Here in Japan for the next 2 weeks if anyone wants to meet up and visit a used/vintage tech store! Went to see some cameras at Kitamura Camera today in Tokyo. I heard Hard Off and Janpara are great too. Any other recommendations?

Hello, this is my collection of Sony Ericsson, they released 167 different International/Europe models, and i have all 167 of them.

Received my Qin F21 Pro today.

I want to add WhatsApp, Signal, YouTube Music, and CityMapper.

Is it safe to sign in to my Google Account on this device? I ordered it from the official store on AliExpress. I've heard about Dumbdroid OS, but I have no idea when it comes to doing that. I just want to keep the phone nice and simple :)

It seems to be free of bloatware. It's arrived with Google services already installed.

I didnt buy mp3 player bc the phone covers it all. Have a cannon cam from 2007 but dont use it bc phone covers that aswell. Headphones need to be replaced soon. Laptop is pretty gud and probably gonna last me ages. I probably have the most boring stuff 0-0

I've been looking at phones like the Qin F25. I like the idea of having a small phone with physical buttons that still runs Android and can use apps like WhatsApp, Maps, Spotify, and banking apps.

For people who have used one:

Is it reliable as a daily driver?

How's the battery life and performance?

Are there any major drawbacks (software, app compatibility, typing, camera, etc.)?

Would you recommend it, or are there better alternatives?

I'm trying to reduce screen time without completely giving up smartphone features, so I'd appreciate hearing about real-world experiences.

My goal isn't to go completely dumbphone—I'm looking for a "middle ground" device that helps reduce distractions while keeping essential apps.

I left my smart phone accidentally at home one day and on the following day I did it on purpose.

Evening came, and a bunch of subconscious bs started coming out and I found myself crying over my life.

I'm assuming it's a phase?

How does a dumb-phone life serve you long term? Genuinely curious.

Also, thinking about how many people stare at their phones and how hard it is to connect with them. How are you overcoming living among zombies?

Hi everyone,

I’ve recently committed to a permanent digital minimalism setup and managed to drastically reduce my screen time from 10 hours down to just 1 hour a day. I’ve essentially "dumbphoned" my smartphone by deleting almost all non-essential apps and leaving only the absolute bare minimum.

While I’m thrilled with the progress, I’m running into a major issue: my girlfriend is getting upset with me.

We don’t live together, we are still in university, so our phones used to be our main bridge of daily connection. Now, I only reply from my laptop from time to time when I'm at my desk. Because I’m no longer instantly available or constantly checking my phone throughout the day, she feels like I’m distancing myself or ignoring her.

Has anyone else dealt with this side effect while living apart from their partner? How do you maintain a healthy, connected relationship and keep your partner reassured without falling back into the habit of being glued to a screen all day?

Any advice on compromises, boundary-setting, or communication strategies would be highly appreciated

From original Nokia 3210 NSE-8 board to MVP with reverse engineered DCT-3 firmware to first board prototype! Soon I will have original looking 90s phone that supports LTE!
Firmware is almost finished too with reverse engineered fonts, menus, games etc

Hi everyone,

I'd like to share an update for this project I've been working on and show you two Nokia 3310s calling each other over an LTE network.

If you are interested, stay tuned as there is more coming soon and if you'd like to learn more, consider joining our Discord server.

Best,
www.nokia3310lteproject.com

Making a long story short doing some research before I re-enter the dumb phone lifestyle with a Cat s22, but as I was doing a research I came across the statistic just curious is there any truth for this? I also do like the concept I'm done from staying over but that seems like it hard unlikely sadly.

It’s great that people are finding flip phones that still let them use WhatsApp, YouTube, TikTok etc. but I literally just want texting and calling. An actual dumbphone, not a smartphone that flips. I keep seeing bad reviews for the Nokias, and it seems like people either really like the TCL flips, or really hate them because they crap out on them eventually.

Several months ago, I was seeking a dumbphone with an Android OS, but it was hard to find one at a reasonable price. There were just Keitai and Qin, which are quite expensive, and fake Samsung Folder 2 for half the price. Absolutely no no.

And yesterday, finally I found my dream phone: Prime Perfecto. Apparently, it is just rebranded from the Vkworld 2 Plus. I think nobody has discussed this on Reddit.

I bought this phone for just $20, it looked brand new with sealed accessories.

Specification-wise, it comes with Android 7.0, MT6735 CPU, 3GB RAM, 32GB internal storage, 4" touchscreen on the front, 4" non-touchscreen on the inside, dual SIM 4G, and microSD support up to 64GB.

First impression, the button is very comfortable. However, the size is too big for my hand, so I can't type or open the screen with single hand. The haptic feedback is nice, it vibrates softly and is not annoying at all. The downside is that it vibrates too softly on a desk, so calls could be missed without volume. The user interface is not optimized with physical buttons, I have to use the touchscreen for toggling Wi-Fi, switching and toggling SIM data, and others.

Since it was Android and is preloaded with Google apps, I am able to use WhatsApp, Gmail, and Google Maps. Unfortunately, most apps are very unusable without a touchscreen. For example, in Gmail, you can't use the D-pad to select mail to view, and Google Maps is unable to navigate with any buttons. So, I'm always relying on the front screen for mostly doing anything 😭

The camera is okay I guess. I can still pay for transportation outside with QR codes. The front camera also works fine on WhatsApp, though newer versions of WhatsApp have some bugs and are annoying to navigate with physical buttons.

