My love for the dumbphone has nothing to do with disconnecting from distractions. I just want a small fucking phone again.
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The dumbphone boom is real
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Re: The dumbphone boom is real
#12My love for the dumbphone has nothing to do with disconnecting from distractions. I just want a small fucking phone again.
i love my iphone 12 mini for this very reason. It's still small enough to fit 'mostly' comfortably in my pocket, even a shirt pocket. I hate how large most phones are now and everyone i know that sees my phone makes fun of me/it. I just don't get why (or how) one uses such huge devices as their phones now.
Phones are more of a content consumption devices than a communication device for probably the majority of users; a bigger screen directly makes it a better content consumption device, even if you sometimes need to adjust your grip to tap something on the top edge of the screen.
Re: The dumbphone boom is real
#13My love for the dumbphone has nothing to do with disconnecting from distractions. I just want a small fucking phone again.
>I just want a small fucking phone again. Foldables are now the best of both worlds now if you're open to this relatively niche tech and some of the compromises it brings.
Too thick and heavy, compared to how small and light smartphones used to be.
Re: The dumbphone boom is real
#14I quite like a smartphone. But I am capable of limiting my use.
Perhaps that's the problem no?
Re: The dumbphone boom is real
#15I wanted a dumbphone so I could avoid the crapware in android. But then I saw the Punkt MP01 with it's 4G hotspot and lust filled my heart.
So then I had a smartphone with android crapware and a very bad UI.
It did keep me from doomscrolling at the bus stop, so there is that.
I suspect the "iPhone of modern dumbphones" hasn't been invented yet. My gut feeling is there are about as many reasons people want to use dumbphones as there are people using dumbphones so getting "one dumbphone to rule them all" the same way the apple and Samsung have is a ways off.
Re: The dumbphone boom is real
#16I've seen the light phone or phones like it. I think the biggest thing about the smart phone is important apps like on-call, office reimbursement/receipts, chat applications such as WhatsApp or GroupMe, and the camera. Were it not for these, I might switch. Also I do light reading/research on my phone, which I would miss.
I have recently migrated most of those “important” apps to an old iPhone that has no SIM card
My interrupt driven life is segregated to a WiFi-only device and I am available most of the day. However the rest of the day is my own and I have a barrier to divide the two.
I am still weaning myself away from link/discussion sites like HN (Gen AI is making this easier) but ditched other social media a decade ago and have had no regrets at all.
There really is something about returning to a “slow” lifestyle. Read more long form media. Listen to albums in their entirety. Go for a walk with zero notifications or distractions. Take time, be bored. It’s better for you.
Stop letting your life and worldview be controlled by some algorithm that is not acting in your best interest.
I think we will look back on the decade or so post-smartphone and realize that the never ending feed was the most impactful innovation, and it didn’t do us any good at all.
Re: The dumbphone boom is real
#17My love for the dumbphone has nothing to do with disconnecting from distractions. I just want a small fucking phone again.
My daily driver is a Unihertz Jelly Star: full android 13, but on a 3" screen and it fits in a watch pocket. Probably not for everyone, but I love it and maybe you would too...
I went on their website and immediately got a bot chat window and three notification sounds I never asked for. How unpleasant.
The phone sounds great though!
Re: The dumbphone boom is real
#18I had a dumbphone for two years, it was fine. For the past two years though, I've been using just an Apple Watch, which I was able to connect my old phone number to. It has maps, texting, calling (works best via bluetooth), weather, heart rate monitoring, alarms, email, sports scores, and some music apps. When attached to my wife's phone plan, it costs me $5 per month for all service. I think the unfortunate reality…
I think a watch is indeed a better 'companion' for people that want to detox from screentime. I do find Apple is hesitant to make it act as a primary driver. I find myself needing my iPhone too much for my liking. Hopefully this will change in the future.
I want the connectivity, I just don't want to... - carry 2 devices. - have a media consumption device with me all the time
Re: The dumbphone boom is real
#19I've seen the light phone or phones like it. I think the biggest thing about the smart phone is important apps like on-call, office reimbursement/receipts, chat applications such as WhatsApp or GroupMe, and the camera. Were it not for these, I might switch. Also I do light reading/research on my phone, which I would miss.
> Also I do light reading/research on my phone, which I would miss.
Same. I particularly like queuing up items to read when I'm on transit, in a waiting room, standing in line, etc. It helps me both be more patient during those odd 3-10 minute blocks of downtime and read a few things that I might not otherwise take the time to read.
I suspect the light phone could fill this roll for me, as far as the reading is concerned.
Re: The dumbphone boom is real
#20[deleted]