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Ask HN: What is the best “dumb” phone?

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Re: Ask HN: What is the best “dumb” phone?

#111

Post by lapinot »

kpmcc wrote: post #15

Nothing compares to the Punkt MP01 and MP02 IMO. I've had the MP01 for years and it's fantastic, the only issue has been with service and I imagine that would be resolved with the MP02 and 4g. https://www.punkt.ch/en/products/mp02-4g-mobile-phone/ There's also the Lightphone and forthcoming Lightphone II. That being said, these won't really address privacy concerns per se. They don't support signal or other encrypted…

Uggh, 330e for a candybar phone. Oh right it has designer ringtones and it's monochrome icons have been drawn millimeter perfect. Let's be serious, one of the major feature people (or maybe let's say me) want when switching to a dumbphone is a "no bullshit" design. Low-tech means to seek to be standard, have normal screws, basic modem, widespread battery, default form factor, nothing fancy. The fact they put so much into branding and marketing says a lot about how superficial this "focus on your real task" is. I don't want a tool i will like, i want a tool i can use.

I personally use a double-sim 2G nokia 216 i got for ~50e. Has a flashlight, can hold some music, has radio, low-def photo, timers. edge is painfully slow and no hotspot ability so i actually disconnect from internet when i'm not in some kind of office: no email, no chat, concise sms, i'm forced to call people and i'm rediscovering how talking actually works well for efficient communication.

Re: Ask HN: What is the best “dumb” phone?

#112

Post by tylerpachal »

kpmcc wrote: post #15

Nothing compares to the Punkt MP01 and MP02 IMO. I've had the MP01 for years and it's fantastic, the only issue has been with service and I imagine that would be resolved with the MP02 and 4g. https://www.punkt.ch/en/products/mp02-4g-mobile-phone/ There's also the Lightphone and forthcoming Lightphone II. That being said, these won't really address privacy concerns per se. They don't support signal or other encrypted…

I really want to get the MP02 but the reviews on /r/punkt are all pretty damning.

Re: Ask HN: What is the best “dumb” phone?

#114

Post by checkyoursudo »

perlgod wrote: post #18

You will be in a tough spot if you're in the USA. All the nice Nokias and decent low-tech phones are rapidly becoming useless as carriers phase out 2g (and even 3g) coverage to free up bands for LTE and now 5g. If your "dumbphone" doesn't support VoLTE you'll be frustrated with dropped calls and spotty service everywhere. I know this from experience. I settled on T-Mobile's only "dumbphone" - the Alcatel GoFlip [1].…

I was looking at getting one of those Alcatels. Can it broadcast a wifi hotspot, such that you could tether a laptop or tablet? I couldn't tell from the listed specs.

Re: Ask HN: What is the best “dumb” phone?

#117

Post by puranjay »

davzie wrote: post #88
kpmcc wrote: post #15

Nothing compares to the Punkt MP01 and MP02 IMO. I've had the MP01 for years and it's fantastic, the only issue has been with service and I imagine that would be resolved with the MP02 and 4g. https://www.punkt.ch/en/products/mp02-4g-mobile-phone/ There's also the Lightphone and forthcoming Lightphone II. That being said, these won't really address privacy concerns per se. They don't support signal or other encrypted…

I also have a Punkt MP01 - It feels like a breath of fresh air to use this and to have a phone for simply what a phone does, calls and text messages. I've since purchased a portable music player, a separate camera and an old fashioned A-Z map for my local area. If you can't see why I might want to do this rather than have a small smartphone that does it all then you haven't realised how much of a problem these device…

What do you do for commutes? I find that it's impossible to read anything physical in crowded trains and the only way to not be bored out of my mind for those 45 minutes is to listen to music or a podcast or read something on the phone

I really like the idea of doing things intently, but I'm not sure how to manage these practical things

Re: Ask HN: What is the best “dumb” phone?

#118

Post by yeahsure »

javiramos wrote: post #73
perlgod wrote: post #18

You will be in a tough spot if you're in the USA. All the nice Nokias and decent low-tech phones are rapidly becoming useless as carriers phase out 2g (and even 3g) coverage to free up bands for LTE and now 5g. If your "dumbphone" doesn't support VoLTE you'll be frustrated with dropped calls and spotty service everywhere. I know this from experience. I settled on T-Mobile's only "dumbphone" - the Alcatel GoFlip [1].…

"Also other humans now look like phone-zombies everywhere I look." Just this morning I saw someone take a brief pause while crossing the street to look at her phone unaware that a car was coming. She stopped in the middle! of the street. The car screeched to a halt and missed hitting her by nothing.

My phone screen broke last night. Today I took a small break and sat at a bench in front of my office. I noticed how most people were looking at their phones. Even if they were with others. It's been quite a while since I noticed this and it honestly disturbed me.

The thing is, most of these people are (most likely) not even looking at something important, just their social media or messaging apps.

I noticed a girl who was talking to someone on the phone. She hanged and put the phone in her pocket. Not 10 seconds later she took it out and just started scrolling while walking past me.

Re: Ask HN: What is the best “dumb” phone?

#119

Post by theli0nheart »

I can't say there's a "best" since we're talking about dumb phones, but this is one that I bought a few years back and it works great. You'll need a pay-as-you-go plan, but other than that, it's been smooth sailing.

https://www.amazon.com/BLU-GSM-Unlocked-Dual-Black/dp/B07MZD...

Re: Ask HN: What is the best “dumb” phone?

#120

Post by davzie »

puranjay wrote: post #117
davzie wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I also have a Punkt MP01 - It feels like a breath of fresh air to use this and to have a phone for simply what a phone does, calls and text messages. I've since purchased a portable music player, a separate camera and an old fashioned A-Z map for my local area. If you can't see why I might want to do this rather than have a small smartphone that does it all then you haven't realised how much of a problem these device…

What do you do for commutes? I find that it's impossible to read anything physical in crowded trains and the only way to not be bored out of my mind for those 45 minutes is to listen to music or a podcast or read something on the phone I really like the idea of doing things intently, but I'm not sure how to manage these practical things

I can use my portable music player to listen to music on the go, or my Kobo e-reader to read a book. I am fortunate enough that I actually work entirely from an office in my garden so commuting is something I just don't have to do anymore. In any case, when I go to London or a nearby city, it's quite fun to see if I can get around without maps. I find myself asking people where I might find somewhere and get to make some real human contact. I bet you could do it, it sounds really scary at first, but what I did realise when I had the MP01 and was on trains is how funny it is to see everyone mindlessly thumbing their pieces of glass. It's really easy to slowly become a self righteous prick though and think you're better than everyone else because you don't use a smartphone anymore. You'll be as annoying as someone who does crossfit and who vapes and wants to tell the world about their new flavour so make sure to keep that in check :')
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