Over the past five or so years, I have never owned a smartphone. I started out with the good old Motorola Razr, and now I have an LG flip phone. These phones have served me well: they make calls, they have the basic “apps” such as a calendar, notepad, and camera, and they don’t break no matter how many times they’re dropped. As more and more of my friends made the switch to smartphones, I was still stuck with legacy technology.
Now has come a pivotal time in my non-smartphone era, a time which may come to a close in the imminent future. My current phone plan expires in the imminent future, opening up the possibility for me to get a smartphone with a data plan. I was completely shocked when I realized how soon my plan would expire.
It’s true, I’ve wanted a smartphone for a long time. How much more convenient would it be to check traffic on the go, respond to emails on the metro, and video-chat on the go? With my current plan I can’t even receive text messages, which sometimes leaves me in the dark when people assume that they can simply text my number.
But upon realizing that I could be the owner of a glitzy new phone later this month, all my past qualms about getting a smartphone caught back up with me. Though I often lamented my brick phone’s lack of capabilities, it served me well. Over the past five years, I’ve grown very comfortable with traditional flip phones. They don’t shatter like the modern ones, boast a real keypad, fit the side profile of your face during calls (unlike a cold glass screen), and they fit neatly in your pocket because they’re compact. These sorts of affordances don’t come with the smartphones of today, which are often gigantic slabs of glass and metal, break easily, and cost a fortune.
Much as people have gotten used to smartphones, I still see significant benefits with my traditional phone. I don’t even know if I want a smartphone at this point. Then again, I really don’t know how much longer I can tolerate the ancient technology of the flip phone. This is a dilemma that reminds me of the years that I hesitated to obtain a driver’s license. I didn’t really need a car, I had a bike to take me places! I also reasoned that once Google rolls out their self-driving cars, driver’s licenses would be obsolete. Eventually, I got a driver’s license, but it makes me wonder for smartphones: when are the foldable screens coming out?
I still don’t have my drivers license however I loved my flip phone, until I accidentally let go of it on top of the London Tower. Poor thing didn’t have a chance. I tried a smartphone 2 years ago and have found it very addicting, unlike my Ol’ flippy “nickname for flip phone” which is now floating in the tens.
-James