Listen, pal. If you’re alive in 2024 (whoa), you’re likely aware that we’re all just too damn plugged in. I’m not going to sit here and try to convince you that you use your phone too much—that’s up to you to decide. But for all except the most iron-willed among us, abandoning the smartphone, whether it’s periodically or permanently, may seem like a good option.
Enter the “dumb phone,” or “feature phone,” aka a basic cell phone that lacks much of the browsing, social media, notifications, and “smart” features that keep us transfixed on the tiny computers in our pockets.
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Some people are reassigning their numbers to old Nokia or Motorola models from the early aughts, but there are now many brands that specifically make dumb phones for those looking to remain connected to the basics (calls, texts) but abandon the extraneous. It might seem counterintuitive that in order to avoid the tech of the present we have to invent other new products to use (or just revert to hella old ones), but that’s modern life, baby! The good thing about it is that, at the end of the day, each of us gets to decide how connected we want to be.
Picking a dumb phone
Picking a good dumb phone is actually easy, since you’re likely not looking for a ton of features—you just have to be real about what your priorities are.
If you want a phone that includes a GPS program and hotspot capabilities for working remotely, there are ones that check those boxes. If you want a phone that can stream YouTube vids or allow you to periodically check Facebook, you can find one to achieve those ends, too.
Meanwhile, if you’re thinking, Bro, I need tech that absolutely cannot handle the TikTok app, but that still has a pretty good camera, you’re also in luck.
In researching for this article, VICE talked to Will Stults, co-founder of dumbwireless, which specializes in curating and delivering the best dumb phones on the market today. “We scour the market,” Will told VICE in a recent chat.
Here are some of the best dumb phones out there right now.
Quick Look at Our Picks for the Best Dumb Phones
- Best iPhone replacement – Wisephone II
- The original minimalist brick – Light Phone II
- Recently upgraded Light Phone – Light Phone III
- Best dumb-ish phone – Unihertz Jelly Star
- Designer dummy – Punkt MP02
- The best flip phone – Sunbeam F1 Horizon
- Nostalgia trip – Nokia 6300
- Mid-range flip phone – Nokia 2780
- For commitment-phobes – Unpluq
- Burner mode – Tracfone TCL Flip 2
Best iPhone replacement – Wisephone II
At first glance, the Wisephone II looks almost exactly like an iPhone. A slim, sleek build with a large screen, side-mounted buttons, and even the panoply of camera lenses you’d find on the back of an iPhone or Pixel. But the difference becomes apparent as soon as you unlock the screen.
Marketed as “The Smartest Dumb Phone,” this “intentionally boring phone” features, well, boring versions of most essential tools you would find on a smartphone. “Techless” maps, ad-free music player, hella advanced camera, group-chat capabilities, damn, this thing is awesome and I want one now.
I imagine owning one of these would be like when you delete your social media apps, and just keep picking up your phone, and kind of, you know, turning it over and over in your hand looking at it, expecting it to entertain you, and you’re not sure how or why it ever did.
Sound fun? No? Well, that’s the point.
The original minimalist brick – Light Phone II
The Light Phone is one of the higher-profile dumb phones out there—likely due to its design, as it’s very attractive.
It’s small and sleek, and uses an electronic paper screen, not unlike an e-reader. The screen is only black and white, and it has extremely basic features, including a music and podcast player, a calendar, an alarm, and a calculator. It does have a full screen for texting, which is a rarity among dumb phones, so that’s a huge plus if you love chatting with the gang.
This one, like, is really minimalist, bruh: You can’t check email or social media (or anything online for that matter), and basically none of your fave apps will work here. That’s sort of the goal, though, right? It’s compatible with major networks such as AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon, as well as several smaller providers.
Recently upgraded Light Phone – Light Phone III
“Planned obsolescence remains an outrage to us,” Light said (rather dramatically) in the press release accompanying the announcement of the Light Phone III. “We’ll continue to sell, support and service our older models.”
That’s reassuring, considering the Light Phone II is still a highly sought-after ticket. Now, the Light Phone III, designed to “make going light even easier,” is available for pre-order as well.
For the Light Phone III, Light made the pivot from E-ink to a larger matte AMOLED display with an eye toward improving performance while still restricting distraction. They’ve also added a “genuinely fun” camera and further future-proofed the design with a new metal frame, a USB-C port, fingerprint ID, 5G, and an NFC chip to support digital payments.
Significant improvements to be sure, but Stults is confident the II will still attract its fair share of devotees: “The E-ink aesthetic is what a lot of people adore about the current Light Phone.”
Best dumb-ish phone – Unihertz Jelly Star
“When you go from the Jelly to the iPhone, it’s like going from a phone to a laptop,” Stults told VICE. “It’s awesome. It’s just a miniature smartphone.”
This mini-smartphone is perfect for those who are unable or unwilling to break away from the conveniences of life on the apps. The Jelly Star “runs super smooth—Spotify, everything runs great on it—it’s just tiny.”
The Jelly Star can run all the apps you need to stay plugged in, but the 3-inch screen tends to dissuade even the most tech-addled among us from doom scrolling into a state of dissociation at the dinner table.
