Ask HN: Have you ever tried to live without a phone?

Smartphones are not a status symbol anymore so it’s now much easier to have a lower-end device that meets basic needs (phone, email, messaging) while limiting how distracting it can get (games, AR/VR)

I've gone back and forth between smartphones and dumbphones a few times now. Each model and OS have a big impact on how dumb or smart a phone can be.

Smartphone Pluses: It's nice to have a camera and a flashlight in my pocket all the time. Having the internet nearby is also nice for when I need to look things up. GPS is really nice.

Smartphone Minuses: It's distracting, but you can and should customize your app preferences, notifications, etc. to your liking. The battery sucks.

Dumbphone Pluses: Not very distracting. Forces you to be thoughtful in text messages, as they are laborious to write on a numpad. Good battery life and they are mostly replaceable. Though you should buy a few replacements and store them in your fridge as battery models are dropped from manufacture.

Dumphone Minuses: Generally, not a good camera or screen to read/view from. Same with flashlight, but you can get a small one for your keychain anyways. Lack of apps and internet. Sometimes you really do want to have a stargazing app or know that one recipe. You can call 411 and ask them those questions as well, but it does cost money. No GPS. No real social media support, though you can send out updates to most social media sites, but getting back info is done through text message and that can be a hassle. Overall, you can do work-arounds, but they take time, knowhow, money, and are overall less optimal.

Overall, I have a pretty locked down smartphone right now and it works ok. I'd like to have a better battery though. I don't think I'll be going back to a dumbphone as the 'social inertia' of smartphone usage is pretty high.

I have a high spec phone running Sailfish OS, and I think I have the best of both worlds. With all notifications and push updates turned off it's a useful tool but no longer intrudes. I've set up periods of the day when even phone calls don't trigger audible alerts, so I can work without interruption. But when I need access to information, Slack conversations, files from our NAS or even SSH access to servers themselves, I have that anywhere in the world.

A lot of the time it stays in my bag, and gets to the end of the day with 75% charge left despite reading books on it over lunch, often watching an hour's video on it in the evening, and listening to music via bluetooth at work if I need to shut out distractions.

It's now a tool and no longer an intrusion.

By all means, stay connected to your family--just try and do it through other platforms. In similar circumstances to yours, I stayed in contact with my family through Ring, Tox (toxic), and XMPP. I always preferred audio and video calls over texting them, which I almost never did. Stay connected to those that care about you the most, through healthy means. No need to own a smartphone, you are right about that one, but do know that there are meaningful connections worth maintaining.