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I've failed the no-smartphone life (forum.uncomfortable.business)

submitted 4 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

34 comments fedilink hide all child comments

So, after like 8 months of dumbphone only, I've given up.

It wasn't one majorly annoying thing, but just a non-stop death by a thousand cuts. Modern life really requires at least possession of one of these stupid little rectangles, and if you don't have one, you get slowly nibbled to death by the ducks of modernity.

So, rather than redouble my efforts to bend the world to dealing with me wanting to be a bit of a luddite weirdo, I've given up and just..... bought an iPhone SE and paired it with an Apple Watch 8 I already had.

See, the thing I really didn't consider is that I pretty much already had the ideal dumbphone: this AW8 is a cellular version.

It does phone calls, text messages, and has sufficient ties to modern services (music, podcasts, audiobooks, maps, etc.) that it is, by itself, a 60% solution. And just for perfect clarity: there's a lot of things wrong with the watch that make it not an ideal device, with the biggest one being really not fantastic battery life.

For everything the watch doesn't do, I also have the phone, but the phone isn't strictly required, and I can simply leave it at home when I don't want to deal with all the modern smartness and just rely on the watch.

For sure, it's not a cheap solution since an iPhone and a cellular watch is a giant investment even if you go for the "cheapest" versions, and I'm paying for two cellular plans (though, with US Mobile it's $96/year for each so, relatively speaking, still pretty cheap).

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago (2 children)

When I'm out and about, I use a de-Googled JellyStar. A very small phone that I mainly use just for messages and calls. It's not a dumbphone, it's a small smartphone that is quite hard to view or comment on social media with. Doesn't encourage anything but basic use.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago

omg i never heard of these. smaller than my flip is closed... over a half inch shorter, quarter inch narrower, and just about the same thickness. will have to remember they exist when i 'have to' switch to a "smart" one.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I loved my Jelly Star until the screen on it failed. Trying to get it fixed under warranty seemed practically impossible so eventually I just gave up and went back to my old phone.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 months ago

Sorry to hear about that. Mine so far OK but only had it 6 months.