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Not smart but clever? The return of 'dumbphones'
Seventeen-year-old Robin West is an anomaly among her peers – she doesn't have a smartphone. Instead of scrolling through apps like TikTok and Instagram all day, she uses a so-called "dumbphone". These are basic handsets, or feature phones, with very limited functionality compared to say an iPhone. You can typically only make and receive calls and SMS text messages. And, if you are lucky – listen to radio and take very basic photos, but definitely not connect to the internet or apps. These devices are similar to some of the first handsets that people bought back in the late 1990s.
Her decision to ditch her former smartphone two years ago was a spur of the moment thing. While looking for a replacement handset in a second-hand shop she was lured by the low price of a "brick phone". Her current handset, from a French firm, cost her just £8. And as it has no smartphone functionality, she doesn't have an expensive monthly data bill to worry about. "I didn't notice until I bought a brick phone how much a smartphone was taking over my life," she says. "I had a lot of social media apps on it, and I didn't get as much work done as I always on my phone." The Londoner adds that she doesn't think she'll ever buy another smartphone. "I'm happy with my brick – I don't think it limits me. I'm definitely more proactive."
Dumbphones are continuing to enjoy a revival. Google searches for them jumped by 89% between 2018 and 2021, according to a report by software firm SEMrush. Meanwhile, a 2021 study by accountancy group Deloitte said that one in 10 mobile phone users in the UK had a dumbphone. "It appears fashion, nostalgia, and them appearing in TikTok videos, have a part to play in the dumbphone revival," says Ernest Doku, mobiles expert at price comparison site Uswitch.com. He says it was the 2017 relaunch of Nokia's 3310 handset – first released in 2000, and one of the biggest-selling mobiles of all time – that really sparked the revival. "Nokia pushed the 3310 as an affordable alternative in a world full of highspec mobiles." He adds that while it's true that dumbphones can't compete with the latest premium Apple and Samsung models when it comes to performance or functionality, "they can outshine them in equally important areas such as battery life and durability".
Tech expert, Prof Sandra Wachter, a researcher in artificial intelligence at Oxford University, says it is understandable that some of us are looking for simpler mobile phones. "One can reasonably say that nowadays a smart phone's ability to connect calls and send short messages is almost a side feature," she explains. "Your smart phone is your entertainment centre, your news generator, your navigation system, your diary, your dictionary, and your wallet." She adds that smartphones always "want to grab your attention" with notifications, updates, and breaking news constantly disrupting your day. "This can keep you on edge, might even be agitating. It can be overwhelming." Prof Wachter adds: "Some of us are now looking for simpler technologies and think that dumbphones might offer a return to simpler times. It might leave more time to fully concentrate on a single task and engage with it more purposefully. It might even calm people down. Studies have shown that too much choice can create unhappiness and agitation."
Adapted from: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-60763168. Available on March 25th, 2022.
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