Flip Phone Frenzy

Flip Phone Frenzy

The smartphone business is bigger than ever, and with the news of Apple’s new iPhone X, the company noted it sold more than 1.2 billion phones over the past decade. Smartphones are also more accessible, and with so many options on the market, consumers are able to pick and choose exactly what they want from their mobile device.  But there are some Canadians who still enjoy the simplicities of the older-style flip-phones: the texting, the price and the art of conversation. While these phones are not the latest and the greatest, people have been relying on these types of phones for decades.

There seems to be a trend that some people are making a conscious decision to turn their backs on hi-tech smartphones – and going back to Nineties-style flip phones instead. Its seems as if these sturdy, cheap devices are being bought almost as a ‘protest’ against endless alerts and privacy concerns from social media.  

Some feel flip phones are a cheap alternatives when the cost to fix your super OLED smartphone screen is too costly. Others who feel addicted to their smartphones are opting to still stay in touch with others but just the old fashioned way; calling them on their flip-phone.  Many who do, say they feel more focused and less distracted; its almost like a digital detox.

The new smartphones are more a high-tech computer than a phone and most use them like a computer or broadcast studio rather than a phone opting to text, email, record, stream and browse. When was the last time you actually called someone on it? Consider durability. Most large screen smartphones have a tough time surviving a fall. Flip phones can usually take quite a bit of abuse. Security. Smartphones are much easier to hack into than the old flip-phones as you now begin to see many celebrities gravitating toward the privacy that a flip phone provides. Studies have also shown that these old models actually repel muggers, making them the smartest option for the safety conscious. Battery life is much better getting several days on one charge. For some of the newer model flip phones you can still access social media, use fingerprint scanning, wireless charging and tap-to-pay premium features but use far less data with the overall phone cost being far less.  

In 2017, around 1.54 billion smartphones were sold worldwide so I wouldn’t think flip phones are going to make a substantial comeback but if you are at all concerned about security, unable to spend a fortune on a fixing a cracked screen, running on a limited budget, or ready for a digital detox, then a flip-phone might be the option for you.

 

thedigitalteacher

 

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