device
Dumbphone
A mobile phone deliberately limited to essentials — calls, texts, maybe maps — with no social media, feeds, or app store.
A dumbphone is a mobile phone deliberately limited to essential functions — calls, texts, an alarm, sometimes maps or music — with none of the attention-consuming machinery of a smartphone. The name is affectionately ironic: in a market where apps are engineered to be unputdownable, choosing a phone that cannot run them increasingly looks like the smart move.
The term covers two families: classic feature phones (keypad Nokias, flips) and the newer minimalist phones (Light Phone, Punkt, Mudita) designed for ex-smartphone users. What unites them is the absence of feeds: a dumbphone can inform you, but it cannot consume you.
Related Terms
View all →Digital minimalism
A philosophy of technology use: keep only the tools whose benefit outweighs their cost to your attention, and drop the rest.
Feature phone
The industry term for keypad phones with basic capabilities — the hardware category most dumbphones belong to.
Flip phone
A clamshell phone that opens to answer and snaps shut to hang up — pocket-proof screen, no accidental dialing.
Minimalist phone
A design-led phone built for ex-smartphone users: premium hardware, curated tools, and an explicit no-feeds philosophy.