A Call Back To Flip Phones

Soon after they were first released flip mobile phones became popular. They were a revelation as they were advanced, stylish, trendy and oddly satisfying while hanging up a call. They had some drawbacks but owning one was fashionable.
 
As compared to mobile phones today, their camera quality, screen size, applications, features and usability were certainly inferior. However, according to some, modern phones are to blame for stress and negativity among young people and thus are switching to the handy flip phones of yore.
 
Reportedly, this movement is linked to Sammy Palazzolo (@skzzolno), who uses an older flip phone not just for its retro style but also to actually enjoy time spent with friends when out. As an 18-year-old, she grew up in the age of smartphones but is now one of the young people who have an aversion to excessive screen time.
 
In a Tik-Tok video that has amassed over 13 million views, she explains, “We don’t take our regular phones out anymore. Everything that leads to us having a bad time stems from our phone,” and adds, “It eliminates all the bad things about college and brings all the good things about a phone, which is connecting with people.”
 
Ahead of her Palazzolo’s viral move, the hashtag #flipphone boasts of over 545.5 million views with more people calling for the retro device!

 
On the flip side (pun intended), the revolution for flip phones has already inspired companies to produce smartphones with similar architecture.
 
In an interview with USA TODAY, Tim Bajarin (a seasoned technology analyst and Chairman, Creative Strategies – a market research firm) said, “It started with Samsung's flip phone and has been a big hit in South Korea. Then it started showing up in TikTok videos, which got the attention of Gen Z, a demographic not familiar with the flip phones of the 1990s, and they began searching for those models."
 
This spike observed a 140% increase in searches for flip phones in the last 5 years, as told by Google to USA TODAY. As of today, one can opt for a new old flip phone that would come with a range of contemporary technology (as found in the original flip phones) that would cost between $20 and $50.
 
Or one can instead purchase a smartphone with the retro flip style. Samsung introduced an $889 phone that folds in half, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4. This phone offers a compact aesthetic that allows it to fit easily into pockets or purses. However, if one wishes to view videos or have advanced usability, it opens up into a large screen with modern-day usage speeds.
 
 
This movement has sparked mobile phone manufacturers to dive into research and development into smart flip phones, giving meaning to the phrase “what goes around comes around”.
 
What do you think of flip phones making a comeback and would you prefer using an advanced one or an old-school one? Let us know in the comments below!