It’s also got an eye-popping transparent colored plastic chassis (it’s giving clear N64 controller and iMac G3–très Y2k) that’s available in red and blue. I only wish it had a belt clip for that ‘90s drug dealer beeper vibe. ‘Cause how sick would that be?
Designer dummy – Punkt MP02
If your goal is having people say, “Wow, cool—what is that?” every time you take your phone out, the Punkt will certainly deliver.
Designed by lauded English product and furniture designer Jasper Morrison, it has a really neat minimalist-modern shape with an angled back that makes it especially ergonomic. It does have Bluetooth, as well as a couple other basic features, like an alarm, timer, calendar, and calculator, but it’s otherwise meant to be used pretty much just as a phone and texting device.
Oh, and its ringtones are designed by Kjetil Røst Nilsen, a Norwegian sound artist, so there’s another way to keep wowing your pals.
“The best flip phone” – Sunbeam F1 Horizon
“Sunbeam Horizon: for people that want a flip phone, that’s the best flip phone we recommend.”
Say no more, fam. It’s the best, and the people at Sunbeam know it—this sturdy little flip comes at damn near smartphone price point. But take a look at the specs and you’ll see it’s priced that way for good reason.
First off, it’s super solidly built. So if you miss the feeling of skating the stairs at the local high school with a nice chunky brick in your pocket for some reason, this one’s for you.
Plus, it’s got a few nifty tools your old phone never lived to see, including Waze navigation, a music player, Bluetooth and hotspot capabilities, and even voice messaging.
Nostalgia Flip – Nokia 6300
Trying to return spiritually to the good old days of Tony Hawk: Pro Skater marathons, hearing Matchbox 20’s tracks 15 times a day, and excessive Taco Bell consumption? This Nokia phone probably looks most similar to the device you had in the Before Times, aka high school in the early 2000s.
Despite its retro look, the 6300 is actually one of the most modern of the dumb phones, as it has Facebook and WhatsApp access, YouTube, hotspot capability, FM radio (if you’re craving some Nelly), and a maps feature. Still, you’re not going to get stuck scrolling for hours on TikTok or Instagram, making it a great choice for bridging the “smart” and the “dumb.”
Mid-range flip – Nokia 2780 Flip
Trying to take some pics of your new NBA Jam high score (under the name ASS, obviously)? The Nokia 2780 flip phone (YES) actually has one of the better cameras for both photos and video at five megapixels (many phone cameras are only two) so if you spot an incredible vanity plate, you’ll still be able to snap it.
This bad boy is also fairly souped up compared to its peers—it has music and is very app-friendly, with capabilities for internet, YouTube, maps, and more. Still, you’re here for what it doesn’t do, and since it’s a flip phone, you’ll have to reacclimate to T9 texting and a small screen.
For commitment-phobes – Unpluq
While not technically a phone, the Unpluq makes our list because it caters to a very specific audience. One that, if you’re reading this, you’re very likely a member of: the merely dumb phone-curious.
Unpluq is “for everybody that wants a dumbphone, but knows they can’t break away from what they need on it,” which is pretty much every employed person at this point. So what is it, exactly?
Unpluq is a key tag that uses NFC tap technology to lock selected apps on your smartphone, instantly rendering it dumb as a rock. Put TikTok in jail, leave your Unpluq tag at home, and go back to the days of making awkward eye contact with strangers on the train for lack of anything to scroll on.
Unplug “works great for parents too,” as “they hold the key” to their child’s phone access, which is perfect for school, homework time, or just an unfathomably torturous punishment.
Curious about dumb phone life? Who isn’t? Pick up an Unpluq and, well, unpluq.
Burner mode – Tracfone TCL Flip 2
This Tracfone TCL dumbphone is the nuclear option. It’s the “changing my name and going into witness protection” option. And that’s not a bad thing.
If you truly want to abandon your contract and current phone, cop this tech and sign up for prepaid Tracfone coverage. You can buy as much prepaid time as you want, so the phone will be as economical as you need it to be (but, let’s be real, you probably won’t be using it enough to necessitate an expensive plan).
This one does have access to Bluetooth, email, a browser, and all the assumed regular functions, like a calculator, calendar, and notes. It also has a camera. Oh, and the kicker: This phone is just $20. That’s less than I spent on dinner yesterday.
Call your parents! They miss you!
The Rec Room staff independently selected all of the stuff featured in this story. Want more reviews, recommendations, and red-hot deals? Sign up for our newsletter.
Techless
WisePhone II
$399.00 at Techless
The Light Phone
Light Phone II
$299.00 at Light Phone
The Light Phone
Light Phone III
$799.00 at Light Phone
Unihertz
Unihertz Jelly Star
$220.00 at Amazon
Punkt
Punkt MP02
$399.00 at Amazon
Sunbeam
Sunbeam F1 Horizon
$249.00 at dumbwireless
Nokia
Nokia 6300
$68.02 at Amazon
Nokia
Nokia 2780
$89.99 at Amazon
Unpluq
Unpluq
$74.00 at dumbwireless
TCL
Tracfone TCL Flip 2
$19.99 at Amazon
