Dumbphones: Could We Save The Digital World?

How I discovered the "Dumb Phone" (skip this part if you don't feel like it but please dear God read the rest i have spent so fucking long on this shit) :

Firstly, what is a dumbphone? I'm so glad you asked, random user. A dumbphone is essentially a dumbed down version of a smart-phone, something that you use for necessity, not to overwhelm yourself in tech. It decentralizes the phone, creating a need to have separate devices instead of accessing every need in one spot. Humans weren't made for this, and as a gen z girl, I'm ready to walk away from this lifestyle. The people before us created this harmful shit, and I'm not going to do it anymore. I wake up and I feel so sucked into my phone, scroll for hours, and feel so unproductive. I wanted a phone that did the bare minimum, something that wasn't created by a huge company in order to suck me in and distract me ON PURPOSE. 

So, I went searching and fell down this insane rabbit hole. Yes, hours of my time were spent dedicated to this. My entire day today was made up of no breaks just focussed searching across a variety of youtube videos, reddit posts, ebay listings, and translated japanese websites. 

Here is what I found: 

None of the phones are cute. Big shocker, they're all ugly! It's because tech companies like apple are gearing toward a more futuristic look, something that has never been done before unlike the cool flip-phones I remember from childhood.

 Also, the ones that are cute are from fucking Japan, so there's no guarantee they even work here. 

Don't get discouraged though! I spent time looking into this stuff so you don't have to! Let me give you the breakdown of the semi-good options I have come by! 

Most desirable, semi-cute options, chosen for you and your kin by yours truly (an 18 year old college student with probably way too much time on her hands) dumbphones: 

1. Kyocera 903kc -

 Why do I like this phone? First of all, it's really pretty. It's sleek, it flips, you can put cute stickers on it, it has customizable apps, it supports spotify, 4g, whatsapp, and pretty much anything you could want or need. It has cute emojis, integrated keyboard art or whatever it's called, and you can even import custom emojis. It's just so cute and adorable and honestly who wouldn't love this phone? It's literally beautiful. 

Why don't I like this phone? It is Japanese which doesnt sound like a downside at first until you consider the fact that Japan and US have different bands. You may be thinking: what is a band? Well, great question! I had the same question and it still remains basically unanswered since I am pretty much a bimbo, but from my understanding it is what makes the data on the phone work. 

How do you make this phone work in America? Great question! It is debatable whether you can or can't make it work. Most people say that it works, some say that it works only in high traffic areas or only using T-mobile or Mint mobile (yeah the Ryan Reynolds company). It is also pretty pricey, but you can easily find it on ebay unlocked for like 140 which isn't bad at all for how little and cute it is. 

Overall, this is my dream phone. I am a poor person, but if I knew 100% that I could make this phone work in the United States even just basic function, I would buy it with every piece of money I have because it just seems so great. 

2. TCL Flip 2 Go/TCL Flip 2 - 

Why do I like this phone? Firstly, it's so cheap that it is unreal if you go with the Flip 2. Also, there is no doubt that it will be availible wherever you are in the USA. Also, it flips, so that's pretty great. I'm not sure about the TCL Flip 2 Go because it just seems like a much fancier version because the TCL Flip 2 is only 20 dollars at your local Walmart while the Go is like 300 or something ridiculous (could also get it on facebook probably since it isn't fancy and Japanese). You could use pretty much any network provider for this phone I think, so that's awesome. It's still retro, but it has the futuristic touch so if you're into that kind of thing(im not) it might be good for you! 

Why don't I like this phone? It's so fucking ugly. It isn't sleek, it's bulky, it's not cute, not customizable I don't think, and I just hate it. It's specifically designed for old people. I'm not old! I want a cute little phone that I can put cute little phone charms on and be so cute and stuff!! It also just looks like cheap trash to me and it only comes in black. 

Overall, it would be so great if I could just replace the body of the phone with the Kyocera's and keep the functionality as far as 4g and regular service providers go. 

Honorable mentions: 

Kyocera KY 42C - Similar to the 902/3 but it has a different back + it is even less likely to work in the USA

Any Blackberry - I would rank this at the top because I have always loved these even since I was a little kid, but right now I'm looking for a flip phone and I didn't give blackberries too much thought at all. It might be worth doing your own research. 

Any newly made specifically branded "dumb phone" - They honestly suck because it seems like theyre trying too hard to replicate the iphone but with less. it's really minimalistic but in an unsatisfying way. I wouldn't even want to take it anywhere with me let alone use it. 

Here is a link that I used to take a quiz to find out what dumbphones would be best for me. Then I researched each individual one. 

https://www.dumbphones.org/

So, maybe I'll never find a dumbphone. Maybe I'll rot away for eternity wishing my country supported japanese phones or something or maybe I'll suck it up and stick with a non-flip phone or an ugly TCL flip. Oh well. At least you're here. At least you read my blog post and somebody understands the fucking hours I have spent researching this stufff ALL DAY. I shit you not. All day. I'm exhausted. 

hope this helps 

if anyone else uses a dumb phone please help me? <3