Even still, is that something people even want? Are smartphone users clamoring to go back to the days when you can’t glance at your phone to tell who’s calling? Can flip phones make a comeback?
Our Opinion
Damien believes flip phones can definitely make a comeback. For him it comes down to price, but it’s definitely a consideration for him, as his RAZR was one of his favorite past phones. Sayak had a Motorola flip phone many, many years ago and reports it was actually ahead of its time having MMS, Bluetooth, and a camera, despite 2G Internet not even being a thing yet. He has many happy memories and would love to get his hands on one again. But he’s not sure the phone would be as big of an attraction today as it was back then since the biggest attraction with it was the actual “flip.” This led him to question when the last time was that he even talked to anyone on the phone, as messaging apps have taken over, and if he’s not using those, he’s using Skype. “Motorola flip phones are really history now, and that’s sad.”
Andrew refers to the idea as a “fantastic novelty” and notes that if they can reduce the markup to a level that people are willing to pay for such a novelty, he can see the new RAZR doing pretty well. He believes it could make the phone “a bit more durable or even be helpful for the segment of the population whose pockets haven’t kept pace with technology.” Like Damien, he’d be tempted to give it a shot if it were in his price and feature range. Phil notes that having a device where the screen is protected when not in use is a boon “Plus it looks wicked cool when you flip it out.” The “overtones of Star Trek communicator” don’t hurt the notion in his eyes either. Ryan highly doubts the news RAZR flip phone will make much of an impact on younger consumers. He sees it as a marketing attempt aimed at a select consumer niche. He thinks its success will depend on how well the foldable screen works, but for the fairly steep price, he’s not sure it will sell to anyone other than enthusiasts with cash to burn. “At $1500, why would you take a gamble on an unproven piece of tech when you can have a high-end device like a Samsung Galaxy that you know will do everything you need it to do?” I fall in line here with Sayak and Ryan. I have no desire to go back to my days of having a Motorola flip phone. I like to look down at my phone and see who’s calling. I gave mine up for the first iPhone and haven’t looked back once. It makes me question if they also want to go back to the dies of a telescopic antenna that you need to pull out to answer the phone.
Your Opinion
Does nostalgia have you wistfully thinking again about a favorite flip phone you had? Or are you happy flip phones are a thing of the past? Can flip phones make a comeback? Join our conversation in the comments below.
