Newsable: Smartphones being ditched for 'dumbphones,' but finding one isn’t easy

Wednesday, 22 May 2024

Newsable discussed the growth of people wanting basic ‘dumbphones’ and why finding them can be tough.

The invention of the iPhone 17 years ago saw smartphones take the world by storm.

Now, smartphones are everywhere and almost everyone has one… But, not everyone wants one.

Some want to ditch all the bells and whistles and revert back to ‘dumbphones’ - phones that can only call and text - like the Nokia brick your mum used to have, or your old flip phone with an awesome downloaded ringtone.

The growth in demand for ‘dumbphones’ was covered in a BBC story, which was discussed on Stuff’s daily news podcast, Newsable.

It turns out there’s a problem - people wanting to ditch their smartphones don’t have many ‘dumbphones’ to choose from.

Newsable host Imogen Wells explained the issue and whether Kiwis in the market for a ‘dumbphone’ would struggle to find one.

Click the play button above to listen to the full chat or click here.

Newsable is Stuff’s daily news podcast, wrapping what’s worth talking about in a short package every weekday morning. Make sure to like and follow us wherever you get your podcasts.