Best dumb phone 2023

Smartphones are all the rage, but not everyone wants one. Are you looking for a dumb feature phone that's easy to use and cheap to maintain? You're in the right place. Maybe you want a "dumb phone" for your kid, or maybe you want one for gramps who doesn't get what Google is and why you would want it in your mobile phone.

Fortunately, the best dumb phones come with varying degrees of smarts. You can choose to get one with some Google services or go for one that's completely free from Android and Google's clutches. Whatever the case, these are the best dumb phones that you can buy. Happily, dumb phones don't cost anywhere near as much as the latest and greatest flagship smartphones, even costing nearly half as much as the cheapest smartphones.

At a glance

Best overall

While this isn't a proper dumb phone, we think it brings the best of both worlds in one body. The Nokia 2780 Flip offers you four days of battery life, basic apps on KaiOS, USB-C charging, a camera, a headphone jack, a removable battery, and an FM radio. You also get Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity. You go off the grid if you want, with up to 18 days of battery on conservative use. Its big buttons and loudspeaker make it friendly to use.

Best for seniors

Easyfone focuses on building user-friendly phones that provide essential services to your loved ones. The Easyfone Prime A6 is made for seniors in particular, which is why the font is very large and the buttons are huge. The UI is very simple and requires no prior knowledge or experience. There's no internet or cameras onboard, but you do get an SOS button for emergencies.

Best with flashlight

Remember when phones came with built-in flashlights? The BLU Z5 is a filthy cheap dumb phone that comes with one, just like the phones of yore. You get an audio jack, chunky buttons, a flashlight, and a microSD slot, but not much else. This is a dumb phone through and through. What makes it so great is the unbelievable price. Miraculously, the BLU Z5 costs less than $30.

Best for Google services

The Nokia 6300 4G is an impressive little phone. It may look like a thing of the past, but the phone's looks are deceiving. Amazingly, the tiny Nokia 6300 4G comes with apps like Google Maps, YouTube, Google Assistant, WhatsApp, and Facebook. You still get Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, but the screen is minuscule, and you're stuck with an ancient micro-USB port.

Best rugged

Kyocera's DuraXV Extreme is a rugged dumb phone with IP68 water and dustproofing as well as military-grade resistance to shocks, falls, extreme temperatures, and even solar radiation. The phone's loudspeaker is incredibly loud, and the battery lasts forever and ever. It even has a 5MP camera with a flashlight and various buttons, including an SOS button. Unfortunately, this brick of a phone has a steep price tag.

Best basic

This is a basic dumb phone with no extras. There's no meat around the bones here. The sleek Nokia 110 4G has physical buttons, a 1.8-inch TFT LCD display, basic calling and texting functions, a generic camera with an unspecified resolution, micro-USB charging, and not much else. Since you do get a 3.5mm headphone jack, Bluetooth, and a microSD slot, you can use it as an MP3 player as well as a phone.

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Dumb phones can be pretty handy

Unlike the best Android phones, feature phones don't come with every spec under the sun. You won't find a touch screen, loads of apps, or state-of-the-art mobile cameras in dumb phones, but that's kind of the point. It's a great idea to take some time off social media and connect with the real world once in a while, and dumb phones help you do that with ease. Besides, physical buttons have a great tactile feel, and dumb phones that flip are extremely good fun to use.

When choosing the best dumb phone, your decision hinges on who you're buying it for and why. If it's to disconnect from the world or for a child, your best bet is the Nokia 2780 Flip. This fantastic feature phone has physical buttons, a small display, and it folds in half. It has all the makings of a great dumb phone, with a few extras thrown in the mix. This is a good thing since you or your child could definitely use an app like Google Maps during emergencies.

On the other hand, if you want something for seniors, then you should stick with simpler options like the Easyfone Prime A6. The Prime A6 has large buttons and an exceedingly simple UI, so anyone can use it. This phone is built from the ground up to be highly accessible to all, making it one of the best dumb phones for anyone. If you don't want large chunky buttons though, the Nokia 110 4G offers a sleeker build and more compact size.