ramblings (on|of) the wired

old people hate dumbphones; i love them

where it started

I’ve been using a dumbphone of some sort for about 3.5 years at this point (since Dec 2023 – holy shit how time flies). It’s been quite a journey, that started mostly because my partner told me that if i didn’t stop scrolling reddit we weren’t going to work out. At the time we had been together for a year or so, and we were at a point of ultimatum with my phone addiction (and tech related addictions in general). I was keen on showing that i was committing to change, so that night I ordered two dumbphones: the Qin F21 Pro ($250 CAD), and the Cat S22 Flip ($80 CAD). I had really thought that I’d like the Qin F21 Pro, but the Cat phone had arrived first, so I just started using it. I’d like to do full reviews on each phone I’ve used, but for now all you need to know is I ended up using the Cat phone for over two years (and I never used that specific Qin phone–also another possible blog post about how AI/LLM helped me brick it; oops), so that is to say: I really liked it! The quirky brick shape, and durability really won me over; during a brief stint with the Qin F25 I always felt like water or grit would get into the keys. So between having a phone that could be submerged in a puddle, and the satisfying snap of closing a flip phone… I was hooked!

what is the title about

One of the funniest things I’ve found when using a dumbphone is how many older people just don’t get it at all. You’d really think that they would have some sort of nostalgia for “a better time”; also, how often do you hear from boomers “kids these days are always on their phone”–but through my time of using a “retro phone” (as they call it), it’s always gen x or boomers who give me the “why don’t you just use an iphone?”. I’ve actually had quite a few get mad and rant on about how technology is so much better now and I’m holding myself back. I don’t know why they care so much, but it’s SO funny to me lmao.

The second part of the title, is that I really have fallen in love with my little dorked up brick phones. When we’ve gone abroad for vacation, I often with to my old Pixel running grapheneOS – and while I do find that I usually do quickly slip back into old habits, it feels so refreshing switching back to whichever dumbphone I’m using at the time. And my partner will hear “i miss my flip phone :(” for the entire duration of the trip. There is something mentally calming about not being bombarded with notifications, and just not being able to do anything at any time.

what am i using now

I’m currently using a Sonim XP3 Plus 5G (X320), and I love it so much. I’ll probably do a review on it sometime. But over all it has been my favorite phone I’ve maybe ever had. There are a couple issues like:

I made a comment on lemmy listing some of the apps that I use with this device. In case that ever vanishes, I will include the list when I post a full review blog post. Also, I’ve recently got my first smart watch, the Pebble Time 2; and it works really well without google play services. I actually find that this really helps with some of the usability issues that can come up when using a flip phone for everyday life like:

Again, it would be cool to do a full review on the pebble; but I do feel less passionate about it compared to the x320 – still, I think it would be interesting to write from the perspective of a dumbphone user.

challenges & recommendations

If you’re not already using a dumbphone, and thinking of switching to one, here are some of the challenges and recommendations that I have:

finding the right phone

Finding the right phone is honestly the hardest part. There are some good resources out there though! Jose Briones has a youtube channel with a ton of reviews. He also has a dumbphone finder and quiz – and r/dumbphones is also invaluable.

But part of finding the right phone is confirming if the bands that your cellular provider uses, and the phone that you’re purchasing uses. It’s honestly pretty unlikely that whatever dumbphone you buy will cover all of the bands. Frequency check can be decently helpful for confirming. Your provider will likely have some sort of list of bands they use, and people one the subreddit usually will confirm that their specific phone works for ____ provider. I have never used a sunbeam phone, but I am really impressed by their coverage map; god I wish more manufacturers would do this. One important thing to note, is that a lot of countries (including Canada) are phasing out 3G cell. What this means is even if a phone is “4G LTE” it may not support VoLTE (this is the main reason I quit using the Cat phone).

The next “difficult” thing is “requiring” x, y, z feature or app. I do think that it’s important to push your self to be uncomfortable – you will need to find new ways of doing somethings like navigation, music or communicating. My first recommendation would be to find a dumbphone that can hotspot. Maybe start with using your old smartphone as a secondary device. That way for maps, QR codes etc you can continue to use what you’re familiar with – but here is the important part: when you don’t need it, put it somewhere inconvenient. I did this for a while and found that eventually my smartphone was always dead and was more annoying to keep using. Personally I think for people who are less techy, it might be better to just go with a simple kaiOS / basic phone (that can hotspot). I did find that eventually I just wanted to carry a single phone, and I wanted to be fully self sufficient with that phone. This is where I originally landed on the Cat S22, Since using two phones with a touch screen, now using the x320 without one – I can say I greatly prefer not having a touch screen. I’ve found that because the x320’s software is designed to work without a touch screen, the stock software just works better for the form factor; and I scroll even less that I did on the other phones. If you end up getting an android “dumbphone”, I really like having 4GB of ram and running newer android has been great. I think people within the “hacker” / linux spaces will find using niche phones pretty fun to mess around with.

modern life sux

I understand why cities are removing pay booths for parking. Especially living in a place that is below -30C for half the year (they really choked in the cold). But there are cheaper options for machines imo. I think using nfc payment, and having an option to use a transit card could be good options to cover people who don’t have a smartphone. They could ditch the buttons by just requiring you to tap in, and tap out – then charge a full day as fall back if the person doesn’t tap out. By doing this they could reduce the moving parts and screen size and simplify the design. Cars these days do not have built in standalone nav, instead they use android auto / apple card play. Which require you to have a smart phone. I’ve learned to enjoy writing down directions, checking street view and maybe snapping a photo of the map before leaving. But I am still still thinking about getting an android auto box:

Example of an “AI android auto box”
But there doesn’t seem to be a reputable name to buy. My research says you should look for something with a decent amount of RAM. I’ve also looked at the Autoways which I do trust more, but it does seem more minimal (minimal could be a good thing) and expensive. I do plan on saving up and going this route eventually, so that I just never have to worry about navigation again.

the original switch is painful

I think most influencers make the switch seem easy, or life changing. It’s not easy, and it is eventually life changing. But it takes a long time. I remember when I first switched: when I found my self in an awkward situation, I would sometimes just stare at my phones empty launcher searching aimlessly for something to distract my self. Eventually those uncomfortable feelings do go away. Beyond that, I think on of the most difficult parts is how little things are just going to be harder. Public transit or navigating is just going to be harder, going to a concert and using tickets is just going to be harder. For some, these kinds of things might be enough to make it not worth it. But it truly is possible.

i love it

I don’t wake up and get fucking traumatized by whatever the fuck is going on in this world. I can’t just fall back to anxiously flipping through apps to avoid social interactions in public. And I have more reason than ever to pick up my kobo and read. It really has been life changing, and I do feel happier over all. But it isn’t always easy.

– coltn

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