Urban75 Home About Offline BrixtonBuzz Contact

Basic (not smart) Phones - which ones are good in 2023?

K

killer b

That vase.
I recently replaced my smartphone with a more basic Nokia model - not totally basic (it has stripped down versions of some common apps - whatsapp and the like) in an attempt to put some barriers between me and the internet and encourage me to read novels and whatnot - it seems to be working pretty well, but in the decade or so since I last had a Nokia they seem to have gone to shit and the phone is horrible - it looks like something from 1995, it turns off randomly and the battery runs out after a day. So I'm going to send it back, but I want to continue with having a more basic phone.

Looking around, most of the things on the market seem to be aimed at old people, drug dealers or children, and are often brands of dubious provenance which I've never heard of - does anyone have any recommendations? Necessary spec are:

  • no touchscreen, limited apps
  • has whatsapp
  • looks nice
  • decent build quality / reliable

Cost isn't particularly important, happy to pay more for one that's decent - I'm planning on it being my main phone for the forseeable

Cheers!
 
The problem with such a niche market is that you're inevitably paying more for less. A £99 Redmi 10 is vastly more capable than the Nokia above and 2/3ds the price.
A lot of the existing ones are 3G only, which leaves you in a bit of a quandary as Vodafone is starting to shut down 3G this year and the others are following soon.

There are a few for the India market (JioPhone), but not sure how the frequencies align with the UK and you'd probably not get any warranty.
 
skyscraper101 said:
Which nokia model do you have?

The 'has whatsapp' requirement mean's it'll inevitably need to be 4G and thus will still eat battery unlike more basic Nokia phones. IME. But as far as 'basic' phones that have whatsapp, I did like the look of the 6300 4G - not sure if that's the one you are using though?

Click to expand...
it's a '800 tough' - looks like it uses the same OS at that 6300. Might get one of those instead.
 
killer b said:
I want a less capable phone, that's the whole point
Click to expand...
Oh, I understand that. You just have to realise that the market for this sort of thing is very small and companies aren't going to invest a lot of resources into creating these things. Particularly now that you need 4G to get more than a year's use out of it.
 
I looked into this a few months back. I found a couple of brands yet Ng to do exactly this. Stripped back functions but with good design. I'll try and dig out the links. End if the day though they were too risky a proposition to shell out substantial cash for.
 
The Punkt phone looks good, but is a bit too stripped back for me, no whatsapp. I suppose I could get rid of whatsapp but...

www.punkt.ch

Punkt. MP02 4G design and minimalist phone

Shop the Punkt. MP02 now, don’t call it a dumbphone, it is the best non smart phone. This 4G feature phone includes a minimal interface and stylish design.
www.punkt.ch www.punkt.ch
 
killer b said:
The Punkt phone looks good, but is a bit too stripped back for me, no whatsapp. I suppose I could get rid of whatsapp but...

www.punkt.ch

Punkt. MP02 4G design and minimalist phone

Shop the Punkt. MP02 now, don’t call it a dumbphone, it is the best non smart phone. This 4G feature phone includes a minimal interface and stylish design.
www.punkt.ch www.punkt.ch
Click to expand...
Yeah Punkt were one I looked at. Also Mudita Pure and the Light Phone.

Not quite there yet imo.
 
chilango said:
Yeah Punkt were one I looked at. Also Mudita Pure and the Light Phone.

Not quite there yet imo.
Click to expand...
I hate the tone of the marketing for all these companies, have to say. :D

FWIW I'm mostly very happy with what this Nokia does, it's just that the hardware is rubbish. It runs on an open source OS called KaiOS, so I'm digging around and seeing what else there is using the same platform
 
killer b said:
The Punkt phone looks good, but is a bit too stripped back for me, no whatsapp. I suppose I could get rid of whatsapp but...

www.punkt.ch

Punkt. MP02 4G design and minimalist phone

Shop the Punkt. MP02 now, don’t call it a dumbphone, it is the best non smart phone. This 4G feature phone includes a minimal interface and stylish design.
www.punkt.ch www.punkt.ch
Click to expand...
hmm, it does have signal though - if I could persuade the fam to move onto signal instead of whatsapp this could be a goer...
 
Yeah. I just want(ed) something that looks and feels nice.

I still my old Orange branded Blackberry clone.
 
You're getting to the crux of the issue there - it's more faff than simplicity. KaiOS is also reported to be buggy as a roach motel.
 
Could you not just get a smart phone and ask a mate or family member to just put the apps you want ( SMS, WhatsApp and email plus perhaps maps) strip out the browser and anything else then lock it down and not give you the password?
 
Yeah the alcatel looks pretty good. Though of course I'm now convinced that the £300 one that doesn't do everything I want it to do is the one for me though. :rolleyes:
 
this nokia has fb and twitter too, but it's so awkward to do anything but make calls and send texts it's not very tempting to even bother logging on
 
I think perhaps my requirements are too niche - I want a phone that's well built and reliable, but also quite shit and difficult to use, and also looks cool and gangster. It's not out there is it? Something has to give...
 
I'd like a minimalist, monochrome, good looking, nice feeling, handset with an e-ink screen and - at a push - the ability to write notes on it (ideally with a stylus).

I think that's even more niche!
 
killer b said:
isn't that the Light Phone?
Click to expand...
Nearly!

If they survive a few more versions and add notes/reader/drawing then it's perfect.

Even without those extra functions I think it's almost there. I'd like the security of them bringing out another iteration or two first though.

There's Hisense in China too, which have a lot more functionality (too much tbh) but imo they're ugly looking.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

MrCurry
Skype, FaceTime or which video chat app?
Replies
0
Views
47
MrCurry
MrCurry
Throbbing Angel
Question PAC codes: Have 2 phone numbers, only given one PAC code?
Replies
1
Views
131
moochedit
moochedit
skyscraper101
How bad is your mobile phone signal?
2 3
Replies
73
Views
1K
UnderOpenSky
UnderOpenSky
savoloysam
If your phone does this you have been hacked.
Replies
25
Views
737
two sheds
two sheds
Epona
Which Memory Card for Motorola Moto e30 phone?
Replies
1
Views
200
kalmatthew
K
Back
Top Bottom