Modern smartphones keep getting larger, and it's making some people nostalgic for the tiny dumb flip phones that used to be the norm.

The younger generation, including many people who had a smartphone as their first phone ever, is starting to see the appeal of simple flip phones. There are many reasons that dumb flip phones are having their day in the sun again, but here are the top five.

1. Flip Phones Are Trendy, Thanks to TikTok

The biggest reason that flip phones are becoming more popular among the younger generation is social media. Primarily on TikTok, influencers and celebrities are promoting flip phones because it's easy to disconnect and live in the moment with them.

One of the most popular videos around flip phones comes from Sammy Palazzolo, @skzzolno on TikTok, who loves using a flip phone when she goes out with her friends. She can still take photos and communicate with her friends on a flip phone, but she cannot spend hours scrolling through social media or get hung up on one negative comment.

Disconnecting from social media and technology, in general, isn't a new thing, but the hype around flip phones currently is. Whether or not flip phones will reenter modern society like bell-bottom jeans and scrunchies, we'll have to wait and see.

2. They're Cheaper… Sometimes

If you buy a traditional flip phone, like one you'd see in the 90s or early 2000s, you can easily spend less than $100, or sometimes even less than $50, like TracFone's TCL Flip 2 or the Cricket Wireless Debut Flip. That's much cheaper than even the best budget smartphones, which often cost upwards of $200 or $300.

Samsung-Galaxy-Z-Flip-3-5g-unboxing
Image Credit: Samsung

However, expensive flip phones exist too. Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip 4 phone retails for $999, while Motorola's Moto Razr 2022—the Flip 4's biggest competitor—retails for about $899. These are both flip phones that double as smartphones, and they're just as expensive as any other smartphone.

3. Flip Phones Are Smaller and More Portable

TCL Flip cellphone sitting next to a pair of headphones
Image Credit: TCL

Smartphone screens are getting larger and more tablet-like with every new flagship. Most modern flagship models have screens that measure 6.7 or 6.8 inches diagonally. The average flip phone on the market now has a 2.8-inch display, and the phone itself isn't that much bigger than the display.

A flip phone might be slightly thicker than a smartphone, but not by much, if any. And it's much easier to slip a flip phone into your pocket than a smartphone, especially when wearing tight jeans.

4. Less Overall Screen Time

Taking a break from technology is a common thing for people to do nowadays. In fact, there's even a term for it: digital detox. People look at screens all day, from the computer screen at work to the TV screen during movie night to the smartphone screen throughout the day.

There are ways to deal with screen time exhaustion when you can't avoid staring at screens all day at work. But if one of your biggest sources of screen time is your smartphone at work and home, switching to dumb flip phones can greatly limit your screen time.

You'll automatically spend less time on your smartphone because there's not much to do on it. Sure, a dumb flip phone has a screen, but it's not well-equipped for social media or mobile games, the two biggest time sinks for smartphone users.

Buying a smartphone with a flip form factor likely won't automatically decrease your daily screen time, especially if you buy one of the upmarket smart flip phones. But if spending less time with screens is an important perk for you, make sure you get a dumb flip phone.

5. There's Just Something Satisfying About the Flip Form Factor

If you've ever had the pleasure of owning a flip phone, you know that opening and closing it is so satisfying. You can flick it open with one finger, making a soft clicking or popping sound when it stops in place.

The best part, though, is closing a flip phone. That satisfying clack sound when you close a flip phone is unparalleled, especially if you just got off the phone with someone that made you mad.

You can't angrily close a smartphone; you could throw it, but smartphones are way too expensive to even think about doing that with. Plus, a flip phone naturally has momentum while closing, and it's almost impossible to slam a flip phone closed so hard that you break it.

Is It Practical to Just Have a Flip Phone in 2023?

When flip phones were all the rage, they had two primary functions: calling and texting. Depending on your plan back then, you might not have even had unlimited texting, a feature that's now standard on every phone plan. Flip phones were usually also equipped with games, like Tetris or a billiards game.

Man talking on a Alcatel GO FLIP 4 cellphone
Image Credit: Alcatel

Since flip phones, we've seen BlackBerry phones with a full QWERTY keyboard, phones that slide to reveal a large keyboard, and of course, phones that use only a touchscreen. The modern smartphone can do so much more than simply text, call, or, if you had a BlackBerry, send emails. BlackBerry owners will remember that sending emails was a thing of beauty with that keyboard.

Smartphones have replaced bedside alarm clocks, printed MapQuest directions, and digital cameras (though Gen Z seems to be bringing these back too). Smartphones have apps to help you be more productive, the ability to search anything on the internet at a moment's notice, and built-in safety measures, like collision detection that calls the authorities on your behalf or location tracking that could help save you in a dangerous situation.

Though modern flip phones are more advanced than flip phones of the 90s and early 2000s, they're still not as advanced as smartphones. Whether or not it's practical to just have a flip phone in 2023 is completely up to you. Consider which features of your smartphone you use and love the most, and consider whether you could replace them with something else if you swapped completely to a flip phone.

Embrace Your Nostalgia and Get a Flip Phone

If you're thinking about switching from your smartphone to a "dumb" flip phone, start looking at your options! You'll see how inexpensive they are, and you might find yourself thinking, "Hey, I can finally get that Motorola Razr I wanted so badly back in middle school."

You don't have to completely give up your smartphone, either. That's a super important fact to keep in mind. For everyday calling and texting, a flip phone is all you need. But you may want to keep your smartphone around for when you're traveling or could otherwise use a small, portable computer.