Feature phones are making a comeback – is this just a fad (like Gen Z folks running around with point-and-shoot cameras) or is this a genuine trend on the market, a pushback against the all-capable, all-consuming smartphone?
Now, the term “feature phone” was never clearly defined and is even murkier now. So to be clear as to what we mean, we mean phones that deliberately restrict their own capabilities.
Sometimes, these run a proprietary OS like the recent Nokia-branded AI feature phones from HMD. Other times there is Android underneath, but it’s locked down to offer what is usually advertised as a “distraction-free” experience.
Nokia 210 4G, Nokia 215 4G 2nd Edition and Nokia 235 4G 2nd Edition
These phones usually have small displays, sometimes even showing a minimalistic black-and-white UI. Some of them even have physical keypads like in the good ol’ days. Others are touchscreen-only like the HMD Asha 305.
Nokia Asha 305
There are also the likes of the Light Phone, Sidephone, Qin phones, the Mudita Kompakt and so many others (did we miss your favorite feature phone? Tell us about it in the comments).
Light Phone III • Sidephone • Qin F22 Pro • Mudita Kompakt
Long story short, the goal is to cure or prevent digital addiction that modern smartphones cause with their large screens, powerful chipsets and fast data connections. You won’t be doomscrolling TikTok on one of the phones above, that’s for sure.
Do you use a feature phone? Would you use one? And why – to cure digital addiction or for other reasons?