The cell phone has already become an indispensable object for most people today, but some young people in the USA are going in the opposite direction. It is a kind of “digital detox” that is becoming fashionable among North Americans, who are abandoning cell phones like the iPhone in favor of models like the “Nokia Tijolão” or feature phones.
Os feature phones they are cell phones that aim to do the basics: make and receive calls, messages and, at most, listen to music, but no streaming or Spotify, as these models do not even have complex systems such as iOS or Android with application support.
The trend was noted with the increase in sales of these devices in 2022 by HMD Global, which currently owns Nokia, and by Counterpoint Research, which noted the phenomenon on this scale only in the US, although sales of feature phones have already grown in 2019 in Brazil.
According to Jose Briones, youtuber and digital minimalist, this fashion was created by generation Z, who are tired of excessive dependence on screens. Thus, the solution found by them is to have a feature phonewhich distances them from the digital world, thus reducing their dependence on it.
“They don’t know what’s going on with mental health and they’re trying to cut it,” Briones said in an interview with CNBC.
Patrick Moorhead, technology analyst, says that the expectation is that the sale of these devices will increase by 5% in the coming years. This reminds us of Light, a manufacturer that bets on minimalist cell phones that has been surfing this wave for a few years now with the Light Phone 2, announced in 2019 with an E-Ink screen.
In an interview, Joe Hollier, co-founder of Light, says:
What we’re trying to do with the Light Phone isn’t to create a dumb phone, but to create a more intentional phone – a premium, minimal phone – that isn’t inherently anti-tech. But it’s about consciously choosing how and when to use which aspects of technology contribute to my quality of life.
Have you ever thought about having a feature phone?