For those who remember flip phones, there鈥檚 something undeniably nostalgic about the simple 90s-era technology. They only buzzed for calls and texts, were free of time-consuming apps and could end conversations with a satisfying snap.
The age of flip phones may be far gone, but a quiet revolution of 鈥渁nti-smartphones鈥� has recently emerged on the market, offering low-tech but stylish solutions to the purported stressors of modern digital life.
- See spec details for each 鈥渁nti-smartphone鈥� below
The is a credit-card sized phone that never beeps or vibrates unless someone calls. It is designed to be connected to a user鈥檚 primary smartphone and, through an app, forwards phone calls.
The does a little bit more. The Swiss-made device can send and receive texts and phone calls and act as an alarm clock, but that鈥檚 it.
Then there鈥檚 the circular , made by Berkeley, Cali.-based company Monohm. Inventors are wary to call the palm-sized device a phone, since it connects to phone services via a separate Bluetooth device, and instead use the term 鈥渉eirloom electronic.鈥� Designed after the pocket watch, the Runcible still allows users to surf the web or use apps, but it鈥榮 designed to be quiet and never interrupt users.
Throwback appeal
In an era when Apple unveils its newest iPhone models on a yearly basis, why opt for a phone without the latest bells and whistles? CTV technology analyst Carmi Levy says dumbed-down phones have a certain niche appeal, and they aren鈥檛 just attractive to elderly consumers anymore.
鈥淏eyond the senior demographic, there鈥檚 a bit of a pushback against technology that鈥檚 too complex for its own good. And we鈥檙e seeing it at the fringes of the phone market in rising demand for simple phones that remind us of days gone by,鈥� Levy told CTVNews.ca.
Devices like Runcible, the Light Phone and MP 01 are directly marketed towards a younger demographic. Both Runcible and the Light Phone began as online crowd-funding initiatives, with backers given a device in return for financial support.
Levy says the phones are 鈥渋deal鈥� for younger consumers looking to make a statement with their handheld device.
鈥淭here鈥檚 probably a small percentage of younger consumers out there who would absolutely love to have something that none of their friends or colleagues have,鈥� Levy said.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e not deliberately cheap, they鈥檙e not stripped down, they鈥檙e actual design statements 鈥� I think they鈥檙e just as fashionable as a pair of shoes or that coat that they bought.鈥�
Gauging smartphone stress
The toll of smartphone usage on stress levels has been widely contested, and research on smartphone stress is still in its early stages. But some recent studies suggest that too much screen time could reduce sleep, impact work-life balance and negatively affect brain function.
At McGill University, researchers presented that suggest that reliance on GPS programs 鈥� like Google Maps or Apple Maps 鈥� can negatively impact a user鈥檚 hippocampus, the part of the brain that helps people navigate using visual memory.
Researchers from found that people who checked their smartphones for work-related purposes after 9 p.m. were more tired and less alert at their jobs the next day. Researchers credited their findings to mental stimulation from smartphones that made it difficult for subjects to relax and fall asleep.
Levy insists these anti-smartphones won鈥檛 eclipse smartphone sales anytime soon, but he agrees that there鈥檚 a certain appeal to bare-bones tech.
鈥淭he promise of technology is that it鈥檒l improve our lives, but sometimes we become enslaved to the technology because there鈥檚 so much going on,鈥� he said. 鈥淎 certain part of our brain is always looking for something that is perhaps simpler 鈥� and delivers as promised with fewer frustrations.鈥�
Still, Levy says it鈥檚 too early to say whether these pared-down devices will take off, simply because they鈥檙e so new.
鈥淭hese will never have mainstream appeal within any demographic within any consumer group, but the question is: is there enough demand? Do they have enough features to keep mainstream millennial consumers interested? And I think for that the question remains unanswered.鈥�
As for the bygone flip phone, there鈥檚 some evidence that they aren鈥檛 totally extinct. According to recent figures from the International Data Corporation, a U.S. research firm, an additional two million 鈥渇eature phones鈥� 鈥� phones that simply make calls and texts 鈥� were sold in 2015 in the U.S., an increase from the previous year.
By the numbers
THE LIGHT PHONE
HOW DESIGNERS DESCRIBE IT: 鈥淯nlike a basic flip phone, Light won't allow you to text, email or anything, it is the most simple phone designed specifically to work with your existing smartphone.鈥�
SIZE: 4.5 mm thick (advertised as 鈥渢he world鈥檚 thinnest phone鈥�)
COST: $100 USD
STAGE OF PRODUCTION: Available for pre-order with shipping beginning in the summer of 2016.
APPEAL: Clean design, fits inside wallet, can last 20 days on a single charge.
POSSIBLE DOWNSIDE: Doesn鈥檛 support texting,
COLOURS: White, and a black version called 鈥淣ight鈥� is in the works.
RUNCIBLE
HOW DESIGNERS DESCRIBE IT: "Featuring a first-of-its-kind fully round screen and a palm-sized form factor, Runcible is modeled on devices humans have carried around with them and loved for hundreds or thousands of years: the pocket watch, the compact, the compass, the magical stone in your hand."
SIZE: 2.5-inch display, fits in the palm of the hand.
COST: $399 to $599 USD, depending on the model
STAGE OF PRODUCTION: Available in fall of 2016, open for pre-order.
APPEAL: Wi-Fi-connectivity, unique wooden backing,
POSSIBLE DOWNSIDE: For those truly looking to disconnect, the allure of Internet connectivity may be a deal-breaker.
COLOURS: Dark grey plastic or wooden backings, including a 鈥淪inker Redwood鈥� salvaged from Mendocino, Cali.
MP 01
HOW DESIGNERS DESCRIBE IT: "The Punkt. MP 01 is a stylish, well-crafted mobile phone which focuses on modern simplicity, inside and out. It makes phone calls and sends texts. That鈥檚 all."
SIZE: 14.5 mm thick
COST: $295 USD
STAGE OF PRODUCTION: Available for sale.
APPEAL: 鈥淏espoke ringtones鈥� by Norwegian sound artist Kjetil Røst Nilsen, an alarm clock.
POSSIBLE DOWNSIDE: Users must acquaint themselves with the phone鈥檚 keypad shortcuts to access features such as call history, voicemail and hands-free mode.
COLOURS: Black.
