A young man with a flip phone. /
These are some reasons why young people have turned to clamshell phones and models that you can buy
Flip phones are back. These mobiles, so characteristic of the 2000s, had never really left, and they survived in the market thanks to those less adapted to technology. However, now it is the youngest who have been interested in these ‘flip phones’.
This trend is about a current that has as its followers part of Generation Z. Yes, the one that TikTok has discovered and that has been baptized as ‘digital natives’, that is, those first babies who were born controlling technology. Flip phones have become devices for the elderly, the latest trend.
Why? Reasons there are many. One of the main arguments used by the defenders of the return of clamshell mobiles is digital disconnection, fleeing from noise and the overload of information generated by constantly receiving stimuli from, above all, social networks. Changing a ‘smartphone’ for one of these phones helps to find peace of mind, to be more aware and enjoy the present. Getting rid of screens also serves to improve concentration during study.
From the Spanish consumer electronics brand SPC they assure that this change is also motivated by the need for “greater privacy and security in communications”.
Actor Chris Pine acknowledged last summer on the James Corden show that he had not used a smartphone for three and a half years and that he had recently bought one. He used an old phone precisely to not have internet. However, he acknowledged that it’s really hard to be analog these days. The former Disney girl, Dove Cameron, is another of the artists who prefers to use an old phone (in addition to deleting Twitter) to take care of her mental health. Cameron told it on Zachsangshow, stating that the way she used the networks did not make her happy.
The singer Camila Cabello, is one of the last celebrities that has joined this fashion of the 2000 phones. “Maybe I could write the polytones, guys,” Cabello joked on his Twitter account.
Another reason for young people to switch to ‘flip phones’ is aesthetics. Just as film cameras and old digital cameras have come back into fashion, teenagers like the ‘retro’ effect of the early 2000s that the first digital images captured by mobile phones had; the effect that grain brings to photos.
TikTok user @skzzolno went viral with more than 11 million views with her video on why she only wears this type of phone when she goes out to party. She likes to wear it because she finds that the videos and photos she takes come out cooler. In addition, she affirms that it allows her to connect with people by talking face to face, calling, instead of sending messages, thus having a more real contact. Another benefit is that she prevents you from posting to social media while drunk. This young user affirms that everyone needs a ‘flip phone’ in her life.
Flip phones you can buy
Clamshell phones are cheaper than ‘smartphones’, although ‘flip phones’ can also have an internet connection, as is the case with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3, which has up to 5 G. If what you like is aesthetic but you do not want to deprive yourself of all the functionalities that smartphones have, this is the model you are looking for. Of course, prepare the portfolio because its price exceeds 500 euros.
There are other cheaper options. For example, the mobile of the ‘tiktokera’ @skzzolno. She recommends the TracFone TCL FLip 2 or the AT&T Cingular Flex 4G LTE. They are priced at about $20 and $40, respectively. Camila Cabello also wears a TCL Flip model.
The best seller of these models on Amazon is the SPC Stella 2 for seniors and it costs 38.99 euros. Alcatel also has these clamshell phones, such as the 3082 4 G model, for 68 euros. Another option is the Nokia 2660 Flip for 81.90 euros.
The SPC STELLA 2 and the SPC OPAL are also good options to join this ‘flip phone’ movement at a more than affordable price: they cost 39.90 euros and 49.90 euros, respectively.
The Doro 7080 4G mobile phone (which includes the possibility of making WhatsApp, video calls, etc.) is another alternative for those who do not want to live completely disconnected. It is priced at 121.30 euros.
