
Ask HN: What “dumbphones” are available and viable in the US? - msftie
There’s an increasing interest in “dumbphones” these days, but it seems that options for a basic phone are fairly limited in the US market.<p>If you have switched, what did you switch to? If you’re looking to switch, what are you considering?
======
AngryData
Last time I got a phone, which is a few years ago now, I looked up the
cheapest shit flip phone walmart sells and went to the store with the model
number. The guy I asked it for didn't even know they sold it but it was down
in some closed stock case, it was model A117 I believe or something else
really close to it and it was like $20. I must admit though, it is a step down
in quality from my previous flip phone that finally died after it got ran over
twice busting a corner and exposing a ribbon cable which eventually failed and
killed the screen (likely from me fucking with it).

The downside is maps would be useful sometimes, especially once google
cancelled their free text-for-directions service. On the upside, I don't have
to charge it but once every few days and if I still got a good 12 hours of
battery once it gets to the low mark.

My next phone I will probably do the same, and because im only spending 10-20
bucks, I figure if I don't like it enough I can easily get a new one. The one
thing I would make sure is that you can use a microsd card to put a different
ringtone, all the default tones are like the screeching of satan's dirty
asshole.

~~~
kiddico
I've never heard of text for directions...

I wonder how hard it would be to set up a server connected to twilio, get the
directions from google maps (or Open Street maps) and text it back. I might
add that to my growing list of projects I'll likely never make.

~~~
ekovarski
It was actually part of the Google Search via SMS; You'd text 466453 - which
spells Google - with the keywords: directions <your current address> to
<destination> and they would text you back turn by turn directions.

They had other features as well but it was discontinued in 2013 if memory
serves correctly.

There are now costs associated with Google Maps; Directions have two costs:
basic (0.005) and advanced (0.010) - the advanced includes traffic. You also
need to factor in the cost for sms delivery and short codes, to make it
easier, so you'd need to monetize from the start unless you want to lose
money.

Hardest part is parsing the commands eg current location and destination as
folks make mistakes and you might need to have a back and forth dialogue via
sms to get further details.

To get a concept off the ground wouldn't take much time but to perfect it and
refine the parsing of commands would take some effort.

------
kpmcc
Has anybody mentioned the Punkt MP-01?
[https://www.punkt.ch/en/products/mp01-mobile-
phone/](https://www.punkt.ch/en/products/mp01-mobile-phone/)

I've had it for 2-3 years now and it's been pretty great. Granted service can
be kinda spotty because it's 2G and I'm not sure how much longer it will be
viable when 2G is phased out. It's also very expensive compared to dumb
alternatives but I don't know of any other phone on the market that is so
clean in terms of physical design and UX.

Punkt is making an MP-02 which will run on 4G I believe but I'm not sure if it
will be as minimal. I think they're partnering with Blackberry to bring like
secure email or messaging or something, which to me seems anti-dumphone, but I
guess people expressed demand in a user survey...

~~~
tuxxy
FYI, 2g is not a safe choice for security. For an introduction to the security
issues, take a look at how the encryption can be easily broken:
[https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-3-319-28166-...](https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-3-319-28166-7_17)

~~~
sincerely
In addition to being a security hazard, lots of countries (e.g. Canada) are
phasing out or have already removed their 2G networks.

Fortunately they have announced a 4G model coming soon which I am keeping my
eye on: [https://www.punkt.ch/en/mp02-4g-mobile-
phone/](https://www.punkt.ch/en/mp02-4g-mobile-phone/)

------
CaliforniaKarl
I have a "dumb phone", which in the context of my post means a phone that does
calling and texting, and does not have WiFi. It is a backup phone in case my
main phone dies, so that I can continue to do two-step auth in certain
situations.

What I ended up doing was going on Amazon, to their Cell Phone section,
pulling up the list of unlocked phones, and limiting the search to $50 or
less. That got me a BLU Tank model (which does not run Android, and was not
one of the "sends data back to the manufacturer" models) for something like
$25.

It's interesting, though, in that although my phone doesn't do apps, or email,
it still supports multimedia (music, images, video, via a microSD card). Also
(like, I understand, many phones mainly used in the APAC region) it has an FM
tuner, and includes dual SIM support.

