we have lost the ability to just “be” without the need to “do,” and smartphones are part of the problem. Feature phones, therefore, offer a means of taking a break from that always-on, always-busy mentality.
5. Feature Phones Are the Perfect Backup Devices
For all age groups, a feature phone can represent the perfect backup device, and there are plenty of reasons to buy a burner phone. Whether you’re afraid of breaking your precious smartphone, don’t want to be left stranded when it runs out of battery, or are seeking a stand-in when you go on vacation, the humble dumb phone is a great option.
Feature phones are relatively cheap to buy, certainly compared to a smartphone, so you can purchase one as a backup without breaking the bank. Even if none of the above applies to you, doing so gives you the option to take a break whenever you see fit. Fancy a week off from being glued to your smartphone? Then switch to your dumb phone and essentially go off the grid for a while.
The Above (and More) Are Why I’m Buying a Feature Phone
So, we come to the crux of the matter. Given all of the above, I’ve been sitting here wondering why I don’t personally own a feature phone. And, as long and as hard as I think about it, I cannot come up with a legitimate reason not to buy one. So, I am going to do so.
Given the price point of even the best feature phones, the battery life one offers, the nostalgic hit I’ll feel (being a person of a certain age), the ability it will give me to digitally detox once in a while, and the backup device it will offer me if I ever need one, it’s a total no-brainer.
I now just need to decide what feature phone to buy, and I’m tempted to buy HMD’s Barbie Phone, and truly embark on a nostalgia trip (with some bright pink added to the mix).
