by When Leigh Tynan agreed to get her 13-year-old daughter a mobile phone, she didn’t want to be bothered.
“When there’s a smartphone or a screen, you don’t practice guitar, you don’t read a book, you don’t get bored,” she said. So, instead of the popular iPhone, she settled on a TCL Flip phone, with a key feature: no access to social media.
“I really thought that I don’t feel comfortable with her being online all the time … I’m trying to protect her from it as much as possible.”
Dumbphones, also known as simple phones or sex phones, are having fun. The mobile devices are limited to basic functions such as making phone calls and sending text messages, and often cannot connect to the Internet. According to Counterpoint, a technology market research firm, more than 98,600 feature phones were sold in Canada in 2023 – a 25 percent increase from 2022.
Leigh Tynan bought a flip phone, without access to social media, for her teenage daughter. (Joe Fiorino/CBC)
While dumb phones have long been popular with the elderly and tradespeople, there is a renewed demand from parents trying to protect their children from the distracting features of smartphones. Durability and cost are also attractive: Most dumb phones sell for less than $100.
Tynan’s flip phone went up $80, and she pays about $26 a month for the talk and text plan.
Some Gen Z and millennial users are also making the transition as they seek to digitally detox from an ever-connected world.
“The smartphone is no longer a source of enjoyment,” said Pascal Forget, a technology columnist in Montreal. “It was very fun, but now they are addicted to it, so they want to go back to simpler times using a simpler device.”
Kristen Campbell switched to ‘dumbphone’ and said it made her feel calmer and happier. (Submitted by Kristen Campbell)
Dumbphone users like Kristen Campbell who took the leap say the results are worth it.
The 34-year-old from Calgary ditched her smartphone last year, testing about 15 different devices before settling on the Qin F22 model.
“When a friend wants to borrow one or try dumb living, they come to me,” she said.
Campbell said she realized the amount of time she was spending scrolling on her phone was a problem, and she took great joy in deleting her social media accounts.
“I am still accessible, but I live my life where I am at that moment rather than always being mentally elsewhere,” she said. “I felt much calmer and happier.”
Dumbphones, also known as simple phones or feature phones, are mobile devices that are limited to basic functions such as making phone calls and sending text messages, and often cannot connect to the Internet. (Submitted by Kristen Campbell)
A dumphone is still a niche product
But dumbphones are still a niche product, making up less than one per cent of the total mobile phone market in Canada, according to Counterpoint. Forget that many companies say there is little incentive to offer them.
“You can’t sell data packages, you can’t sell apps, you can’t sell subscriptions on a minimalist phone. So it’s hard for your company to make money from them.”
HMD Global is still making flip phones. The company saw sales of its Nokia 2660 Flip phone double in Europe last year, and has relaunched a model that first debuted in 1999.
“It’s very interesting to see a phone that we thought was done … we thought we’d never use this phone again, and now it’s being picked up,” said Chief Marketing Officer Lars Silberbauer.
Brooklyn-based Solas has just released the third generation of its Solas Phone. With a black-and-white display and no email, social media, or internet browsing, it’s retailing for $399, making it about four times more expensive than other dumbphones.
While it’s not yet available in Canada, co-founder Kaiwei Tang said the company is in talks with Telus and hopes to bring the Light Phone here later this year.
Fón Solais has limited features and no email, social media or internet browsing. (Light)
Tang said the device is built to have modern utilities and the idea that technology should work in the background – and he hopes momentum will build.
“We’d really love to see more players jump in or even big companies creating tools that don’t rely on people’s time, attention and data to make money.”
