We Switched to Dumbphones So You Won't Have To

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Joined: Mar 2024
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We Switched to Dumbphones So You Won't Have To


The MKBHD Team loves the idea of dumbphones, so we split up to test a few different minimalist devices! Spoilers: there isn’t a perfect ‘dumb device’… yet.

We Mention These!
3D Print a Z Flip 5 Dumbphone – https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6610964
Using The Z Flip 5 As a Minimalist Phone -…

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27 Comments

  1. I daily-drove the hisense A9 for about a year and loved virtually every feature about it. E-ink, decent camera, access to my email and calendar, an actual 3.5mm jack. I ended up switching to the Samsung Z5 for one big reason though. Hisense never released the A9 for the global market, meaning no Google support. No maps, gmail, play store, or even google powered apps. I strongly think that if they released the same thing with a slightly faster processor and access to Google, I would use that phone for 5+ years.

    I did really enjoy having a wifi only smart phone to use for social media and such at home and a simple e-ink device to do everything else.

  2. Many years ago I had a meeting with a client (the guy sold premium hi-fi systems), and offered him to add each other as friends on Facebook.

    Him: I don't use Facebook
    Me: but why?!
    Him: one day, I realized I'm spending an hour on average on that app. And I thought: damn, I could have made money during that hour!

    The same day I deleted the Facebook app from my phone, and never installed stuff like Instagram or TikTok.

    Do just keep using your phones, just think of how you spend your precious time!

  3. What I want most out of dumb phone is an S24 quality camera. Everything else can be greyscale and whatever else but the camera mode can have colour screen that captures great shots.

  4. Little Sad, that you didn't cover the Ratio Homescreen Launcher, I think it does most of the things you mentioned right, whilst keeping the funcionality of your Smartphone. I love the chat conversations feature especially. ^^

  5. The best dumbphone Is actually a smartwatch with LTE (I use a galaxy watch 6)

    You can do everything you need (calls, WhatsApp, messages, payments, music, podcasts, get directions etc) and nothing you don't (yt, IG, tik tok etc) but doing everything takes a bit more time, so you really filter what you actually want to do.

    Only real downside si battery life and lack of camera.
    The first is easily overcome by having the charging puck in a bag with you. Since the battery is small, it'll charge fast on any random usb port from any pc

    Othe Plusses are: you probably already have one and you carry it around. It on your wrists. Not having a phone in a pocket feel amazing

  6. We went to a pizza place they had a QR Code menu a few months ago. It's a pizza place why do you not have a menu! Yeah I would say if they only have a QR Code menu don't go back or even leave. How often is their menu changing that they need to have it online. They can post a menu on the wall and then that doesn't need to be touched not that were in 2020 again.

  7. For anyone wanting a potentially better solution on an existing Android smartphone, use Google Family Link to block/restrict whatever you want and then give the code to a friend or put it somewhere inconvenient. Only downside is that your device can now only have one Google account.

  8. If you have a Samsung set the power mode to "maximum saving" and it limits you to around 8 essential apps (phone, messaging, camera, clock etc) so it's a pretty good way of reducing usage, bonus points that your phone lasts 3-4 days now.