To be clear, though, this is just a backup phone. I keep it charged, and I
turn it on once in a while, but I don't use it regularly. Still, redoing my
Amazon search shows that there are alot of models to choose from!

~~~
dzek69
> It's interesting, though, in that although my phone doesn't do apps, or
> email, it still supports multimedia (music, images, video, via a microSD
> card)

Well, that's what `dumb/feature` phones was doing at their times. There were
Java applications, that could access the web/mail/stuff but I wouldn't
consider them as real "mail/whatever support" as there were no notifications,
background sync and stuff.

My suggestion to OP:

Buy refurbished Nokia 5310.

Pros: \- it looks beautiful \- it's size is just right \- it works very fast,
including multimedia \- it has dedicated multimedia keys \- good battery time
(as every dump phone should have, comparing to smartphones) \- cheap
(Aliexpress prices are starting at $25, but see Cons before you buy)

Cons: \- watch out for bad quality refurbs. Ask seller for real photo, this is
an example of bad refurb:
[https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Nokia/724717466.html](https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Nokia/724717466.html)
\- metal parts replaced with cheap looking plastic, both numeric keyboard and
multimedia buttons looks not-solid \- multimedia keys can be fragile from
putting phone into your pants pockets. If metal part around the buttons sticks
out - it will hook your pants material and start to stick out even more. I had
used this phone few years and it was ok, but seen some people that had this
problem

Suggestion number 2:

There are A LOT of dumb phones produced by sometimes not-well-known brands,
but they are good ones. They are cheap and you can choose from many models.
Get a friend from Europe to help you if you are located in US (I assume you
are, maybe wrongly)

------
jkartchner
Not sure if it qualifies as a dumbphone, but I'm eyeing the Lightphone. It's
definitely more expensive than the old bricks, but way cheaper than the usual
smartphone.

[https://www.thelightphone.com/home/](https://www.thelightphone.com/home/)

~~~
willio58
Just watched the indiegogo video for lightphone 2. I must say that while the
phone seemed to make sense at first, when they mentioned music, Uber, etc. now
being integrated I became lost.

At some point I don’t understand the difference between this product and a
smartphone. Want to remove yourself from “feeds”? Don’t download the apps that
house them.

~~~
cgoecknerwald
To add on to other commenters: Uber/Lyft are services, not entertainment or
distraction. I don't know anybody who "zones out" of life by ordering cars.

Disclaimer: recently signed up for lightphone 2 pre-order. Personally, I just
super like the minimalist e-ink display and I hope it will help me disconnect
from the news cycle.

~~~
Fnoord
Uninstalling the BS apps helps you also disconnect from the "news cycle"
(whatever that might be) [1]. The advantage of lightphone is that it is a
next-gen dumbphone. It has high battery uptime, yet has a touchscreen (e-ink)
with some basic functions. I find it very expensive for what it delivers, but
right now its a unique niche (e-ink wise).

[1] I do not visit Facebook or Twitter nor do I have their apps on my
smartphone. I do visit HN though.

~~~
cgoecknerwald
If you get your news from websites, rather than apps, then there's nothing to
uninstall unless you want to uninstall the internet.

Personally, I mapped addictive sites like reddit to 0.0.0.0 in the hostfile,
so I could have just the right amount of internet.

------
crispyambulance
Phones are a real problem for people as they age or experience visual,
auditory, motor-skills and cognitive decline.

For folks like that any kind of smartphone with "off-the-shelf" software is a
non-starter-- too many options, too small, not tactile.

The problem with "dumb" flip-phones is that they tend to be small and
slippery. An arthritic octogenarian will have a hard time even opening a flip
phone.

The ones that are "designed" for old folks tend to be setup as "medical alert"
devices-- a big red button on the back and all the drawbacks of a regular flip
phone. They're more designed for paranoid family members than the actual
users.

The phone I purchased for my octogenarian mother is an Alcatel "GO Flip". She
has difficulty opening it and the buttons are too small. As a work around I
programmed numbers "1","2","3","4" as a speed-dial to me and the rest as a
speed dial to my brother. She knows to press "1" for me and "9" for my
brother. I tell her to hold down the number until she sees my (or my
brother's) picture. $75~ for the phone, $20/month for no-contract unlimited
talk/text (she doesn't use text)-- that's it. That's the best I can do.

~~~
seren
Which makes me think, isn't it easier to set up a Google Assistant/ Echo to be
able to call your relative ?

