The 8 Best Dumb Phones to Simplify Your Life

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Are social media, web surfing, and email monopolizing too much of your time? If you’ve been thinking about making a change—whether for a digital detox or to simplify your life—then consider retiring your time-sucking smartphone. Trending now is a less distracting device—an inexpensive mobile phone that lacks those addictive apps and is designed primarily for basic voice communications.

A dumb phone is essentially an old-fashioned “feature” clamshell—or candybar-style phone—equipped only with a small, non-touch display and a physical numerical keypad which was the norm before the iPhone. A dumb phone, however, isn’t actually dumb at all, considering the advanced and sophisticated technology packed within its plastic housing. In fact, it might be an especially smart choice to protect impressionable children from social media or to allow tech-averse seniors to stay in touch.

I’ve researched and compared every dumb phone available and narrowed down the best ones based on voice performance, not-so-dumb features like music playback, web access, GPS mapping capability, price, and carrier and network compatibility. Here are the phones to buy now.

Best Dumb Phones

• Best Overall Dumb Phone: Nokia 2780 Flip

• Best Basic Dumb Phone: Nokia 110 4G

• Best Unlocked Dumb Phone for Seniors: Easyfone Prime A7

• Best Dumb Phone for Seniors with Service: Lively Jitterbug Flip2

• Best Rugged Dumb Phone: Kyocera DuraXV Extreme E4810

The Expert

What to Consider in a Dumb Phone

Design

Mostly sub-$100, and flip or candy bar-style in design, a dumb phone is equipped with a 3x4 numerical keyboard that looks unchanged from any cell phone available since the late 1990s/early 2000s. Most dumb phones have a rudimentary web browser, music player, map, messaging, calendar, and other basic apps, although these all may be more difficult to navigate without a touch screen or even see on the less than 3-inch low resolution screens typically found on these phones.

While many dumb phones include a camera, they’re usually capable of capturing only low-resolution images or video.

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Battery

Dumb phone standby battery life—the time the phone will retain power while not being used— is often measured in days rather than hours, so it will not need to be recharged as often as a smartphone unless you do a LOT of talking. Dumb phone talk time battery life ranges between 5- and 10 hours, depending on the model.

With increasing demand for dumb phones, there is a growing number of more expensive “minimalist” phones. These pricier models offer more attractive designs and better build quality, in addition to more advanced security features, improved voice call quality and speakerphones, higher resolution cameras, and better Bluetooth and wireless music capability. They merely lack the apps that sap your time and attention.

Connectivity

Only a limited number of dumb phones are sold directly by the three major United States cell providers—AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon—or by pre-paid carriers such as Boost Mobile, Consumer Cellular, Cricket, Metro, Mint, Tello, Ultra, and Visible. Most dumb phones are “unlocked,” meaning they’ll operate on a wide variety of networks. If you’re already a subscriber to a cell provider, however, make sure the dumb phone you choose is compatible; many dumb phones won’t work on Verizon’s network, for instance.

Also check that the dumb phone you choose operates on a 4G cellular network. Avoid any model designed to run on 3G or 2G networks—AT&T and T-Mobile shut down their U.S. 3G networks in Spring 2022 and Verizon turned off its 3G network at the end of 2022.

Older cell phones that are only compatible with 3G or even older 2G networks won't be able to receive calls or text, including to 911, according to the Federal Communications Commission. No dumb phone operates on the latest 5G networks, which are designed primarily to increase the speed of data connections largely unnecessary on a dumb phone.

Most dumb phones include Wi-Fi for rudimentary internet access for web access or texting, as well as Bluetooth for wireless head/earphone connectivity.

How We Selected Dumb Phones

Most sub-$100 dumb phones look and perform similarly. I looked for 4G models with long battery life, high call quality, more rugged builds to better withstand inadvertent drops, drips, and dunks, and supplementary features such as a camera, GPS, or music playback, in addition to price.

2780 Flip

You get a lot more than expected with this sub-$100 Nokia 2780 flip phone, especially if you just plan to use it for voice conversation. You get access to the latest 4G voice technologies to create clear conversations with plenty of volume through both the phone’s earpiece and its extra loud speakerphone.

You do get some “smart” features since the 2780 runs KaiOS, and you get a higher resolution camera than usual on a dumb phone. But you might have to more frequently recharge the 2780; while it’s rated talk time is 7 hours, reviewers report you may only get half that.

110 4G

If your goal is to cheaply simplify your life and confine yourself to wireless calls, this simple and light (3 ounces) Nokia 110 4G is your choice. The 110 uses 4G Voice Over LTE technology to create clear calls, but you may need to use the speakerphone to get decent volume.

Yes, you get other features, but each includes limitations that disincentivize you to use them. For instance, the 110 can text, but limited memory means the phone can’t save many incoming messages and won’t accept more once the memory is full.

Likewise, there’s a “mini” web browser, but with no Wi-Fi you can only access the internet via the slow 4G cellular connection, and you won’t be able to see much on the small 1.8-inch screen. But since the 110 takes only three hours to recharge, you’ll rarely be out of voice contact touch.

Prime A7

Those with fading eyesight will love not only the big buttons with large, white, easy-to-read numbers on this new Prime A7 from Easyfone, but they’ll be able speed dial folks via pictures displayed on this candybar phone’s screen.

To help with hearing conversations, the A7 is equipped with a loud speaker, and is hearing aid compatible. There’s also a dedicated emergency SOS button on the back of the phone that both calls for help and transmits your location, just in case. An included charging dock makes recharging easy—no fumbling with loose cables or tiny jacks.

