We cannot live without checking social media or sending emojis. Many of us would feel completely naked without the comforting feeling of our iPhone or Android in our back pocket, right? In this day and age, many of us are addicted to our smartphones.
But what if there was a solution to that addiction? A simple, easy way to stay present in the moment and not lost in the sea of internet 24/7? The answer is going back to a basic phone.
Here are ten reasons to ditch your smartphone in today’s fast-paced world.
Call Quality: Phone calls seem to be low on the priority list of smartphones, but basic phones boast loud and clear calls. You’ll be able to hear everything and the person on the other end won’t ever have to ask you to speak up. Unless you’re a mumbler, in which case, speak up.
Convenience: It doesn’t get much easier than flipping open a phone to answer a call and snapping it shut to end a call. The movement is pretty satisfying, and you can hang up pretty dramatically if you feel the urge. Or if you have a candybar-style basic phone, you have hard buttons to push (also a very satisfying feeling).
Price: Contract prices for basic phones range from free to $100 while others even have full no-contract prices of $60. Smartphones generally start at the $200 contract price, with full prices ranging from $500 to over $900. Yikes. Imagine all the money you’ll save by using a basic phone!
Disconnected Life: Many of us spend all day on computers at work and then often come home and use them again. You’re able to get a break from technology with a basic phone and it’s incredibly healthy to disengage when possible. Most of us miss what’s going on right in front of us because our focus is tied to the glossy glass screen of our smartphone.
Battery Life: It’s standard today to charge your smartphone every night. We all have our cords plugged in right next to our beds and it’s become routine to plug in that Lightning jack before bed. But basic phones can last from three days to a week, or more, which eliminates an entire step from your bedtime process and may even allow you to move your bed to a wall without a free outlet. Freedom is the key concept here, if you haven’t noticed.
And as recent research has started to uncover, the less time you spend looking at others’ “perfect lives” on social media, the more satisfied and content you are with your life. No longer does your self-esteem take multiple hits a day as you scroll through Facebook or Instagram.
Simple: A basic phone is focused on dialing, calls, and texts, but many have extra features as well. You’ll still get a reliable alarm, calendar, notes, and calculator, as well as a camera to snap photos and videos. Some basic phones also have GPS, expanded memory card slots, and music players as well.
Durability: Most large-screen smartphones have a tough time surviving a fall. Basic phones can usually take quite a bit of abuse, from being dropped onto hard surfaces to surviving in a purse filled with keys and other sharp objects. If you have kids (or you are clumsy yourself), you won’t have to replace a $600-$1000 smartphone every month because it was dropped or fell out of a pocket.
Size: Basic phones are usually very pocketable. Flip designed phones can fold up to an even smaller size. Your phone will always fit in your pocket, your purse, your cupholder, and even a tiny handbag when you go out for the night. Never again will you have to ask, will my phone fit in this?
Privacy: Basic phones are not always connected and sending your information back and forth across the internet. Smartphones are constantly transmitting data to app developers and countless other companies, tracking your location, shopping habits, interests, likes, and buying patterns. With a basic phone, you’ll be free from Big Brother.
Secure: Hackers want to collect your information and there are many incidents of rogue apps and other attacks on smartphones. Basic phones generally don’t store or have the ability to share personal information. You won’t have to worry about vetting an app before downloading.
If these reasons have successfully swayed you, you can still buy flip phones from LG, Samsung, Kyocera, and others. Every major carrier still offers basic phones and you can pick one up for relatively cheap.
