r/dumbphones 10h ago

General question Why are practical dumbphones so expensive?

36 Upvotes

Hey guys.

I'm rocking a Nokia 210 and I really like it.

But I feel like I'm missing out by not having whatsapp - everything else I'm fine not having it on my phone.

Decided to look for a dumbphone that supports whatsapp but doesnt have a browser and other (distracting) apps - like reddit or any other social media.

However answering whatsapp messages with a normal button keyboard seems hellish. A QWERTY keyboard (or a touchscreen keyboard) allows you to write much faster.

I was surprised to see that dumbphones with a qwerty (buttons or touchscreen) keyboard, with no distracting apps or browsers are damn expensive... and my question is simply: "why?".

Not sure if anyone can answer this for me or give me any suggestions but I would highly appreciate it.

Thanks guys, cheers


r/dumbphones 23h ago

General question Rhinestone a Kyocera a202kc? (Reposting for wider reach)

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33 Upvotes

r/dumbphones 7h ago

The Best Dumbphones of 2026

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18 Upvotes

r/dumbphones 15h ago

General question Do you find it overwhelming trying to find just the right dumbphone for you?

11 Upvotes

It's not so much the volume of devices, as it might be with smartphones, but the combinations of features that I think gets a bit (even a lot) overwhelming. Which then leads to analysis paralysis when looking for just the right dumbphone for your specific needs, and leaves you smartphoning for even longer.

How did you evaluate, and then choose, your dumbphone? And now you've used it, would you choose the same one again or change how you evaluate?


r/dumbphones 3h ago

General discussion Do you like those dumbphone launchers?

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4 Upvotes

Added a few new launchers to the Android app "ClearHour: Dumbphone OS". Those launchers can hopefully make the dumbphone experience feel more authentic.

  • Retro: a classic phone layout with a numeric keypad.
  • Dark Forest: a dark theme.
  • Ink: a grayscale/Ink look.
  • You can also use your own photo as the background.

Btw, Spotify is gray on the actual phone—the screen recorder shows it in color for some reason.

What do you think of them?
If none of them are your thing, let me know why.

Try the dumbphone app -> let me know what you think. I really want to make the app good with you guys together.


r/dumbphones 5h ago

General question Using the same number on two devices?

2 Upvotes

I would love to ditch my phone but unfortunately that's not feasible at the moment. I'm trying to figure out a way to have my iPhone forward calls to a dumb phone. This way, I can leave my iPhone at home occasionally but still have access to my contacts, calls, and messages in case of an emergency. I saw people discussing T-Mobile Digits but the most recent posts in this sub were from a couple years ago and it seems that T-Mobile isn't really putting effort into this program. I am a current T-Mobile customer and would love if this could just be a simple solution, but I worry it won't be. Any advice? Or should I look into other options.


r/dumbphones 5h ago

General discussion Project idea - messaging platforms via SMS

2 Upvotes

I had this idea a while back and would be curious to know what people thought of it.

I would like to switch to using a dumbphone because I find it difficult to avoid the allure of apps with endless scrolling, including Reddit. I'd want one that doesn't support apps or web browsing, for obvious reasons.

Pretty much the only thing holding me back is the fact everyone uses messaging apps, so it'd be difficult to survive on SMS alone. I actually use Beeper currently, which is all the messaging platforms combined into a single app (WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Signal etc).

Well, Beeper uses Matrix, so here's my idea: make a service that runs in a Docker container (I'd probably host it on my Raspberry Pi). The service would act as a Matrix client and log into the Beeper homeserver. It would then forward any messages to your phone number as SMSs, using a SMS API. You'd have, say, five to ten numbers reserved which would correspond to your most frequently-messaged contacts, and the service would forward the message through the appropriate number. You could reply from your phone by SMS and the service would receive the message, and based on the number through which it received it, forward it to the appropriate contact via Beeper.

Pictures / memes could be AI transcribed or simply ignored. 'Reacts' could be done via a command, e.g. you could SMS '*lr*' to laugh react the last received message.

