My real wife demands I have a GPS, so it's kind of limited me on what phone I can choose -- I need something dumb enough to be less of a distraction, but smart enough that I won't get lost in the wilderness.
For that reason, I'm really eyeing the Nokia 6300 4G. I'm in America and it's supported by lots of ( cheap! ) carriers. It has google maps and a couple of other applications built in, but it's otherwise a terrible phone all around, which makes me believe I won't be able to stand using it for long, so I'm excited to try it out. Or rather, buy it, and not try it out very much.
I have done pretty well with a combo of Nokia dumbphone for calls and texts, and a separate smartphone with no SIM as needed. I leave my smartphone at work or in the car when I want a break.
Only downside really is no WhatsApp but you can get a KaiOS phone that supports WhatsApp if it's essential.
Honestly the urge to constantly pull it out just passes after a couple of days. The boredom is intense but pretty soon you won't miss it and will enjoy other activities.
I also had good results with a very very cheap Android phone running Android Go. It was so slow that I just didn't want to use it for browsing. Downside is as a Dad I want to have a good camera within reach for special moments.
If you are looking for a smarter dumb phone, you might like the Sonim XP3800. I chose it because I was looking for a dumber phone that supported Signal and although the Punkt phone was sleek the experience was suboptimal.
I tried this with a unihertz jelly 2e. it's full android but ultra small. it didn't help it just made it frustrating, so after a month or so I went back to my old phone.
I also don't recommend the jelly 2e in particular because for some reason the only usb-c cable that's charges it effectively is the one it comes with, I couldn't find a single other cable that would charge it quickly, only trickle charge essentially...
You can always just use an iPhone and turn on screen time, with tons of restrictions. You can "remove" the browser, adding apps, of course any app you want (including core ones like messaging), and keep a few useful ones like Google Maps, etc. Then have your wife or someone else set the passcode on it and bam, you have a "dumb" smart phone. If you ever need full functionality for something like a trip abroad, etc., you can have them unlock it. I do this with my wife sometimes because I don't like all the distractions, or even the distraction of resisting the urge to be distracted. Works great.
I'm a fan of the Unihertz Jelly 2. It's great for 'detoxing' from smartphone usage because it is still able to provide useful everyday functions like Google Maps, but is so small that it's infuriating to use for mindless scrolling/entertainment purposes.
The cat s22 isn't exactly a dumb phone but it is a flip with a numpad and a very small touch screen which makes it much less addictive. You can still hotspot with it and have access to apps when needed. I love mine so far
How long does the battery on something like that last?
I'm thinking of something like that and an iPad mini to tether when I need to actually use a screen, the mini would be too big to just keep in my pocket and pull out so I'll only use it for banking, maps, etc.
mydriasis|2 years ago
For that reason, I'm really eyeing the Nokia 6300 4G. I'm in America and it's supported by lots of ( cheap! ) carriers. It has google maps and a couple of other applications built in, but it's otherwise a terrible phone all around, which makes me believe I won't be able to stand using it for long, so I'm excited to try it out. Or rather, buy it, and not try it out very much.
bcoughlan|2 years ago
Only downside really is no WhatsApp but you can get a KaiOS phone that supports WhatsApp if it's essential.
Honestly the urge to constantly pull it out just passes after a couple of days. The boredom is intense but pretty soon you won't miss it and will enjoy other activities.
I also had good results with a very very cheap Android phone running Android Go. It was so slow that I just didn't want to use it for browsing. Downside is as a Dad I want to have a good camera within reach for special moments.
bwestergard|2 years ago
https://sunbeamwireless.com/product/sunbeam-f1-orchid/
I have no affiliation with the company, just a satisfied customer.
http://bjornwestergard.com/notes/sunbeam-f1-daisy.gmi
hiatus|2 years ago
LesZedCB|2 years ago
I also don't recommend the jelly 2e in particular because for some reason the only usb-c cable that's charges it effectively is the one it comes with, I couldn't find a single other cable that would charge it quickly, only trickle charge essentially...
nlavezzo|2 years ago
maerF0x0|2 years ago
"Jiobit Gen 2" came up in a google search, no idea if it's any good.
rufus_foreman|2 years ago
danjoredd|2 years ago
sithadmin|2 years ago
csdvrx|2 years ago
It looks like the Palm PVG100 which had a bad battery life but it could be helpful to place calls when travelling
throwaway6734|2 years ago
happymellon|2 years ago
I'm thinking of something like that and an iPad mini to tether when I need to actually use a screen, the mini would be too big to just keep in my pocket and pull out so I'll only use it for banking, maps, etc.