While not necessarily smart, the A7 is equipped with handy features like a camera, FM radio and music player, calculator, even a voice recorder. While the A7 is unlocked for use on T-Mobile’s family of post- and pre-paid networks, you get a SpeedTalk SIM card with plans that start at $5 a month, and you can keep your current phone number.

Jitterbug Flip2

While the Easyfone Prime A7 is excellent for seniors, the Jitterbug Flip2, combined with Lively’s cell service may provide peace of mind for both the user and their loved ones. You not only get easy access to a Lyft ride, with a $39.99/month or $49.99/month plan you also get 24/7 customer and health/safety emergency services at the touch of the large “urgent response” red star beneath the phone’s large keypad keys.

The Flip2 phone itself is equipped with a spacious 3.2-inch- color screen and large button/large print numerical keypad. You also get a magnifier and flashlight for easier reading, and relatively high resolution 8 MP rear and 5 MP front selfie cameras. The red edition makes the Flip2 easier to spot in a purse or bag.

DuraXV Extreme+

There is no phone better able to withstand the elements or your own clumsiness than Kyocera’s DuraXV Extreme+ flip model. It’s Military Standard 810H-rated for resistance to dust, shock, vibration, temperature, icy rain, low pressure, solar radiation, salt, fog, humidity, freeze-thaw and icing-freezing rain.

It’s drop-proof up to 5 feet onto concrete and rated IP68 dustproof and waterproof up to 6.5 feet for up to 30 minutes. It's also approved for use in hazardous locations such as concentrations of flammable gases.

Not only is the DuraXV Extreme+ tough but highly functional, its large keys enable accurate button-pushing with gloves on. Its push-to-talk (PTT) capabilities turn it into a handy walkie-talkie with other DuraXV users. An extra loud speakerphone let’s you conduct conversations in noisier conditions or when holding the phone to your ear isn’t an option, and it can act as a mobile hot spot for up to 10 devices. It provides two days’ worth of talk time battery life.

Classic

For some reason, TCL has created four different but nearly identical Flip models for each of the three major U.S. carriers, as well as an unlocked version. Regardless of which carrier you prefer, each of the Flips, while varying ever so slightly in battery life and memory specifications, operate on 4G LTE networks. They all also feature two color screens: a 2.8-inch display on the inside and 1.44-inch external display that shows the time, date, and battery status.

Each Flip model offers different battery life, from the above-average 8 hours of talk time on the Flip Pro to the 14 hours of talk time supplied by the Flip Go, but all are equipped with a 2MP camera, and Bluetooth for wireless music listening and handsfree calling.

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MP02

If you’re paranoid or even just mildly concerned about your digital safety, this Punkt MP02 is focused on supplying simple and secure mobile communications. Around four times the price of standard dumb phones, the Punkt is equipped with a proprietary operating system and other software to create encrypted Internet-based calls and texts via Wi-Fi or your cellular connection to keep your data and calls clear from prying hackers.

Not only does the candybar-styled Punkt keep you digitally safe, its tough construction makes this uniquely designed handset safe from physical harm. Its rubbery trapezoidal rear is easy to grip and its matte polycarbonate chassis is reinforced with glass fiber to protect it if you drop it. To please your personal aesthetic, the Punkt MP02 is available in light blue, light grey, or basic black.

II

Dumb phones are not supposed to have touch screens. But if you are an avid texter, you absolutely want the alphanumeric keypad displayed on WisePhone II’s large 6.49-inch color touch screen to more easily tap out your missives.

The touch screen on the WisePhone II, an update of the original but no longer available original WisePhone, is good for more than just texting, though. You get full GPS and mapping, a notes app, and a superior viewfinder and display for shooting and showing high resolution pictures—all capabilities lacking in other dumb phones. What you don’t get are all those addictive apps—just the true cellphone basics.

You can pre-order the WisePhone II for delivery this summer, available with three service plans at $24.99, $44.99, and $69.99 to access a wider variety of smart services.

Expert Stewart Wolpin Has the Answers on Digital Detoxing, Privacy, and 911 Functions With Minimalist Phones.

Will a dumb phone help me with a digital detox?

The dumber the phone—if you choose a model that lacks a web browser, email, and social media apps, for instance— the deeper the digital detox you’ll get.

However, given how critical some smartphone features have become—not only basic communications tools like texting but suddenly indispensable higher tech functions such as picture and video taking, GPS mapping, Internet information access, and digital payments—you may find digitally detoxing more challenging than you imagined.

Is a dumb phone a smart way to protect my privacy?

No cellular phone, smart or dumb, is completely secure. Regardless of its intelligence or lack thereof, your mobile phone location can be triangulated and recorded, as any true crime fan can attest.

Plus, your cell provider tracks and records the voice or text numbers dialed or received. Voice calls on less secure networks can even be monitored. But a dumb phone is far less likely to be hacked by identity thieves since it won’t contain a lot of your personal information much beyond your name and phone number.

What 911 or emergency functions will a dumb phone have?

911 can be dialed or reached from any cellular phone, regardless of its intelligence, as long as you can get a cellular or Wi-Fi signal. But some otherwise dumb senior-centric phones often provide a single emergency or SOS button to make accessing emergency services easier and faster.

How long should one of these phones last?

Dumb phones are no more or less susceptible to accident damage or age-related battery life deterioration than a smartphone. What makes a dumb phone “better” than a smartphone where longevity is concerned is not having to worry about a touch screen cracking or breaking, and the low cost and ease of replacement since you don’t need to be concerned about transferring your entire digital life to a new device.

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