I don't understand why there isn't more focus in assistant to support elderly
people because there is a huge market. (but maybe I missed it because I am not
affected yet)

~~~
crispyambulance
Yes, I think I would have considered that if she were still at home, but she
is in a skilled nursing facility. Their wifi network isn't reliable enough for
that.

There are also mobility concerns. Something like an echo/assistant would still
need to have a "satellite" handset or have microphones and speakers that are
good enough for communication with an elderly person in another part of the
room.

I think anyone developing a communication product for the elderly should
definitely spend serious time inside nursing homes. These are challenging
problems.

------
PenguinCoder
I don't have an answer (yet), but I am tracking on KaiOS[1] for a future
replacement. Once there is some decent and accessible hardware behind it, I
feel it may be my next 'upgrade'. There's the Nokia 8110[2] but it's not
available to me yet.

[1][https://www.kaiostech.com/](https://www.kaiostech.com/)

[2][https://www.nokia.com/en_int/phones/nokia-8110-4g](https://www.nokia.com/en_int/phones/nokia-8110-4g)

~~~
pinewurst
Note that Google (recent large investment) and Facebook are KaiOS “partners”
so don't assume data privacy for very long.

~~~
culot
KaiOS has also played it loose with releasing the source code for their
feature phone flavor of B2G. They've had 2 years, no code has been
forthcoming. I certainly wouldn't trust them, and would have to audit the
activity of their devices before I'd use them.

------
wroman
I got the Fsmart M5 off Amazon for $20 and is the size of a credit card.

[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00UWT5DM4/](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00UWT5DM4/)

Works great on T-Mobile, with one exception: it cannot receive MMS, so you
don't get notified if someone sends a photo or group text.

~~~
busterarm
When the 2G networks are shut down, this phone will no longer work.

------
DennisAleynikov
Samsung phones have a low power mode on everything from s5 and up that
disables every function of the phone (every sensor and radio) except texting
and calling and 4 apps of your choice. It's much smarter to just disable your
current phone than to completely replace it with something inferior and harder
to use like an old flipphone. Samsung also makes modern flip phones running
Android that have all the same simplicity of being able to be closed and of
course not having apps installed if you so choose.

~~~
bridanp
This is a really good solution for someone who wants to go nuclear on the
smartphone, but isn't sure. You'll find out quick if your willpower is the
main issue.

~~~
goda90
I've known for a long time that my willpower is the issue, because I've never
been a fan of turning on notifications. I tend to keep it to only chat apps
having notification rights, which would still translate to text notifications
on a dumbphone. Pretty much any other time wasting I do on my phone is because
I pull it out without prompting.

------
krn
If the reasons for a "dumbphone" are smaller size, longer battery life,
decreased media consumption, and increased privacy – then such a tiny
smartphone as Xperia XZ1 Compact[1] with AOSP ROM without Google provided by
Sony[2] would still cut the mark.

[1] [https://www.sonymobile.com/global-
en/products/phones/xperia-...](https://www.sonymobile.com/global-
en/products/phones/xperia-xz1-compact/specifications/)

[2] [https://developer.sony.com/file/download/software-
binaries-f...](https://developer.sony.com/file/download/software-binaries-for-
aosp-oreo-android-8-1-kernel-4-4-yoshino/)

~~~
nabilt
I do this with the Sony Xperia X. Updates are relatively frequent [1]. There
are a few bugs with the AOSP version. For example, the phone doesn't come out
of sleep when the alarm goes off. Otherwise, I'm very happy with it. Plus it's
fun to hack the OS when I get time.

[1] [https://developer.sony.com/develop/open-devices/latest-
updat...](https://developer.sony.com/develop/open-devices/latest-updates/)

------
TheChaplain
Looking at the answers here, why is it so hard to get a cheap phone in the US?

Last week in Europe I got an unlocked Nokia 105 Dual Sim for $12. It's the
dumbest phone but with 30(!) days stand-by time on a single charge.

 _edit_ : added "unlocked"

~~~
fyfy18
I believe US carriers have began to shutdown their 2G network, so 3G is a
requirement. Most of these dumb phones only have 2G hardware though.

