Image: June Wan/ZDNET.
Flip phones seem to be in style again, and a new study even shows that young people’s interest in retro-looking technology is booming.
The study comes from Decluttr, an online service that allows you to sell your old technological devices so that they can be refurbished for resale.
For years, all smartphones looked the same: a touch screen in a rectangular format. But the trend may be changing. In fact, online searches for flip phones have increased by 15,369% over the past year, among Gen Z and younger Millennials. Considering the appearance of a number of new flip phone models on the market this year, this data is quite logical.
Younger generations are not necessarily interested in flip phones in general, but more specifically in certain models. Google searches for “Motorola Razr flip” have increased by 241% in the last 12 months since the new model release. Searches for “Oppo flip phone” also increased, by 511% during the same period.
Samsung even jumped on the trend by launching the Galaxy Z Flip 5 Retro model, based on its retro models.
What is behind this retro trend?
Liam Howley, marketing director at Decluttr, attributes this trend to nostalgia for a time when technology was simpler.
“The year 2023 was an opportunity for many young people to think about their digital lives,” he explains. “They remember times when technology was simpler, like the 90s, which are also coming back into fashion. »
Nostalgia is powerful, he adds, before clarifying that many people simply want a smartphone that’s a departure from what’s popular at the moment, both in terms of look and feel. This desire, he believes, can only lead to more innovation and improvement in the world of flip and foldable phones.
Foldable phones on the rise
This trend is already evident, as the number of foldable phones sold in 2023 increased by almost 44% compared to the previous year.
That same report predicts that more than 54 million devices will be sold by 2027, a 382% increase from 14.2 million in 2022.
Source: ZDNet.com