I’ve been using a flip phone as my daily driver for a while now. The smartphone is still around, but it mostly sits in a drawer until bureaucracy or banking apps force me to use it.
For me, the benefits are clear: less distraction, more focus, better sleep. But I know for many people it’s not so easy. Essential apps, social pressure, work requirements… these are real blockers.
I’d like to start a discussion (almost like an informal poll):
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If you thought about switching, what’s the single biggest thing that holds you back?
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Is it banking? Messaging? Maps? Something else?
I’m genuinely curious because if we can identify the main pain points, maybe it’s possible to work on solutions or even start a small project around it.
So: what would need to change for you to actually give a flip phone a try?
Maybe not a dumb phone but I would love to use a phone with an e-ink screen. I know there are some projects about this or some Chinese phones but I haven’t met an e-ink phone that I can install a custom ROM yet.
Try the HiSense A9 Pro. I don’t have one personally but from what I have seen and read, it can run Lineage OS quite well (actually better than it’s own Android OS). I am considering it eventually but haven’t made the move yet. Currently on Moto Razr 2024 which I am using with mostly FOSS apps and no social media whatsoever. I used to have a Pixel 9 Pro running Graphene OS which I truly enjoyed but it died on me and the warranty was not applicable due to me having installed that unsupported OS… So yeah, shit happens and I got myself this Razr for good price urgently since I was travelling when it happened.
That would solve most of the issues others have brought up. It’s probably fast enough for navigation and definitely fast enough for banking, MFA, RCS/Signal, etc…