I never owned an iPhone, and I think I will never want one. That's not because I hate Apple or think that Android smartphones are better. As a matter of fact, I also do not want a flagship smartphone from any other manufacturer. The reason: they are too good.
But not in the way they want to make you believe: Their advertisements tell us that smartphones connect us. Their cameras become better so we can save more memories of our lives. Their gimmicky AI features are presented as personal assistants for everyone.
That's nice and all, I guess, but these features cover up the one thing that smartphones with smooth UX do the best: They steal our time.
Sure, they connect us...via Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, Facebook, WhatsApp, and so on. Superficial connections that hurt us more then help us. Their cameras are so good we prioritize them over our own eyes when seeing something great. Just look at concert videos from pre-2010 and then at some from this year.
If you read this in a public space, look around you. How many people you see are not looking down on their phones? Or maybe easier: How many do not?
Yes, this is the classic "Old man yells at X" trope (except for me being 26) but I can only recommend you to get off of that thing for once. It may be hard at first but after a few days, you start to appreciate the simpler things in life again.
Now, you might already guess why I like me slow phone. It's a good phone, for sure - it does all I need but is also slow in many things I want. Apps open slowly, the fingerprint sensor does not work on some apps and the entire phone grinds to a near-halt when going below 20% battery.
Is that inconvinient when I need it? Yes. When I am on a hike and my phone is near empty, opening up Komoot is almost a gamble. But at the same time, scrolling through YouTube is also a subpar experience and often I fall back to just listening to an audiobook, which is most often times the more qualitative experience.
My phone is excellent in discouraging me from mindlessly using hyper-optimized attention grabbers by stamping on their performance and that's what I like so much about it. It creates a level playing field between less stimulating experiences and otherwise addicting apps.
Bonus: Every year this effects strengthens by the phone becoming slower and slower.
Just wanted to get this one out.
Bye!
Chris