2023-11-17
Feature Phones or Dumb Phones are the best solution to avoiding the privacy nightmare that are smartphones. However not all dumb phones are created equal and there are certain things you need to look out for.
First I’m going to refer to the list of things that can not be avoided with cellphones in a previous blog post and the issues around the SMS messages. All of those apply to dumb phones regardless of which phone you get. Second thing is that a lot of flip-phones run on android and may or may not have GAPPS and/or manufacturer apps installed on them, and I have not come across any custom ROMS for flip phones either(Which would be ideal).
There are a lot of choices for feature phones, some are better then others. Some feature phones have android with GAPPS others have either some kind of proprietary OS or an open source OS like KiaOS installed on them. Stuff you should take into consideration.
There are a ton of basic flip-phones on Amazon and Alibaba that you can choose from. The ones I have choose to list are either ones I have used my self, that come from well know cellphone manufacture(Like Nokia) or have a lot of reviews online about them. This is why the phones I have listed are on higher end of the price scale.
Sonim XP3, or XP5
I’ve used a XP3 as a daily driver for 3 years, it runs on android but does not have any GAPPS installed on it, it does have some manufacturer apps installed on it.
I have data shut off 99% of the time and only turn it on to receive pictures that are sent through SMS’s or connect it to WiFi to do firmware updates. It does ping google and the manufacturer sites either as a connectivity check or to check for updates as very little data is sent.
I highly doubt the phone is spying on you because the battery life last about 2 weeks(when new. Battery life is a pretty good indicator whether the phone is actuality collecting telemeter or not, Blue Tooth, WiFi-scanning and other telemetry sensors drain your battery like crazy). One draw back of the XP3 and XP5 is that they are kinda expansive, at around \(300 dollars brand new(You can buy refurbished ones for \)125ish)
Nokia 2780
This phone runs on KaiOS and has a 4 star ratting on Amazon. Most common complaints I have seen about this phone is that its battery life is really short, so either people are leaving WiFi on(leaving WiFi on kill the battery, as it will keep scanning for networks) or its being shipped with dead battery and it costs about 90 dollars on Amazon.
Punkt phone
punkt.ch
The Punkt phone is a very minimalist phone that can only support text and calling and it also supports signal. Its also expensive for what it is costing about 379 dollars
Lite Phone
thelightphone.com
Cross between a smartphone and feature phone that supports maps and has mp3 player. And is also kinda expensive costing about 300 dollars.
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