Hypothetical Which Phone Would You Choose

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TBomb
TBomb
Arena Master
Original poster
• 5d ago

Prompt #1

Which phone would you choose if you couldn't use a smartphone and only had access to dumbphones?


Prompt #2

Which dumbphone form factor would you choose if you were able to match today's generation of smartphone specs?



Rules

  1. Definition of "smartphone" vs "dumbphone": A smartphone would be something that has a dedicated browser, app store, and other "advanced" features (examples: iPhone (any model), Galaxy (any model), Pixel (any model), etc.). A dumbphone would be the stereotypical "flip phone" of the early 2000's and other form factors that were not feature heavy, may have had access to internet, but not like smartphones; may have had games, but not graphically intense.
  2. Prompt #1 Only: You are not allowed to change any CPU/experience-related specs (no additional RAM, no better display PPI, etc.) and the only thing that would change from the original phone's hardware/software is updated antennas to be able to access today's towers.
  3. For the sake of this, all Blackberries are considered smartphones despite being very different than today's smartphones.


Prompt #1: I am going with the LG ENV. The physical keyboard was unmatched in the dumbphone era.

Prompt #2: LG ENV Touch. Closest option to the LG ENV above but with a full-screen front. The touchscreen was super laggy though, so getting better specs and improved experience there allows it to overtake the OG ENV.

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DomtheCuber
DomtheCuber
Arena Apprentice
• 5d ago

Prompt #1: If I had to use a dumbphone today, I’d probably choose the Nokia 2780 Flip. I’m too young to have any nostalgia towards dumbphones, so I just chose this one because it’s modern enough that you could use it as a normal phone today with no spec upgrades. I know HMD also makes the Barbie Phone, but I’d rather have a normal phone that I can decorate and make look cool rather than a phone that’s already pre decorated courtesy of billion dollar corporation Mattel.


If KaiOS phones don’t count as dumbphones though, then I’d have to say the Moto Razr v3, just because it’s iconic and it looks really cool.


Prompt #2: With today’s specs, I still think the flip phone form factor would be the best. Again, I never got to experience the peak dumphone era, but a lot of the more unique form factors like the Moto Aura and Nokia 7600 seem like they’d be pretty impractical or really ugly. The only other one I’d consider is the bar phones like the Nokia 225, but the problem with those is that you can’t fit as big of a screen onto them without making the phone really long or shrinking the keyboard.


If I had to choose a phone to base this modern dumbphone design off of, I still think the Razr v3 is the best for the looks and form factor alone.

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ivan.k
ivan.k
Phonearena team
• 5d ago

Prompt #1: No doubt the Moto Razr V3! Beautiful piece of tech, aluminum case.


Prompt #2: I think the flip form factor still rocks, but with small additional display (for me) like https://www.phonearena.com/phones/Motorola-razr-40_id12142 .

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pacattack81
pacattack81
Arena Apprentice
• 4d ago
↵ivan.k said:

Prompt #1: No doubt the Moto Razr V3! Beautiful piece of tech, aluminum case.


Prompt #2: I think the flip form factor still rocks, but with small additional display (for me) like https://www.phonearena.com/phones/Motorola-razr-40_id12142 .

I remember that phone. It sure was nice owning a flip phone.

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TBomb
TBomb
Arena Master
Original poster
• 3d ago
↵DomtheCuber said:

Prompt #1: If I had to use a dumbphone today, I’d probably choose the Nokia 2780 Flip. I’m too young to have any nostalgia towards dumbphones, so I just chose this one because it’s modern enough that you could use it as a normal phone today with no spec upgrades. I know HMD also makes the Barbie Phone, but I’d rather have a normal phone that I can decorate and make look cool rather than a phone that’s already pre decorated courtesy of billion dollar corporation Mattel.


If KaiOS phones don’t count as dumbphones though, then I’d have to say the Moto Razr v3, just because it’s iconic and it looks really cool.


Prompt #2: With today’s specs, I still think the flip phone form factor would be the best. Again, I never got to experience the peak dumphone era, but a lot of the more unique form factors like the Moto Aura and Nokia 7600 seem like they’d be pretty impractical or really ugly. The only other one I’d consider is the bar phones like the Nokia 225, but the problem with those is that you can’t fit as big of a screen onto them without making the phone really long or shrinking the keyboard.


If I had to choose a phone to base this modern dumbphone design off of, I still think the Razr v3 is the best for the looks and form factor alone.

I think the Nokia 2780 Flip could be considered a dumbphone. I will say however, the 2000-2009 was a great decade of form factors. Once everyone gave up on anything except the iPhone slab, it got boring. The Samsung Alias that folded both portrait and landscape, LG EnV as I mentioned in my post, the Samsung Juke that opened like a knife, Nokia N97 had a cool laptop-esque form factor. The good ol' days 😌

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Kacheman
Kacheman
Arena Apprentice
• 2d ago

If I were to get a 'dumbphone', I would like to get a Motorola aura. That phone is pill-shaped and has a swivel-mechanism. That is such a cool concept!

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jack4568
jack4568
Arena Apprentice
• 2d ago

Hypothetical;Which phone would you choose?

Depends on needs Pixel for camera to the software iPhone for ecosystem Samsung for features, OnePlus for speed value.

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TBomb
TBomb
Arena Master
Original poster
• 1d ago
↵Kacheman said:

If I were to get a 'dumbphone', I would like to get a Motorola aura. That phone is pill-shaped and has a swivel-mechanism. That is such a cool concept!

That small screen isn't a deal breaker? the Samsung Juke was similar!

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TBomb
TBomb
Arena Master
Original poster
• 1d ago
↵jack4568 said:

Hypothetical;Which phone would you choose?

Depends on needs Pixel for camera to the software iPhone for ecosystem Samsung for features, OnePlus for speed value.

I don't think you read the post bro 😂

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