Phone "downgrade"

Author
Discussion

TheOrgano

Original Poster:

36 posts

119 months

Friday 16th February
quotequote all
This might seem like a weird topic, and I wasn't sure where to post it, as nowhere else seemed appropriate

I deleted my facebook and twitter nearly 3 years ago. Best decision I made. I kept Instagram for cars and boobs, but the way that app is going, I'm likely to delete that soon as well.

Having recently watched through Loudermilk on Netflix (Defintely worth a watch. Very funny stuff), and seeing Loudermilk get pissed off trying to get a simple no frills phone in a phone shop and ending up with an old style flip phone, it did make me wonder about "downgrading" myself. Reduce my reliance on tech and my phone and get back to real life.

However, upon doing research into flip phones (not smart phones), my choices seem to be between a pensioner "big button" phone, or ones that have crap to awful reviews (even Nokia, the king of the solid reliable phone). Does anyone know of any good, reliable, phone that I can look into replacing my current smartphone with should I decide to take this step?

QJumper

2,709 posts

33 months

Friday 16th February
quotequote all
Just get a cheap smart phone and don't install any apps.

I got a used Moto G 5G for £50 off ebay and it's great. I use it more than my main iPhone.

Hoofy

77,497 posts

289 months

Friday 16th February
quotequote all
QJumper said:
Just get a cheap smart phone and don't install any apps.
^^^

You don't HAVE to install apps if you don't want to.

But where will you get cars and boobs from, eh? EH?

QJumper

2,709 posts

33 months

Friday 16th February
quotequote all
Hoofy said:
But where will you get cars and boobs from, eh? EH?
Does anyone remember magazines? smile

Mr Pointy

11,855 posts

166 months

Friday 16th February
quotequote all

loafer123

15,667 posts

222 months

Friday 16th February
quotequote all
Hoofy said:
^^^

You don't HAVE to install apps if you don't want to.

But where will you get cars and boobs from, eh? EH?
Hedge porn?

Hoofy

77,497 posts

289 months

Friday 16th February
quotequote all
loafer123 said:
Hoofy said:
^^^

You don't HAVE to install apps if you don't want to.

But where will you get cars and boobs from, eh? EH?
Hedge porn?
I checked the ones in my garden. Disappointed.

OoopsVoss

602 posts

17 months

Friday 16th February
quotequote all
QJumper said:
Just get a cheap smart phone and don't install any apps.

I got a used Moto G 5G for £50 off ebay and it's great. I use it more than my main iPhone.
Quite. I can see why the OP was reticent to post, given the obvious answer.

I don't use Facebook, Instagram or any of the other weird and wonderful apps beloved of many. I do however get a new smartphone every 1 -2 years as its handy for work, movies on the go and apps like Lyft / Uber etc. Also handy for maps when in other countries.

Getting.a brick because you don't like apps is a weird thought process when you neglect the genuine benefits of smartphones...

Whataguy

1,039 posts

87 months

Friday 16th February
quotequote all
Buying a simple smart phone and deleting the apps seems to be the best option.

Moto G's are great, plain android so run fast.

I have one just to run Waze on so have deleted the few apps it came pre-installed with.

You can pick one up cheaper than many of the big button dumb phones.

While the dumb phones should only cost £10 or so (I've bought plain dumb Nokias not that long ago from supermarkets for £20) they charge a huge amount for them now.

If you really want to avoid distractions, some people say to remove the colour from your phone and have it in black and white by setting the accessibility options.

Edited by Whataguy on Friday 16th February 20:32

Mazinbrum

995 posts

185 months

Friday 16th February
quotequote all
QJumper said:
Hoofy said:
But where will you get cars and boobs from, eh? EH?
Does anyone remember magazines? smile
Yes I get them in Readly on my iPad.

Master Bean

4,012 posts

127 months

Friday 16th February
quotequote all
You could get one of those really small phones drug dealers stick up their bums.

Mr-B

3,877 posts

201 months

Friday 16th February
quotequote all
Whataguy said:
Buying a simple smart phone and deleting the apps seems to be the best option.

Moto G's are great, plain android so run fast.

I have one just to run Waze on so have deleted the few apps it came pre-installed with.

You can pick one up cheaper than many of the big button dumb phones.

While the dumb phones should only cost £10 or so (I've bought plain dumb Nokias not that long ago from supermarkets for £20) they charge a huge amount for them now.

If you really want to avoid distractions, some people say to remove the colour from your phone and have it in black and white by setting the accessibility options.

Edited by Whataguy on Friday 16th February 20:32
Is it though?

Surely that would be the same as keeping his existing phone and removing the unwanted apps but without the cost of a new phone?? Or have i missed something? Just keep existing phone removing everything one by one until your are left with phone, text messages and camera, sorted.

MDMA .

9,211 posts

108 months

Friday 16th February
quotequote all
Master Bean said:
You could get one of those really small phones drug dealers stick up their bums.
Do they go through a thorough cleaning process before purchase?

MDMA .

9,211 posts

108 months

Friday 16th February
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I still have “new” 6230i in the box. Just dug it out now.


wibble cb

3,755 posts

214 months

Friday 16th February
quotequote all
I have one of these in a drawer…




MesoForm

9,162 posts

282 months

Saturday 17th February
quotequote all
Whataguy said:
If you really want to avoid distractions, some people say to remove the colour from your phone and have it in black and white by setting the accessibility options.
What a great idea, I’ve now changed one of my focus modes to be greyscale, it’s certainly less intense to use.

OP - I think you’ll be throwing the baby out with the bathwater if you get rid of a smartphone just to ditch the social media apps, the ability to have maps, train times, credit cards, decent camera, translation on the fly, etc etc can all be really useful and bricks just don’t offer you that.

the-photographer

3,820 posts

183 months

Saturday 17th February
quotequote all
Mudita Pure for something super simple or the Hisense A9 for a middle ground

the-norseman

13,427 posts

178 months

Sunday 18th February
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I bought a few of these new Nokia "feature phones" basically new versions of old phones like 3310 etc, They have 3G/4G and some can run a basic version of whatsapp but that is about it.

I'm mid 30's and love tech, I have considered having some down time from it occasionally recently but the problem is our whole lives live on a phone now, I have just been away, got to the airport and my boarding pass was on my phone, pass for the lounge on my phone, banking on my phone. When we got to the destination airport, uber on my phone, waze etc.

Jamescrs

4,875 posts

72 months

Sunday 18th February
quotequote all
The modernised Nokia 3310 is not bad at all as a basic mobile phone and pretty cheap to buy.

I used one for a few weeks after my smartphone was stolen 5+ years ago in a burglary but to be honest after a week I found it too frustrating not having a smart phone and bought another.

the-norseman

13,427 posts

178 months

Sunday 18th February
quotequote all
Jamescrs said:
The modernised Nokia 3310 is not bad at all as a basic mobile phone and pretty cheap to buy.

I used one for a few weeks after my smartphone was stolen 5+ years ago in a burglary but to be honest after a week I found it too frustrating not having a smart phone and bought another.
it was alright but I noticed after a few days use that you would press a button to dial a number and sometimes it would double dial that number or another one. I've got the 3310 3G and 8810 4G. The missus 11 year old is currently using the 8810 4G as he lost his smart phone and I'm not buying him another.

It came with Facebook, Twitter and games installed but I found a way to remove them via ABD.