Flip Phones Are Popular Again…In Japan!

When I started high school, my dad had a flip phone, and I thought it was the greatest thing ever. It had a black and white screen, an actual “ring’ tone, and an antenna you had to pull out in order to get the maximum phone signal. It was his work phone to keep, and when his work gave him an updated phone, I tried to do everything I could to get him to give me the old phone, but he wouldn’t do it; he said I didn’t need a cell phone. (He was right. I didn’t need one, at least not then, but that fact didn’t change the fact I thought it was the best thing ever). There was just something about a flip phone that seemed so futuristic to me – it rang, you flipped it open, and voila – you were talking on the phone!

But now, there’s nothing about a flip phone that doesn’t seem old and archaic. They’ve been replaced with smartphones and touchscreens, and you’re likely to get laughed at if you dare to use one in public. Unless you’re in Japan, of course, as flip phones are experiencing a huge rise in popularity. In fact, for the first time in seven years, flip phone shipment percentages increased more than smartphones in 2014.

Whether this jump is due to ease of use or ease of cost is debatable, as Japanese mobile-users have to shell out quite a bit of money for their data plans. Either way, this news is surprising considering the world we live in.

What do you think? Do you still use a flip phone?

[Image via PhoneArena , Chart via NDTV]

SOURCE: Yahoo Tech