I’m not sure why the EU hasn’t done the same though.

~~~
AnssiH
There are way too many M2M users of 2G to close it down, at least in the
Nordics. E.g. electricity meters in Finland commonly use GPRS.

3G will probably be closed before 2G.

------
Assossa
My mom just recently got a Alcatel GO FLIP which is one of the first phones
with KaiOS. I messed around with it a little and was very impressed by the OS.
If you're wanting to get a dumbphone, but not go back 20 years in
technological advancement, check out KaiOS phones.

~~~
masklinn
Nokia's 8110 4G looks somewhat interesting, it's KaiOS, relatively basic on-
board, but can act as a hotspot for your tablet or laptop.

~~~
bwood
+1 for the Nokia 8110 4G. I had to go to Europe to get it, but I am very
pleased so far. Very minimal with a few critical "smart" features like the
wifi hotspot. For some reason it also has Google Maps, though it's barely
functional.

~~~
krn
> For some reason it also has Google Maps, though it's barely functional.

Google invested in KaiOS to get its services pre-installed[1]. Soon, you won't
be able to get a phone without Google, unless it's targeted at Chinese market
or is made by Apple.

[1] [https://www.theverge.com/2018/6/28/17513036/google-kaios-
inv...](https://www.theverge.com/2018/6/28/17513036/google-kaios-investment-
feature-phones-firefox-os-apps-services-strategy)

~~~
Fnoord
> Google invested in KaiOS to get its services pre-installed[1]. Soon, you
> won't be able to get a phone without Google, unless it's targeted at Chinese
> market or is made by Apple.

I agree with your concern, but I can report there are alternatives:

* SailfishOS (version 3 is due), successor or Maemo/MeeGo, uses Mer and official ports have Android emulation [1]

* LineageOS (with or without MicroG) [2] [3]

* UBPorts, a community project continuation of Ubuntu Touch [4]

* PureOS [5]

And then there's CopperheadOS though it has imploded last time I checked, and
PostmarketOS which is a nice alternative if all else isn't updated anymore or
otherwise fails.

I'm using LineageOS with MicroG on a FP2. If anyone got questions about that,
shoot.

[1] [https://jolla.com/sailfish3/](https://jolla.com/sailfish3/)

[2] [https://lineage.microg.org/](https://lineage.microg.org/)

[3] [https://lineageos.org/](https://lineageos.org/)

[4] [https://ubports.com/](https://ubports.com/)

[5] [https://puri.sm/shop/librem-5/](https://puri.sm/shop/librem-5/)

~~~
krn
It's not about a lack of alternatives, but about the lack of accessibility to
them. How many phones can we find on Amazon shipping with any of these OSes
today?

~~~
Fnoord
Yes, there are various problems with these alternatives such a lack of
availability, a lack of backwards compatibility. Many of these problems are
related to the network effect.

But also to your bubble. SailfishOS targets upcoming markets such as India and
Russia. So no, you won't find those on _Amazon_. I wouldn't use Amazon as the
sole holy grail in this regard. Also, you can buy a Sony Xperia X and buy a
SailfishOS license for it. You can run in on a device such as a FP2.

------
abstractbill
I'm thinking about downgrading to a Blackberry Classic. Not quite a dumb
phone, but from what I've seen it's much more of a _tool_ than an
entertainment/social-media/time-wasting device, which is exactly what I'm
looking for. There's no way I could do without navigation, so I don't think
anything more dumb will work for me.

~~~
llaulton
I recently did exactly this. I'm heading to DefCon next week and the Classic
is a nice hands-off high security device I can use for just about my email and
little else. Did the same last year with an older 'Berry as well and it helped
me to enjoy the conference rather than my phone.

~~~
walterbell
Email still works without carrier/BB support for push email?

~~~
mato
Yes. I've been using a Blackberry Classic for over a year now ("upgraded" from
an old Nokia Symbian phone). Does plain IMAP (TLS 1.2), with IMAP IDLE support
just fine. Only annoying "feature" of the email client is that it insists on
sending HTML mail by default, to send text/plain you have to set it per
message/thread.

------
am_lu
I never switched. Still using my business class Nokia E72. It has a decent
camera, sd card for storage, Opera browser for basic internet, HERE offline
maps for navigation. And putty terminal for SSH connections to a remote
system. Fits in my trouser pocket unlike the massive smartphones. I keep two
spare ones in case it breaks. It broke once, i opened it up, cleaned the
inside, put back together and it still works like new. Get them on second hand
on ebay.