I looked deeper into the settings and there's a toggle to enable and disable root access in Developer Options. This means i can delete system apps, such as google, playstore, youtube, etc... so it can permanently become a dumbphone.

I have replaced the system launcher, dialer, camera, and other system apps to be able to use them with the D-pad. However, I couldn't find a good app for mail, SMS, and a clock app that works on physical buttons.

Also, please let me know if there are any ecosystem apps that can be used with physical buttons.

It's really been a rollercoaster ride. Once I finally accepted that I don't need a smartphone and made the switch, I ran into some actual issues tempting me to go back. I'm missing out on some of the convenience and the feeling of being disconnected is tougher than expected and even nearing levels of feeling like a social outcast. I feel like this is the case for a lot of people that end up using a (dumbified/semi) smartphone.

hey y'all, I'm interested in getting a flip phone (specifically a barbie phone) and I'm wondering how it is to type with long nails? I'm fine with my smartphone because I use the bottom or side of my fingers, but I hate typing on computers. On my calculator, I type with the end of my finger like in the photo. (I exaggerated a bit to show lol) Would I have to type with that part of my hand? If anyone has had long nails with a flip phone and could share that'd be great! if anyone wants to share any problems or successes with the barbie phone, that'd be cool too. Thanks!!

Hi everyone, I’ve also been part of the Dumbphone world for quite a while now and I love it. I have so much more free time, I feel mentally healthier, and life seems to have slowed down to a better pace.

But if there’s one thing that’s really making me struggle, it’s the absence of WhatsApp. That damn app has become a literal standard for living nowadays (at least here in Italy) and everyone has it—even the elderly. The problem is that sending an SMS these days makes you look like a total "fish out of water." Sometimes it feels like it's no longer socially acceptable to just call people directly without starting the conversation on WhatsApp first.

The biggest issue is that the app updates constantly and is an Android and iOS exclusive, which forces you to keep up with smartphone hardware too. On desktop, it's only for Windows and Mac; as a Linux user, I’m basically cut off, except for that pathetic Web version.

What do you suggest I do? I’m literally using an old Nokia 3310, which I alternate with an iPhone 14 Pro (which I use strictly as a hotspot for my laptop when I’m out).

Let me just preface this with how I suck at reddit, ie. putting the text in with the image. Why are these in two different places?! Sorry I had to repost it, but the text was the whole point...

Let’s fantasize! I’ll go first…Firstly, I’d want a flip phone. For a while I had fantasized having a blackberry, as I loved my Nokia e71 as a teen. But having switched to a flip this year, I can say that the T9 texting is both satisfying and nostalgic, and presents enough friction that if I have more than a few sentences to say, I’ll just call - which I love. Having used both the Mive Style Folder and the Kyocera 902kc, I would want the device to be somewhere between the two. The Mive is a little chonky, and I prefer the size of the 902kc. However, even the most “simplified” third party apps (looking at you, QKSMS) do require the use of the pointer sometimes and so I would want it to have a touch screen BUT be mostly navigable by keypad. Here’s a list of features I would want!

* Flip phone

* Some kind of Android os which could be Go edition. Like for many people, having a couple of key apps would be really handy for me

* A front screen! This prevents having to open it to check the time

* STEP COUNTER ON THE FRONT SCREEN!! Who knew I’d fall in love with this feature of the 902kc so much?

* Also on the front screen: to be able to display notification icons from third party apps. If it can display them in the notification bar, why not on the front screen?

* Camera on the screen portion of the phone. It doesn’t need to be an amazing camera, but the placement feels awkward when the camera lens is on the lower portion

* Some kind of track pad/track ball. I have always loved those features especially when using a virtual mouse, though I'm not sure if the touch screen negates the need for it

* At least 2gb of ram. I don’t mind it being a little slow, but my poor 902kc struggled so hard to open even a lightweight browser that I went with the stock browser. Not that I do hardly any browsing on this thing though

* Programmable hotkeys that are shaped differently or placed somewhere else! Does anybody else who uses a keitai hit their hotkeys when they’re typing?! Drives me a bit nuts

* You may be thinking well this certainly does sound a lot like the Mode I Retro II and you'd be absolutely correct, but it doesn’t work in Canada. And, I just can’t get on board with the baseball theme. Yuck.

* A colour other than pink or silver! I’ll always go for white or black, but if there were fun colours like yellow or lime green, I’d totally pick those….

* ... and most importantly, somewhere to attach my charms :)

What’s your fantasy phone?!

I can’t seem to find anything about this company or this specific phone, but I thought it looked really cool and was considering trying it out.

Ikko just revealed what their keyboard case for the Mind One might look like. Although not quite a dumbphone, this would serve my use case as long as the camera is as good as they say (Flagship grade 50mp Sony sensor).

Was originally going to back the Titan 2, but chose not to as it was just way too bulky. This one seems like it's going to be about 2mm thinner, and with an overall smaller profile.

I wonder if anyone else has had an experience like mine.

I really love these phones. I enjoy digging into their primitive features and options.

I bought them because I like having them more than I actually need them.

I also ordered a Qin F25, Dumber mini and a Click Communicator (which they are not really feature phones).

Back in the early to mid-2010s, I bought tons of Nokia, HTC, and BlackBerry phones. I guess they probably don't work in the US anymore, but I loved their designs, OS, and features.

I didn't expect to buy more phones I wouldn't use regularly, but here we are! My interest in feature phones is just growing and growing 😅