Why I keep a dumb phone in 2017

I recently got this Nokia Asha 210, a phone model that's almost four years old. Yes, it has internet connection, but the best signal it can get is EDGE. It has Facebook, YouTube and Whatsapp apps, but of course, to a smartphone user, using them can be unbearable even when the phone's connected to WiFi (yes, it has WiFi!). It takes photos with the quality of our MySpace profile pictures in 2003. Despite all these, I am happy using this phone.

I currently use this a secondary phone, and I like the simplicity of it. It's lightweight, it perfectly fits my hand and it does two things perfectly - call and text. I use it with an unli tri-net calls and unli all-net text plan from Sun so there's no problem just calling my parents or my friends on Smart, anytime.

There's just this magic in a phone that you use primarily just for calling. In your mind, you are invested in that single task, which is to call, and you're free from any distraction. That way, conversations become more focused, and you give your full attention to the person on the other end of the line.

Another reason I like carrying this around is because of its long battery life. It is especially useful on long trips because it gives you peace of mind that when your phones and power banks die, you are assured of a way to be still reachable to people, and to still reach people. Its long battery life doesn't require you to obsessively check your power levels. I charge this phone very rarely and never has it died on me.

That said, the dumb phone also makes a good disaster phone. It stays alive for days, it has FM radio, and some models even have a flashlight.

Another sanity saver is the fact that this phone is not as delicate as our smartphones. I don't stress about accidentally scratching or dropping it. I don't worry about the screen malfunctioning or apps freezing. It's just... always there, being ready to work when you need it. Charge it once and have it on stand by. It's a low-maintenance wonder.

Recently, Nokia announced the resurrection of its 3310 model and it captured the attention of a lot of smartphone-savvy people on the internet. Aside from its nostalgic effect, I think many will agree that part of the new Nokia 3310's charm is our memories of the time our lives when owning a phone was much simpler. Smartphone-fatigue is real and we feel it whenever we become overly dependent on them. And sometimes, it just feels good to simplify, and go back to basic.

It's impossible to ditch our smartphones entirely, but it's kind of therapeutic to just revisit an old reliable friend (your dumb phone) for a while. The same way that it's therapeutic to stop obsessing about your app notifications for a minute and just be in a long and light phone call with people who matter to you.