------
fooker
Are there any that can act as dumbphones _and_ hotspots for my tablet or
laptop?

~~~
rhaps0dy
The Nokia 8110 4g, which is still not out, should do that. It's a little bit
expensive though...

~~~
mapleoin
> The unique shape also means you can spin the phone in ways you never
> imagined. [1]

Amazing marketing!

[1]
[https://www.nokia.com/en_gb/phones/nokia-8110-4g](https://www.nokia.com/en_gb/phones/nokia-8110-4g)

------
evincarofautumn
I’m gonna take a wild guess, based on my knowledge from about 10 years ago,
that your best bet is going to be prepaid providers. Dunno what they’re doing
nowadays, but I used to use a Tracfone Wireless phone, which cost $20–30 at
Walmart for the hardware, and iirc about $60 per 120-minute card—although
there were frequent promotions, so I acquired coupon codes for my family when
I was in high school to help save money. The unfortunate thing was that it
cost 0.3 minutes per SMS. Also the deal is that you have to buy minutes every
so often to extend your service period. Anyway, if they’re still doing a
“basic hardware” type option then that could be something to look into.

~~~
oatmealsnap
I have a friend who got a really tiny (like, fits in your wallet tiny) cell
phone from China. Worked fine when he put the SIM card in, and the audio
quality was really solid.

~~~
ApolloRising
Can you get us a link?

~~~
Izkata
I'm going to guess this: [https://odditymall.com/credit-card-wallet-
phone](https://odditymall.com/credit-card-wallet-phone)

------
janaagaard
I haven’t tested this idea, but what about using a regular smartphone, and
simply uninstall or not enable most of the features?

Don’t want to be distracted? Turn off notifications. Don’t want access to
email? Don’t set up the email account.

~~~
msftie
Frankly, addiction and bad habits make it very difficult to sustain that when
it’s easy to re-enable things.

I have hardly any notifications, my phone is perpetually on silent with
vibrate disabled (I often miss calls and texts), and I have no “social media”
apps beyond iMessage/Signal. But I still reach for it at every idle moment
(most time being spent in the browser).

The one app I truly need is a keepass client. Not sure how I will overcome
that without a smartphone.

~~~
cgoecknerwald
I agree. Mobile internet is a double-edged sword: super useful, super
distracting / addicting. Several years ago, I rooted my android to add sites
such as reddit and nytimes (news junkie) to map to 0.0.0.0 in the hostfile,
effectively blocking them. Then, I removed the file navigator (ES File
Explorer).

I have found this sufficient.

~~~
pnloyd
Why not block hacker news? Not as addicting as the others?

Edit: oops didn't see your list wasn't exhaustive.

~~~
cgoecknerwald
HackerNews also seems to be designed to be less addicting and immediately
rewarding, don't you think? It's more geared towards technical deep reads than
BBC or something similar.

------
Evidlo
The Zerophone is an interesting DIY dumbphone built on top of an RPi Zero.
I've been considering getting one.

[https://wiki.zerophone.org/index.php/Main_Page](https://wiki.zerophone.org/index.php/Main_Page)

~~~
msftie
I have previously contributed to that project :)

------
eatbitseveryday
One option I've seen is the Nokia 3310 3G [1] for $60 in the US. I have it.

[1]
[https://www.nokia.com/en_us/phones/nokia-3310-3g](https://www.nokia.com/en_us/phones/nokia-3310-3g)

~~~
drsopp
I hate this phone. Typing is slow. I swap auto completion dictionaries a lot.
Limited memory forces you to delete previous reminders and sms conversations.
Deleting them is done with a menu system that is inconsistent; the same
command jumps to different positions. Mms does not work with my provider. With
some types of phones i call, there is some weird feedback of electronic noise
that is only audible on my side. Stay away from this phone!

~~~
eatbitseveryday
> Typing is slow. I swap auto completion dictionaries a lot.

Maybe this is not the phone for your usages. I do not expect to type much on
it, only brief SMS and calls only.

> Limited memory forces you to delete previous reminders and sms
> conversations. Deleting them is done with a menu system that is
> inconsistent; the same command jumps to different positions.

It has 128MiB internal memory and an SD card slot for expanded storage. Do you
have a version of the phone with less storage?

