Flip-Phones in the Big Two Five: Comback of the Century

With the introduction of the cutting edge technology of the cellphone flip-phone in the late nineties, we started carrying these things on ourselves and never looked back.

While the gadget was flashy and convenient, it looked like as the two-thousands rolled around, they were here to stay. But something happened in 2007 that forever changed the phone industry. Enter the iPhone. 

These things were like little computers that you could keep with you at all times. As time moved forward and society became more and more connected to the internet for all aspects of life, these novelties were, and remain THE hot commodity. Or do they? 

Internet dependence grew and grew, coming to a pinnacle in 2020 when most people relied on it for work, school, and even seeing loved ones. Since then it has remained omnipresent for tasks and life. Appointments, banking, taxes and even getting food and going to school all used to be things that needed to be done in the real, physical world, but with the internet and smartphones, that can be avoided. 

The age at which Americans get their first phone has increasingly lowered. It’s now at 11 years old, with many being even younger. If you think back to what you were like in sixth grade, the chances are it wasn’t all playing outside with neighborhood friends (assuming those reading this are on the older side of Gen Z and above). There was an amount of internet access, but it was probably on the family computer or playing video games and watching Youtube videos. 

Recently, the amount of young adults and teenagers who expressed their discomfort of the amount of time social media and screen time has taken up in daily life has been doubling. While I think that smartphones and the internet as a daily tool are not going away anytime soon, I see people trying to disconnect more and more. Unfortunately, I don’t think flip-phones will ever fully come back. 

But with massive companies like Apple releasing new models every few years that cost more and and more for basically the same functions as its predecessors, I do think it could be a time for change in the ways we choose to spend time, and I do suggest trying a summer with a flip-phone as a way to cut yourself off from the doomscrolling. I’ve had mine since April of 2025 and I don’t plan on carrying an iPhone on me again anytime soon. Everytime I pull it out to take a call, onlookers “ooo” and “aww” and ask where I got mine (at Walmart for $25 AND you can just switch your sim card over and put it back if you feel the need) as they express the want to make a switch. Recently, I met two other people at a show, (shoutout Rotary the band), who also used the devices as shown in the picture above and posted as the cover image for this passage.