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January 3, 2026 \u2014 3:30pm<\/p>\n
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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n Save this article for later<\/p>\n Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime.<\/p>\n Got it<\/p>\n In May last year, Sydney\u2019s public transport network experienced massive delays when a high-voltage wire collapsed near Strathfield station.<\/p>\n Completely unaware of the problem, and wondering why every bus passing her stop was full, was law student Lucy Long.<\/p>\n While most Sydneysiders would check their Opal app or a news site for a traffic update, that isn\u2019t possible on Long\u2019s flip phone, which is bright pink and stamped with a Barbie logo.<\/p>\n Unable to order an Uber and with no cabs passing by, she had one choice: walking 3\u00bd hours home. Despite this major inconvenience, Long defends her decision to ditch her smartphone.<\/p>\n \u201cI genuinely have never had a real problem,\u201d she says. \u201cI have always been able to call someone, ask for directions, or, like, talk to literally a stranger on the street.\u201d<\/p>\n The popularity of so-called \u201cdumb phones\u201d is climbing. Google Trends data shows searches for the devices have increased significantly since 2020. Nokia has launched new and improved versions of its iconic flip phones, and Reddit forum r\/dumbphones has 179,000 weekly visitors.<\/p>\n Technology and culture researcher Dr Omar Fares, an assistant professor of marketing at the University of New Brunswick, has researched the flip phones trend. He says it stems from a love of nostalgia, but also reflects a rebellion against smartphones and how they operate.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve lost connectedness to one another,\u201d he says. \u201cMaybe people are thinking of saying, let\u2019s actually disconnect from social, and let\u2019s disconnect from digital as a way to reconnect.\u201d<\/p>\n Long ditched her iPhone earlier this year because she felt she was wasting her life on a phone addiction.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d established that really the only reason that we have phones is to talk to people.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I was like, well, what is something that I could replace with this, you know, slightly devilish piece of technology that still fulfils that function?\u201d<\/p>\n Long is proud of her quirky phone, bringing it to her work as a paralegal.<\/p>\n She gets some questions, of course, but says most people envy her self-restraint.<\/p>\n University of Sydney PhD student Isaac Gill decided to ditch his smartphone for a black Nokia after years of sometimes deleting his social media apps, or turning his notifications off.<\/p>\n Related Article \u201cThen eventually I read this book that really pushed me to do the switch,\u201d he says, urging others to also approach the change slowly.<\/p>\n \u201cIt takes, I think, years to comfortably do it.\u201d<\/p>\n For his first week with a flip phone, Gill also carried his iPhone to fill in any unexpected gaps, such as two-factor authentication.<\/p>\n While both Gill and Long recommend dumb phones, they are realistic. Both have taken their smartphones on international holidays.<\/p>\n Online, Generation Z\u2019s love of dumb phones has been criticised as \u201cperformative\u201d and attention-seeking.<\/p>\n Fares thinks these critics are missing the point.<\/p>\n \u201cIn all of these trends, there is consistently a performative element, and that is fine,\u201d he says. \u201cAs long, though, as the push is towards something healthy.\u201d<\/p>\n Start the day with a summary of the day\u2019s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n![\"Fifth-year](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/fe3b7d15966568861b71b4c53ad2bf87338073e8.jpeg\")
Fifth-year law student and paralegal Lucy Long uses a Barbie flip phone. James Brickwood<\/p>\n![\"Google](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/635d275ef5bff087e60783b0d2a8ae42ac0f7f55.jpeg\")
Google Trends data shows searches for \u201cdumb phones\u201d have increased significantly since 2020.James Brickwood<\/p>\n![\"Mother](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/349b1f5ab5d5cd5b4fb8ac302a1c0db53acef020.jpeg\")
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