Unplugging to Recharge: Why “Dumbphones” are making a smart comeback
How I got here
In 2022 I tutored a couple undergraduate classes on ‘Brain and Behaviour’. One of the assignments that the students were to undertake was a behaviour change of their own, utilising behaviour change strategies they learnt. The behaviour change aspect itself was a neglibible component, the real assignment was the lab report structure itself. Students could choose anything they wanted, from eating healthier, increasing their exercising , or seeing friends more. To my surprise, a shocking 90%+ of students chose their mobile phone usage as the thing they wanted to change. What was more surprising was that once we brought a conscious attention to how much time of their phones people had, they never realised it was so high. Some students were reporting double figures on average a day. While some students did argue their work required use of their phones, there was still concern present.
This lead me on a journey of my own to find out more about my own relationship to my phone. It is one of things, I couldn’t go without it, but equally I wasn’t always happy about its presence. A clique of motivational speakers in the modern age is to highlight that we have far more time in a day than we believe we do - just look at how much time you’ve spent in your phone and imagine what productive thing you could have done with that time. While I don’t want to completely villainise a cheeky mindless scroll, I would concur that perhaps at least a portion of the time could be better spent elsewhere. I am not going to spend time sustaining arguments for and against phone use and debating the ethics - straight and simply I personally just wanted less of it.
I picked up the book Stolen Focus by Johann Hari after hearing great reviews, and the book brought to light so many elements of modern phones I did not notice, yet were staring me in the face.
Modern Phones and Notifications
Ever receive a notification and before you know it, you’re back in Instagram scrolling reels forgetting why you even picked up your phone in the first place? Phone notifications play a large role in adding to screen time. One of the parts of Stolen Focus that really stuck out for me was the almost insidious use of notifications to make us pick up our phones.
Hari interviewed Tristan Harris, a former Google Design Ethicist and cofounder of the Center for Humane Technology.
“You can try having self-control, but there are a thousand engineers on the other side of the screen working against you.”
Simply put - Its not that we don’t possess enough willpower, it’s that there are teams of people trying everything they can do to get you to pick your phone back up through sending you notifications.
From this revelation, I proceeded to try and minimise notifications to try and minimise the prompts to use my phone. One of the ways was through my smartwatch. At first glance, most would assume that this would increase phone use, no? After all we are strapping a little screen to our wrist that would tell us when something is happening in our phone, right?
The watch allowed me to filter all ‘important’ messages through to my wrist so I didn’t have to touch my phone to find out why it vibrated. If I noticed my phone vibrate and my watch didn’t - it wasn’t important. It also allowed me to see what messages I received so I didn’t have to open my phone and find myself back on my 100th Instagram reel.
Secondly, I implemented ‘batch notifications’.
I believe that iPhones may have a native way to implement this, but as an Android user we do not have such luxury, and as Hari finds, that is by design. There are third-party apps that allow you to group select notifications that you deem as less important and batch them at select times. I started with everything that wasn’t a direct message to come on the hour.
Did it work?
Kinda.
Introducing: The Dumbphone
While I was noticing a decrease in my phone use, I was still finding myself at times drifting to my phone for a mindless scroll when I was left in the absence of a salient distraction (god forbid a thought gets through). This lead me down the rabbit hole of Dumbphones
What is a Dumbphone?
A Dumbphone is simply a phone with limited capacity. It is a phone primarily for core purposes: Texting and calling with limited app availabilities. The hard part here is that I wanted a phone that would still allow me to call an Uber and open a bank app to check if everything was okay.
For my first dumbphone I chose the chonky “Cat S22 Flip” as a nostalgic hit of a flip phone. Unfortunately my Dumbphone dream was incredibly short lived, with the phone being unable to work with Australian Cell towers.
Interestingly, not long later a prominent Youtuber and podcaster I follower - MKBHD made a whole video on Dumbphones and what it is like to live with them
MKBHD (or Marques Brownlee), is known for his in-depth tech reviews, and weighed in on the growing trend of "dumbphones" – minimalist devices designed to reduce digital distractions. While acknowledging the compelling appeal of unplugging, his videos often present a pragmatic look at the current state of these devices, highlighting both their potential and their significant limitations in a smartphone-dependent world.
The Appeal (What Dumbphones Aim For):
Reduced Screen Time & Distractions: This is the core promise. Dumbphones are designed to make you pick up your phone less, leading to more presence in the real world. MKBHD often touches on the idea that these phones can help combat the constant urge to check notifications and get lost in endless scrolling.
Focus on Core Communication: They strip away everything but calls and texts, promoting more intentional communication.
Battery Life: A universal positive for dumbphones is their vastly superior battery life compared to smartphones, often lasting days or even weeks.
Simplicity: The lack of complex features makes them incredibly easy to use.
The Reality (The Challenges & Downsides):
Compromises are Significant: MKBHD often emphasizes that adopting a dumbphone involves considerable trade-offs. We've built so much of our daily lives around smartphone conveniences that going without can be a major hurdle.
Lack of Essential Modern Features: This is perhaps the biggest point. Things we take for granted – reliable GPS, mobile payments, digital boarding passes, ride-sharing apps, high-quality cameras, and even many work-related tools – simply aren't available or are severely hampered on most dumbphones.
The "Perfect Dumbphone" Doesn't Exist (Yet): MKBHD and his team have tested various minimalist devices (like the Light Phone, Cat S22 Flip, and E-Ink phones like the Boox Palma or Minimal Phone). Their conclusion often points to the fact that there isn't one "perfect" dumbphone that balances digital detox with practical functionality for most users. Each device tends to have its own set of compromises, whether it's clunky software, poor hardware, or a surprisingly high price for limited features.
"Dumbifying" a Smartphone: MKBHD sometimes explores the idea that for many, a more practical solution might be to "dumb down" an existing smartphone by aggressively managing notifications, deleting social media apps, and utilizing "focus" modes. This offers some of the benefits of a dumbphone without completely abandoning essential modern conveniences.
The Price Point: Some of the more "designer" dumbphones can be surprisingly expensive for what they offer, leading to questions about value for money.
Overall Sentiment:
MKBHD generally approaches dumbphones with a sense of hopeful skepticism. He appreciates the idea behind them and the desire for a less distracted life, but he's also realistic about the practical difficulties of fully integrating them into a contemporary lifestyle. His videos serve as a valuable reminder that while the concept of digital minimalism is appealing, the tools currently available often require significant personal adjustment and a willingness to sacrifice considerable convenience. He suggests that for most, the journey towards less screen time might involve more intelligent management of existing smartphones rather than a complete switch to a basic device.
So what does this mean?
If there is any takeaway from this - It might be to try and just be conscious of your phones use.
I will in the future try again with a phone like the Boox Palma but currently there are small things that I cant go without (such as NFC) that I would need to see in it before it could TRULY replace my phone. A halfway point between devices will likely fail.
