Bobby Hiltz

I’ve got a problem. It’s a modern problem. I have too much time on my hands, and I’m wasting it using my thumbs to scroll.

My eyes are in a perpetual state of strain and fatigue. My wrist aches and I have a sore neck and shoulder.

I’m addicted to my phone and it isn’t the first time. Years ago the solution that I found to treat it was to jump on the digital minimalism and dumbphone bandwagon.

Then

Between 2017 and 2020, the the digital minimalism and dumbphone trends were taking off. Cal Newport had published a few books and was already promoting his next one. Tristan Harris had done his TED Talk and been on 60 Minutes. Reddit communities like r/Dumbphones, r/digitalminimalism, r/DigitalMindfulness, and r/nosurf were already established. Punkt. had already released their first device, the Mudita Pure was on its way, the Light Phone II was out, and HMD Global was promoting retro-styled Nokia-branded devices like the 8110 and 3310.

Honestly, the “digital detox” thing was nice. I deleted applications from my phone, deleted accounts for different networks, tried using greyscale to limit my use. Even little steps like that are good for you. Eventually I bought a little dumbphone, I tried using a KaiOS device), and even used the Punkt. MP01 and MP02 phones (see here, here, and here).

Now

Would you look at that. Nearly 6 hours per day. A third of my waking hours staring at a slab of plastic and glass. No wonder I’ve stopped reading and gained weight. Thinking back, I might spend more time now on my phone than I ever did. It isn’t social media either. The only social media accounts I have are on Mastodon and Lemmy. I spend over 23 hours per week using the browser, just reading the news or searching or doing work-related things. That is not healthy.

Being tempted once again to try one of the available minimalist phones, I’ve began making a list of available devices I might want to test out. Here are (some of) the phones available in my region:

Crosscall Core-S5 (link)

= Mocor OS

+ Not overly expensive (€80 on sale)

+ Available

! I currently use a Crosscall device and recommend it

Punkt. MP02, MC02, and MC03 (link)

- Expensive (€300–€700)

= Runs custom version of Android

+ Signal client

! I have used Punkt. phones in the past and like them

Mudita Kompakt (link)

- Expensive (€400)

- Runs Android (MuditaOS), meaning I could just sideload apps that I spend too much time using

+ E-ink

= Some applications, able to sideload applications like Signal or Syncthing

The Light Phone II/III (link)

- Expensive (€300–€700)

- Often sold out or on “pre-order”

+ Form factor

HMD 2660 Flip 4G (link)

+ Not overly expensive (€80)

- Has some bloatware baked in

- Runs S30+ (see here)

Doov R77 Pro (link)

- Runs Android (Dumber OS)

- Often sold out

= Currently rebranding to release a new model

If I had to buy one of these phones today, I would likely get the Crosscall device. I could have it within two days and it would match my other Crosscall phone. I do wish Crosscall would post videos of what it is like to use the device and navigate the menus. Punkt., Mudita, and The Light Phone do this, but I suppose the target market is different. If I didn’t have any phone at all, I might invest more and get a Punkt. or Mudita device. It would be hard to choose between those two. One has E-ink and the other offers Signal (plus I’ve used phones by that company before).

Ploum posted about phone addiction as well recently, which is what inspired me to check my phone usage and take a look at the types of non-smartphones available here in France. It is a rather disappointing thing that the options are so few, and frustrating that these phones are not always available in shops. The days when shopping for a phone also meant finding something that suits your style are so far gone that I don’t even stop to look at the phone section anymore.

What about you? Do any of you use a dumbphone, a feature phone, or a phone that is not the standard plastic and glass rectangle?