Top 10 reasons to ditch your iPhone 5 or Galaxy S4 for a feature phone
Who needs Facebook when you have Snake?
In the developed world, pretty much everyone has at least one smart device and, with numerous phone makers talking about connecting the next billion, this phenomenon is only going to continue. This was demonstrated earlier this month when analyst house IDC reported for the first time in history that smartphone sales had overtaken feature phone sales.
Many have heralded this as a sign that soon there won't be a market for basic feature phones, instead there'll just be cheaper smartphones - an idea that many companies like Mozilla and its Firefox OS agree with. Yet, despite all the inherent perks of a smartphone, there are at least a few reasons to stick with a feature phone, at least for now.
10. The cost
A few years ago, paying £300 for a phone was considered a lot. Thanks to companies like Apple and Samsung, with their premium branding, a decent smartphone can now set you back over half a grand. If you're feeling particularly fancy, a Vertu phone could cost you thousands.
As well as making your wallet woefully empty, a further consequence of this is that criminals have cottoned on to the fact that the shiny bit of plastic in your front pocket is probably more valuable than the leather wallet in your back one. Because of this, while a £20 feature phone may not be the coolest accessory, its value extends beyond the initial saving.
Top 10 reasons to ditch your iPhone 5 or Galaxy S4 for a feature phone
Who needs Facebook when you have Snake?
9. They're idiot proof
To those who aren't tech savvy, using a smartphone can be daunting. This isn't helped by the fact that the market is so fragmented. Putting aside the number of different operating systems out there, even on Android, the most used OS, there isn't any uniformity. Today every vendor under the sun seems hell-bent on adding their own touch to the OS, with HTC loading its custom sense user interface onto its handsets and Samsung with its Touchwiz skin.
For new users, this means even figuring out how to make a phone call can be a trial. For this reason we can fully understand why some people have chosen to stay with the simpler user experience offered on feature phones, which simply require you to enter the number and click the physical green call button.
8. Rugged
Most top-end phones – except, of course, Samsung's – are made of metal and feature Gorilla Glass-coated screens. But despite this, in our experience, they are all delicate. Look at the number of chipped and cracked iPhones you see on a daily basis and it's clear that smartphones aren't tough.
Feature phones like the Nokia 105 are robust and able to survive drops and accidental spills with ease, meaning that – for clumsy users – they are still a better choice.
Top 10 reasons to ditch your iPhone 5 or Galaxy S4 for a feature phone
Who needs Facebook when you have Snake?
7. Reasonably sized
Back in the early 2000s, phone makers were desperate to make their handsets as small as possible. This resulted in some ridiculously tiny phones that were all but unusable to larger-handed individuals. Since then the plus-sized hand community has revolted, forcing phone makers to create increasingly large smartphones. Recently this trend has come close to becoming farce, with the arrival of Samsung's sizable 5.5in Galaxy Note 2 and Asus' insane 7in Padfone. While it's undeniable that these devices are great for media consumption, they're not so nice to use as actual phones, so we can see why some people will miss more reasonably sized feature phones.
6. Google and Apple don't own you
The growing hold that powerhouse tech companies Google and Apple have on the mobile market has become a concern for numerous advocacy and rights groups. This is chiefly because of the amount of data their smart devices collect on their users.
Smartphones and tablets now track everything from their users' web search habits to their physical location. While this allows them to offer great push update services, like the Android platform's Google Now, it also means you've pretty much destroyed your ability to be wiped off the cyber map. Because of this, for users keen on the right to be forgotten, a feature phone is still the only practical choice – though even these store some data and can be tracked.
5. You can use them with gloves
The ability to use your phone while wearing gloves is a core feature that many phone makers are desperately trying to add to their devices. Finnish phone maker Nokia started the trend with its Windows Phone 8-powered Lumia 920 and since then Android powerhouse Samsung has since followed suit with its new Galaxy S4 smartphone.
For users in cold climates the ability to use their phone while wearing gloves is of course a massive boon, however, it's one that feature phones with their physical keyboards and non-touchscreens have offered users for years now.
Top 10 reasons to ditch your iPhone 5 or Galaxy S4 for a feature phone
Who needs Facebook when you have Snake?
4. It's impossible to put something stupid on Twitter and Facebook
Smartphones are great for sharing ideas, featuring a raft of social network apps for popular services like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. This, combined with the super-speedy 3G and 4G connectivity currently on offer in the UK, means smartphone owners can share what's on their mind, wherever and whenever they feel like it.
They also let you easily share things you probably shouldn't. Every other day we hear some cautionary tale about an employee being fired for saying something unseemly on Twitter or Facebook. For this reason, those prone to bursts of emotion may find a feature phone a safer option.
3. You'll start talking to people again
Smartphones are meant to make you more social, letting you connect with people via text, telephone or even video. But in many ways they've made us less social, with their shiny HD displays and constant stream of social media alerts making it all but impossible for most people to go more than a few minutes without looking at them. Next time you visit a coffee shop or pub, take a look around and you'll doubtless spot at least one table with two people not talking, glued to their smartphones.
If you went back 10 years to when feature phones were the norm, this situation would never have occurred. Back then, the idea of taking a call or even getting your phone out while in company was considered the height of bad manners.
Top 10 reasons to ditch your iPhone 5 or Galaxy S4 for a feature phone
Who needs Facebook when you have Snake?
2. The batteries are decent
Mobile technology has taken bold leaps since the original iPhone was unveiled half a decade ago. These have included wonderfully bright and crisp HD, Super Amoled and Retina display screens, stonkingly fast multiple core processors and more software and application innovations than you can shake a stick at.
Despite all these innovations, phone makers are yet to figure out how to make a battery that can deal with the increased power demand. Worse still, it seems the problem gets worse every year and now users must charge their phones daily. Here's hoping phone makers figure out a way to add the week-long battery life seen on old feature phones, like the Nokia 3210, to their ultra-powerful top-end smartphones soon.
1. They're more secure
These days, smartphones are basically pocket computers, featuring powerful quad-core processors that make laptops released even half a decade ago look archaic. But for these perks, users also have to open themselves up to the dangers of the internet.
Hackers and cyber criminals are becoming increasingly interested in mobile ecosystems and the opportunities they present. Every day reports break of some new Trojanised app or phishing scam targeting the Android platform with money and data-stealing malware. Because of this, while they don't let you check your email or Facebook every waking second, internet-free feature phones are still the safest mobile choice out there.