> Mms does not work with my provider.

Why would MMS not work? There are known issues switching from iPhone to non-
iPhone due to Apple switching to use iMessage between iPhones. Going back
results in missed messages. Could that be your issue?

Earlier incarnations of this phone did not have 3G support and also not quad-
band.

> With some types of phones i call, there is some weird feedback of electronic
> noise that is only audible on my side.

Perhaps you got a bad build? Get a replacement and try again? Do some process
of elimination: try with a headset and see if it goes away.

Overall I am lowering my expectations going to a phone like this, as one
should. I only expect to do calls, simple SMS, and slow typing. But I have
high expectations for long battery life and I will get this.

It's just a telephone.

------
rootusrootus
Verizon sells one they claim is LTE capable. Consumer Cellular has a couple of
grandpa-friendly models. Or you could just get something like an Apple Watch 3
with LTE, which achieves a similar goal.

~~~
gaelenh
I have the T-Mobile version of the LTE dumbphone (Alcatel Go Flip). It can be
used as a hotspot, wifi calling, and HD voice (much clearer than previous
dumbphones). KaiOS is really laggy unfortunately.

I haven't used that phone in 6 months or so because I switched to an Apple
Watch series 3. I've never had a smartphone as my actual phone. I synced it to
my SIM on my wife's phone with my Apple ID, then reset her phone back to her
stuff.

The watch works great as my only phone. Eats batter power, about 15 hours per
charge, less if I talk or listen to music more than a couple hours per day.
Looking forward to watchOS 5 because it will the phone self-manage wifi
settings, which should fix a lot of the battery issues. Right now I can only
connect to one wifi network (since I don't have a phone to sync to that
manages it). Once I can connect to my home and office wifi, battery life will
improve.

Not having a phone in my pocket ever again is a great feeling. Just the
default apps on it. Wish I could stream podcasts. I still keep the dumbphone
around the house in case I need to take an SMS (Apple Watch apparently doesn't
handle those either, just Apple Messages).

~~~
rootusrootus
You are doing [more or less] exactly what I am planning to do when the next
Apple Watch is released. I just have a S1 right now so it is tethered, but in
a couple months I am planning to get an LTE model and then ditch the
smartphone as often as I can. I don't make too many voice calls these days so
I see only upsides.

My S1 definitely does text messages, not just iMessages, but like I said, it
is tethered. If the LTE model cannot do standalone texts, that is a bit
unfortunate -- I do get normal text messages periodically and I would hate to
give those up entirely.

------
akouri
You need not buy a new phone. Some of the Samsung phones of the 2005-2006 era
were my favorite, in terms of speed and menu design. They can be found on Ebay
for <$10

~~~
cgoecknerwald
I agree. And, if you have a phone that is too "smart", you can always root it
to edit what is easily available to you.

------
nickjj
I've been using this one for about 5 years [https://www.amazon.com/LG-
Xpression-2-Blue-AT/dp/B00J1SMJ06](https://www.amazon.com/LG-Xpression-2-Blue-
AT/dp/B00J1SMJ06).

The charge still lasts 3-4 days with a moderate amount of texting and it's
built like a tank.

My only complaint is only allows you to save a couple hundred texts and then
you need to clear it out but it does have a micro SD card that you can keep in
to drastically improve that.

I'm not sure why it's so expensive now. When I got it, it was $25.

I'm sure you could find something better nowadays. That one was released 6-7
years ago according to Google.

------
Marsymars
I used an LTE-capable Kyocera DuraXE for several trips to the US. It was
solidly built and worked as advertised.

I ended up getting rid of it because going back to T9 for texting was just too
painful, and I'd rather have access to WhatsApp/Signal for messaging. It seems
any LTE-capable feature phones are also using some custom version of Android
without the ability to install apps, or generally get any updates, which makes
me generally skeptical of their security.

Have switched to using a burner iPhone SE for travel.

------
paxys
Dumbphone is a pretty broad term, so you have to think of your requirements
first. Does the phone need a color screen? Cellular internet/wifi? Multimedia?
MMS? Basic apps?

While there aren't necessarily a lot of new "dumbphones" being advertised,
this doesn't mean they don't exist in the market. You can pick a ton of such
basic phones released over the last 10 years on Amazon/eBay for as little as
$10-$25 which will do all of this and more (or less, if you like).

------
jaysonelliot
I bought a Cat B100 a few years ago. It's my second phone; the iPhone is still
my primary, but there are times that it's better to have a dumbphone.

It's sold by Caterpillar, but actually built by Bullit Mobile, who specialize
in rugged phones.

The B100 is completely waterproof, and very rugged. It's perfect when I'm
going camping for the weekend, because it's safe in the elements, I can go
days without charging the battery, and it's not distracting me from the world
around me. It's still got Google Maps and can do SMS / MMS, so it's practical.
The FM radio is surprisingly useful, too—something I'd forgotten about since
it's not as common on phones anymore.

Sadly, it's been discontinued, but it's still pretty easy to find them for
sale. I really love mine, I plan to keep using it as long as the cell networks
still work with it.

[https://www.t3.com/reviews/cat-b100-review](https://www.t3.com/reviews/cat-b100-review)

