The dumbphone I’ve been eyeing for more than a year has finally arrived. But now that the device is in my hands, I’m a little anxious. To say I have no idea what to expect is an understatement.
After plenty of research via Reddit and YouTube, I chose the CAT S22 Flip phone. Yes, the same CAT that makes construction equipment. But before you ask, no, this isn’t an attempt to assert my masculinity or to bolster a macho image. This phone, based on reviews, just seems to offer everything I was looking for.
I wanted a dumbphone that would allow me to access Google Maps, text messages, and emails, but without the sleek form factor and ease of use that made getting distracted on my iPhone second nature. An added bonus is that it’s heavy duty, waterproof, and looks as though it can smash through a wall like the Kool-Aid Man. Not to mention, it was cheap, coming in at just over $100 after taxes.
The phone also has a touchscreen and an Android operating system. But before you make any assumptions that this could lead to a doomscrolling relapse, it’s worth noting just how small the screen is. At 2.8 inches, there simply isn’t enough of it to make such habits effortless and enjoyable. The whole point is that they’ll be an inconvenience which, I hope, will lead me to avoid them altogether.
That said, the CAT S22 is also slower than an iPhone. While loading times aren’t glacial, they aren’t fast and instantaneous either. Herein lies my anxiety. I’ve used my iPhone as a boarding pass, a mobile movie ticket, and as a quick and easy map both at home and abroad. This functionality remains in the CAT S22, but these tasks will take a little longer than I’m used to. One of my anxious fixations is about inconveniencing others by keeping them waiting, often to my detriment more than theirs, and this phone could tap into this unsettling fear. Or, it could force me to face it, dismantle it and adapt. Only time will tell.
I haven’t taken the phone out in public yet, but I plan to swap out the SIM card from my iPhone and test it out today. Hardware aside, I also didn’t account for the time it will take me to acclimate to using Android versus Apple’s iOS, which I’ve been using for more than 10 years, but that will be fun to explore and get used to. This is an experiment, after all, and there should be some room for failure.
Whether this all winds up a pleasant success, a catastrophic failure, or an amusing combination of the two, I’ll be sure to update you.
See you next week,
Keith
As someone on Reddit pointed out make sure to disconnect your number from iMessage and Facetime before switching over the sim.
Regarding the anxiety, I am part of a community that has dumbphones and when flying or the like there are alternatives to using your phone as an e-ticket. Also, people seem to be respectful about the fact that we have dumbphones as apposed to giving us attitude.
Best of luck!