The Rise Of Dumb Phones

CNBC
CNBC
928,863
0
Published 2023-03-20
Dumb phones, once considered outdated, are still prevalent around the world, making up about a quarter of mobile phones actively in use. While affordability in developing countries is a significant reason for their continued use, there could be an unexpected but potential rise in use among younger generations conscientious about the potential hard smart phones could have on mental health. While Nokia and Motorola are still some of the biggest dumb phone makers in the world, Punkt. and Light are two start-ups betting on the resurgence in popularity.

Chapters:
0:00 — Introduction
01:52 — Feature Phones
03:51 — Dumb phone testing
08:43 — Dumb phones in the U.S.
15:10 — Developing countries

Produced by: Liam Mays
Supervising Producer: Jeniece Pettitt
Post Production Support: Tala Hadavi
Additional Camera: Mickey Todiwala
Production Support: Sydney Boyo
Graphics by: Christina Locopo

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All Comments (21)
  • @uunz4075
    Once you detox from a smart phone, you realize the world isnt as angry as the social media makes it to be. Social media has ruined EVERY.THING.
  • @Ammut6
    It's crazy to think that there are people out there who dont realize that a lot of us grew up without "smartphones". And we all used a phone attached to the wall.
  • @nensondubois
    We survived for thousands of years without smartphones, it is definitely doable. Mental health is extremely poor these days more than any other time in history.
  • @Magam.1
    $400 for a dumb phone is like paying for a corvette and getting a bicycle
  • @austinhogan4697
    This to me is why a Blackberry style phone is probably about perfect. A smartphone without all of the apps but you could still have email, a basic browser, a full keyboard, and then some sort of gps application.
  • @dobbie563
    $400 for a Nokia like phone is daylight robbery
  • @fallenshallrise
    I love this move and wish more people would go this way so every hang out wasn't someone showing you something on their phone or stopping the conversation to look something up. Still I wish these things worked - like just because it's dumb it shouldn't be slow and unresponsive. It should be amazingly easy to get us back to snappy responsive dumb phones with week long battery life.
  • @TS-cs2pe
    Me and my friends actually discussed about this like 12 years ago. It was because some of us are getting into old analog cameras, and we wonder if one day old phones would become a retro trend
  • @halonova8995
    I would have to be pretty stupid to buy a "dumb phone" for $400...
  • @ahadmrauf
    I can see dumb phones for kids totally being a thing, I had a Motorola Razr flip phone as a middle and high schooler, and for most things kids needed to do that was perfectly sufficient to tell my parents if I'd be coming back home late that day or if something was wrong. I don't doubt there's social pressure among kids to have a nice phone, though, similar to the fashion trends of old.
  • @wrenshultz8275
    Can confirm: I switched over to a dumb phone. If I want to use the internet, I wait til I get home to use it. I enjoy the simplicity of my dumb phone, would have it no other way.
  • @TayDays1128
    My first phone was a Motorola RAZR. First social media was Myspace. It was a background thing that didnt have much importance in your life. Now you have young people growing up 100% attached and relied to screens, from toddler to adult. Its taken over their lives and making them more socially isolated.
  • @mackpines
    It’s interesting how phones have evolved over the years. They went from being large in the 1980s, to small in the 2000s and then back to large in the 2010s and 2020s.
  • @22derfy
    Still using my smartphone minus the social media apps 😂
  • @Beansprout.2131
    It's ironic how they call this a dumb phone when deciding to detox from social media and video games is in fact a SMART move. Having the conscious mind to stay away from things that could harm our mental health is SMART.
  • @Spoondota
    A perfect dumb phone 1. USB-C 2. Blackberry’s body and keypad 3. 3310’s display and durability 4. Nokia’s battery 5. Headphone jack Extra: transparent housing
  • @jimv77
    Who else HATES endless texting back and forth when a 3-5 minute phone call could accomplish the conversation?
  • @06speedtriple
    I think by deleting (or never creating) Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok.... accounts and having time limits on YouTube and mobile gaming are the best actions for young and old.
  • @brendanaudi1919
    In Kenya we call them Kaduda or Button phone because of the buttons. Most people prefer them because of 1) Long battery life 2) Strong and Durable 3) Cheap. One can get it for as little as 8 USD 4) Has good network coverage hence suitable for the countryside where the network is usually not that good 5) Security measures since losing an expensive smartphone to thieves is very painful.