American youngsters ditching smartphones for dumb flip phones to protect sanity
The hottest new trend in the smartphone space is foldable phones. They have two screens and allow you to run more than one app at once, making you a better multitasker. Foldable phone shipments will increase from 1.9 million units in 2020 to 27.6 million units in 2025, according to analytics firms International Data Corporation (IDC). There is one demographic that's gravitating to a different category of flip phones though: American Gen Z.
Gen Z or Zoomers is the generation born between the mid-to-late 1990s and early 2010s. This is a generation that grew up with smartphones and is said to be the most depressed generation in history. Their mental health issues have been linked to the addictive use of smartphones.
Some American Zoomers are stepping away from smartphones and embracing dumb flip phones to liberate themselves from the constant, overwhelming stream of notifications, per The Wall Street Journal.
Worried about their addiction to smartphones, some American youngsters are turning to flip phones. They are not the same as the top foldable phones sold by Samsung and Motorola. Instead, Gen Zers are going for cheap flip phones with limited capabilities. You can buy them with a carrier plan for under $100.
We were talking about how we [felt] like slaves to our phones, like robots who keep scrolling and scrolling, even when we’re out at parties." - Sammy Palazzolo who bought a $40 AT&T Cingular Flex
Not all of them have entirely ditched their iPhones and modern Android phones. Many have bought flip phones as secondary devices. The idea is to reduce the usage of phones that can run apps like Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat that tempt you to scroll like there is no tomorrow.
there’s no work emails, no Instagram updates, nothing from Facebook, nothing from TikTok. Nothing from anyone except the people who are important to you." - Osamah Qatanani
It helps that newer basic phones offer necessary modern features such as 4G connectivity, Bluetooth, and low-resolution cameras. Many also have web browsers.
HMD Global, the company that makes Nokia phones, says this trend is not limited to young people. Chief marketing officer Lars Silberbauer says that sales are increasing in all age groups. The company sells tens of thousands of flip phones in the US every month.
The report says that the dumb phone trend is vindicating for people who never bought a smartphone in the first place. That's because not everyone, least of all busy people, wants to dedicate their free time to smartphones.
Interestingly, it looks like the trend is confined to the US. Per a CNBC report, HMD Global saw a rise in feature flip phone sales in the US but global sales were down. The report says that public health concerns could cause a 5 percent increase in flip phone shipments over the next five years.
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