I +1 the notion that (at least in the US) a smartphone is really the only sensible alternative in today's day in age for someone who needs a mobile phone. Nothing wrong with going without a data plan and using purely Wifi-only, but opting instead for a true dumbphone doesn't make sense to me. When I look at prices for used unlocked or prepaid Android based phones, a decent little machine can be had for under $40, and I mean really under, as in sometimes as low as $10-$20 for a perfectly serviceable model running Android 2.3 or 4.0 OS. Slap on a ultra-protective case to ensure it never breaks from physical damage and you're looking at $40-$50 total. Hardware cost isn't really a justifiable answer anymore for opting for a dumbphone, as the price floor for dumbphones really doesn't get lower than $10. There aren't many people in this country who can tell me with a straight face that the price difference between $50 and $10 for something they plan to use for 4-5+ years is truly going to make a difference between eating human food and eating cat food or a similar meaningful choice, and if they can I'd point them to LifeLine. And plan prices are usually independent of what phone you use -- many providers sell you the SIM card you stick in your phone and care little if that goes into a 128GB iPhone 6 Plus or some budget no-name 2.3 Froyo Android or a dumb candybar phone. People who hold out their dumbphone as proof they aren't a social cog strike me as people who want to be unique for little more than uniqueness sake.
A dumbphone allows you to talk, text, and maybe check email & surf the web in a very uneasy, time consuming manner (if your dumbphone even allows you to use Wifi and not just 2G cellular data),
A smartphone allows you to:
- Talk & Text, both via cellular and if you're even remotely tech-aware via Wifi using Google, Skype, RingTo, or other services to have it be completely free
- Email, including advanced things like being able to attach files
- Surf
- Video conference
- GPS
- View and work with word documents, spreadsheets, presentations, PDFs, etc.
- Price compare / QR code search
- Take & send photos, or create quick PDFs (for receipts, etc.)
- Listen to music
- Foreign Language Translator
- Check & manage your calendar
- Set an alarm, stopwatch, and timer
- Mobile banking / Remote Deposit of checks
- Replace store loyalty program cards / key fobs
- Flashlight
- Compass
- Shopping list
- Entertainment (youtube, movies, games, etc.)
- A lot more stuff I haven't even mentioned (Bluetooth TV/HTPC remote, health tracker, calculator, etc.)
The best aspect is that a smartphone can do all of the above for FREE and in a generally user friendly manner. Granted it needs an internet connection eventually for most of this stuff, but you can do a lot of stuff when you aren't near Wifi and cue it up to act when Wifi is available (i.e. download your emails in Wifi, respond to them when out of Wifi, have them actually send when you get back into Wifi). Many of the above listed features either safe time, money, both, or provide some sort of convenience when used correctly and in moderation.
I'm not saying it's not worthwhile to learn how to operate in the world without a smartphone. It's also worthwhile to learn how to start a fire from scratch, but it's also sensible when you need to light a candle for your normal course of practice to simply use a match rather than spend 10 minutes striking flints together. And I'm not saying people don't abuse smartphones -- they do. But nobody is forcing you to be available 24/7 to respond to emails, answer calls, reply to texts, etc. And if they are (as in an employer), the "I didn't reply to your urgent email because I don't get email on my frugal flip phone (big smile, pats self on back)" excuse really isn't going to yield any better of a response than any other response someone with a smartphone would give. In my mind holding out a dumbphone as something that proves you aren't "beholden to the man" or "tied to the machine" or whatever indicates more than anything else that you're incapable of self-moderation, equivalent to saying you don't take prescription drugs after a major surgery because you know you'd eventually be hooked on pain killers.
None of the above is directed at anyone in particular, just an opinion on why nobody should be "giving up" their smartphones and switching back to a dumbphone or replacing a broken dumbphone with another dumbphone, when a viable option is just to forego a data plan on an existing/new smartphone. All I'm saying is if the US government thinks that smartphones are such a basic necessity to the average citizen/resident/illegal alien that they'll give them away free, no strings attached, anyone on this board should realize there must be at least some justifiable value in them over dumbphones...