Neither iPhone nor Android Sales of these phones tripled in 2024
Almost every mobile phone brand will see its sales decline in 2024, as smartphones get better and last longer, so users take longer to renew their phones. But there’s one mobile phone that will sell more than three times that number in 2024, and it’s not an iPhone, and it’s not an Android: it’s the Dumb Phone.
Also called dumb phones or basic phones, these smartphones find their market among seniors, children, and increasingly, millennials and young adults looking for a digital detox, saturated with notifications, social networks, and dependence on the traditional cell phone.
- Dumb cell phone sales to triple by 2024
In Italy, for example, demand for smartphones is also set to rise by 180% in 2024. In France by 118%, and in the UK by 111%.
Germany is the country where dumb phones are sold the most, which is probably why the growth there was lower, but also impressive: 67%.
Dumb phones are phones that only have basic functions: calls, email, and messaging. Some don’t even have internet. And while a few use Android, most have their own operating system and a physical keyboard.
Basically, these are the mobile phones that were sold in the 90s, which is why Nokia is one of the leading brands in this market.
They have always been mobile phones widely used by the elderly, because they are easy to use and have physical buttons, more manageable than touch screens. Also for children, as they do not have internet or only allow sending messages, avoiding distractions. They are also shock resistant.
But these users have always remained more or less stable. What drives sales of dumb phones is young people looking for a digital detox.
According to experts, the demand for dumb phones will continue to grow in the coming years, because the causes of digital poisoning, primarily social networks, do nothing to cure it. On the contrary, their algorithms are becoming increasingly addictive and enslaving.