Dumb phones are on the rise in the U.S. as Gen Z looks to limit screen time

Dumb telephones could also be falling out of vogue on a world scale, however it’s a special story within the U.S.

Companies like HMD Global, the maker of Nokia telephones, proceed to promote tens of millions of cellular units much like these used within the early 2000s. This consists of what’s often known as “feature phones” — conventional flip or slide telephones which have further options like GPS or a hotspot.

“I think you can see it with certain Gen Z populations — they’re tired of the screens,” mentioned Jose Briones, dumb telephone influencer and moderator of the subreddit, “r/dumbphones.” “They don’t know what is going on with mental health and they’re trying to make cutbacks.”

In the U.S., characteristic flip telephone gross sales have been up in 2022 for HMD Global, with tens of hundreds bought every month. At the identical time, HMD’s world characteristic telephone gross sales have been down, in line with the corporate.

In 2022, virtually 80% of characteristic telephone gross sales in 2022 got here from the Middle East, Africa and India, in line with Counterpoint Research. But some see that quantity shifting, as a contingency of younger individuals within the U.S. revert again to dumb or minimalist telephones.

“In North America, the market for dumb phones is pretty much flatlined,” mentioned Moorhead. “But I could see it getting up to 5% increase in the next five years if nothing else, based on the public health concerns that are out there.”

Companies like Punkt and Light are catering to the development, promoting units geared towards these with a need to spend much less time on their telephones and social media. On YouTube, you’ll discover a slew of influencers touting these telephones.

“What we’re trying to do with the Light phone isn’t to create a dumb phone, but to create a more intentional phone — a premium, minimal phone — which isn’t inherently anti-technology,” mentioned Joe Hollier, co-founder of Light. “But it’s about consciously choosing how and when to use which aspects of technology that add to my quality of life.”

Watch the video to get a have a look at the dumb telephones which will have a promising future within the U.S.