~~~
vymague
How does it compare to B30? I'm currently looking for a 3G/4G dumbphones.

~~~
jaysonelliot
I haven't seen a B30 in person, but it looks pretty comparable. Seems like
it's a slightly thinner & lighter update to the B100 (though "thin and light"
is relative, it's a rugged candybar).

It would probably be as good. I prefer the look of the B100, but I bet the B30
is nice, too.

------
dbg31415
[https://www.nokia.com/en_int/phones/nokia-3310](https://www.nokia.com/en_int/phones/nokia-3310)

[https://www.cnet.com/products/nokia-3310/review/](https://www.cnet.com/products/nokia-3310/review/)

I got one of these for my Dad, and he loves it. He likes to garden and putter
around in the work shop, and he hated that he always had to worry about
keeping his hands clean in order to use the iPhone.

Now... if only there was a way to disable all texting, he'd be in bliss. A
simple message to people, "I don't text, call me." Would be great for any
phone, really. Some people hate texting.

------
bayouborne
I just came here to say 'Bring back the Razr'

~~~
flanbiscuit
As much as I love smartphones, the razr was such a great phone. I miss smaller
phones in my pocket. I still have my Razr. Do they still make those size SIM
cards anymore?

~~~
kopijahe
The still do, at least in Indonesia. You can get prepaid SIM card that is pre-
cut from Mini to nano, you just pop out the size you want...

You can also buy an adapter to convert the smaller SIM to the larger ones...

------
delbel
I buy whatever smart phone walmart has for $35, prepaid. then I do not
register it. I download skype and pay $2-3 a month for unlimited incoming and
outgoing, and only use wifi. if I am traveling I turn on the prepaid, I think
verizon was the last one. I think it was $10-25 per day or for something like
300 minutes

last year when we had a snow storm, the power went out. my UPC system ran my
internet for about 4 hours I was able to turn on LTE data for the prepaid
phone and I bought something like 5-10gb of data and watched movies, had
internet, and lights off of my deep cycle batteries and solar until they were
able to fix the power pole a week later

------
n2dasun
I use the Sonim XP5 with Verizon(also available for AT&T). It can be used as a
wifi hotspot, has a music player, removable battery, expandable storage,
bluetooth (connects to my truck just fine for calls, music and listening to
messages. can respond to messages with canned responses). uses a stripped-down
version of Android for its OS.

[https://www.androidheadlines.com/2017/07/sonim-
xp5-verizons-...](https://www.androidheadlines.com/2017/07/sonim-
xp5-verizons-4g-lte-equipped-rugged-basic-phone.html)

------
theriddlr
Nokia 3310 (in name and shape only) 3G?
[https://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_3310_3g-8876.php](https://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_3310_3g-8876.php)

------
ForHackernews
Not exactly a dumbphone, but Unihertz makes extremely small phones
[https://www.unihertz.com/](https://www.unihertz.com/)

~~~
mxuribe
This is cool. Thanks for sharing this!

I miss the days when phones were small enough to comfortably fit in one's
pockets. I always favored flip phones over candy bar phones not due any
particular function, simply because of their compactness. Ah, the past!

------
mrfusion
As an offshoot I’m looking for a second phone to use in emergencies if my
primary phone is dead or lost. Is there a super cheap emergency only plan?

------
JustSomeNobody
I don't want a dumb phone. I want a smartphone that allows me to toggle it
into dumb phone mode with only phone, gps and messaging available. That way I
can have best of both worlds.

