Why a 'dumb' phone is the smart new trend
As the cost of smartphones continue to rise the latest trend in the mobile phone market is consumers going vintage with the growing popularity of "dumb" phones.
“They’re going to be able to make calls, they’re going to be able to text and they’re going to be able to do some simple communication stuff and they’re going to be cheaper,” Fox News Headlines 24/7 anchor Brett Larson said on the FOX Business Network’s "FBN:AM."
In the smartphone market, the Samsung Fold is at the high end, costing nearly $2,000, while “all the new iPhones are in the $1,000 range,” according to Larson.
On the other hand, the "dumb" phones, often referred to as "smart feature phones," can cost as little as $25.
A sales person displays JioPhone as she poses for a photograph at a store of Reliance Industries' Jio telecoms unit, on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, India, September 26, 2017. REUTERS/Amit Dave - RC18E8A15240
According to the Wall Street Journal, while sales of smartphones have declined, the shipments of these "smart feature phones" are on the rise with approximately 84 million expected to ship this year.
The phones, which can make calls, text and have limited internet access, are growing in popularity among "millions of first-time internet consumers from the Ivory Coast to India and Indonesia," according to the Journal.
The "dumb" phones are an attractive options for parents as well who want to give their children a phone so they can remain in contact with them, but want to limit their children’s access to the internet or social media.