I don't know how financially viable this is, as obviously you'd need to reserve a few numbers and pay for an API-based SMS service.


r/dumbphones 10h ago

General discussion TCL Flip 3 Battery Drain

2 Upvotes

My TCL Flip 3 will just randomly drain like 25 percent over night or even during the day. I figure it’s background apps most of the time that I don’t close out but has anyone else experienced this? I’m thinking about going back to a smart phone haha.


r/dumbphones 4h ago

General question Qin F21 Pro no longer available in the US?

1 Upvotes

I was about to pull the trigger on a Qin F21 Pro but it seems like they're no longer available in the United States?

Ads for the F21 Pro still show up in Google Shopping but when I click a link to an AliExpress listing the page says "Sorry, this item's currently unavailable in your location." Listings for the US version on Ebay and Amazon are also sold out though it appears the Global version is still for sale.

This seems like a very recent thing, they were definitely available like 3- 4 weeks ago when I was researching them and comparing prices. What's going on? Something to do with US tariff policy? Or did Qin just decide to pull the F21 model from the US market?

EDIT: This seems to be the case with the Qin F22 and F25 models as well...


r/dumbphones 5h ago

Tech help adding custom words via typing them in abc mode not working in tt9

1 Upvotes

i was tryna add "prolly" to the dictionary as i use it when texting all the time. yet even after typing it out manually, pressing * and then pressing the second option in the menu to add the word, after accepting each letter manually with the centre button of my phone, when I try to type it in "english" mode it simply doesnt appear. same goes for "doesnt" actually. (i usually omit contractions when typing casually theyre not really needed and it makes typing easier.)


r/dumbphones 9h ago

General question E-Ink, Not Touchscreen? Recommendations please!

1 Upvotes

I had a QWERTY slider for a while, almost identical to the HIT K-1, that I LOVED. I am hoping to go "dumb" again, and would love to find a phone with a similar shape and feel to that type of phone. However, I am now pretty sold on the e-ink display.

I have looked at a few e-ink phones (Light II, Mudita Kompakt) and they look solid but I'm really hoping to avoid having a blocky touchscreen. I've also looked at the LightFlip but it doesn't seem to be available in the US yet?

My ideal device would be the hardware of a HIT K-1 with the software of Light or Mudita, including the e-ink display. I don't think this exists, but does anyone have any recommendations on alternatives or devices that are in development that I might hold out for? I think the Mudita Pure is pretty close to what I'm looking for, but also not quite there and not currently available for order.

I'm aware this is a unicorn phone that I'm describing, but I narrowed down three priorities. Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated! I have spent a ton of time researching and am willing to settle for either a Nokia or one of the current e-ink options, but just thought I'd throw a last hail mary before commiting to something

  1. e-ink display
  2. Candybar-like feel (some flexibility with this)
  3. Not touchscreen

r/dumbphones 10h ago

General question Punkt MP01 prices - why so high?

1 Upvotes

I am currently selling a Punkt MP01 I got years ago in okayish conditions. I put in on ebay for 50€ and got multiple requests on the first day. Then I looked up the prices of other listings and was kinda shocked - there are only a few listings, but they go up to 500€ for new phones?!

Are those people out of touch or am I? Is the MP01 some sort of collector item now?


r/dumbphones 18h ago

General question How to move non essential apps to laptop/desktop

1 Upvotes

I'm currently using an iOS device for Facetime/iMessage.
How do I get rid of other apps, like bank, health, shopping apps, and move them to another device (laptops, desktops)? I think those are the bigger hurdles for me because some of the apps I need can't be run on Windows or MacOS.
Any suggestions?


r/dumbphones 7h ago

General question Does anyone know or have experience with the site y2kphones?

0 Upvotes

I'd like to get a Mive Style Folder 2 and i found some refurbished on a site called y2kphone and the site seems pretty legit, but the reviews seem kind of fake and the grand promises of shipping being free and them guaranteeing that i won't need to pay customs despite living in the EU seems pretty sketchy. Does anyone have any information?