I don't think either major OS maker will do that. Those silly tools they're
coming up with for tracking your time are ridiculous and it's just to appease
the smartphone addiction bad press.

~~~
bkcreate
If you have a samsung, you can do this by putting your phone in battery saver
mode

------
sjmulder
Do NOT get the Nokia 3210 (2017) or any other phone running the S30+ OS:

\- High input latency. Makes texting quite painful. I’m usually one or two
button presses ahead of the display.

\- Very limited storage capacity for texts. It seems to be some fixed limit
and it won’t use free space useable by e.g. the camera.

\- Terrible call quality.

I’m still using it because the phone has charm, but that’s the only redeeming
quality in my opinion.

~~~
bshimmin
I have the Nokia 216 (which you can - or could six months ago - buy in the UK
in Tesco for about £25) and it also suffers from the same limited text storage
capacity: I think it's probably the most annoying thing about it, since it's
clearly so unnecessary (unless it tries to store the messages on the SIM and
that only has limited space? Not sure...). Otherwise I would moderately
earnestly recommend this phone - it does everything you would want of a mobile
phone in the late '90s, plus the BBC News web site works quite well in the
browser!

------
aosmith
Have you checked out light phones? There's a light phone 2 in the works now:

[https://www.thelightphone.com/](https://www.thelightphone.com/)

[https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/light-
phone-2-design#/](https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/light-phone-2-design#/)

------
karmajunkie
Is anybody aware of a dumbphone that has text entry by voice? I had to go to a
featurephone a few years ago for a short time and found that going back to T9
style text entry was just too painful to make it a viable option for me.

------
amarant
HMD/Nokia recently launched the 3310. I was under the impression it would be
available in the us too. (though I live in sweden so I didn't verify this)

Nokia is like the Apple of dumbphones, and the 3310 is the original iPhone!

------
AJRF
It's funny that the solution to people's fears about commercialism interfering
with the real world is to go out and buy another phone rather than use some
self control over the stuff they already own.

~~~
posting2fast
> the solution to people's fears about commercialism interfering with the real
> world

That's just a completely arbitrary rephrasing to fit your supposed punch line,
but describes nobody and nothing real.

> rather than use some self control

Oh. This one, _again_.

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17624459](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17624459)

~~~
vymague
I agree. Every time this subject came up, there were many comments about self-
control, many of them also mentioned they are from the older generation. Like
they don't have vices.

------
sbr464
Nokia 8110. I picked one up while traveling in Malaysia for about $70 US

~~~
plants
Do you know if this phone works in the US? I have gotten Nokia phones that
weren't explicitly for use in the US before and there was definitely wonkiness
in the compatibility with the US wireless carrier bands

~~~
bwood
I picked up the 8110 4G in Europe and it works fine on Canadian networks.

------
pwned1
I've used PuretalkUSA in the past. $20 a month and you can get a flip phone
for $25.

[https://www.puretalkusa.com/](https://www.puretalkusa.com/)

------
shawnz
What is the point? "Dumbphones" could be backdoored too, they are just slower.
They still can run arbitrary software programs.

~~~
okal
1\. Smaller attack surface, and fewer, less efficient means of egress.

2\. The Joy of Missing Out™.

~~~
shawnz
Only because there's less data to steal when you can do less with them. You
could choose to not use any online services on a smartphone too.

~~~
okal
1\. Yeah. That doesn't make it any less true. If you go so far as to get one
that has no Internet connection, an attacker would need have to be super
committed (short of social engineering) to gain access, for very little
benefit.

2\. Services that are intentionally designed to be addictive. That may be easy
for you. It isn't for hundreds of millions of other human beings. A dumb-phone
precludes the possibility of access, so you don't have to exercise any
willpower.

------
tranchms
I just bought an unlocked LG B470.

It’s old school, and it does the basics. I recommend.

------
krupan
My kids like their used LG Rumor 2 LX265 phones.

------
Torwald
There is talkietalkie.el major mode for Emacs.

------
jccalhoun
last time i looked to change carriers most of the web sites had at least one
flip phone model for sale.

------
jlebrech
I want a qwerty phone with an eink display

~~~
bmj
Related question: why are qwerty keyboards on feature phones not really a
thing anymore?

