Things We Miss from the Golden Era of Cell Phones
What do you remember about your first phone? If you're old enough to have had a flip phone or a classic brick phone, chances are you miss the nostalgic features it came with. Sure, smartphones have revolutionized the market, but sometimes, you can't help but want to go back to texting the old way. If you're ready to take a trip down memory lane, here are 20 things we all miss about old mobile phones.
1. Physical Keyboard
Nowadays, we're used to typing on our screens, which, while satisfying in its own way, doesn't beat physical keyboards. Aside from BlackBerrys and full-sized QWERTY keyboards released in the 2010s, keyboards on retro cell phones forced you to click a button up to three (or more, if you missed) times to get the correct letter. It was frustrating then, but nostalgic now.
2. Long Battery Life
Another great thing about old cell phones was the battery life. You could go days without needing to recharge it, unlike now where you need to plug it in at least every night. Granted, the seemingly infinite battery life we had on those phones was simply because there wasn't much to do on them other than texting and playing games.
3. Playing Snake
Speaking of games, who remembers Snake? Ah, an all-time classic, the true boredom killer. You could spend an entire day playing this and this alone. Sure, you have a plethora of options available now on the App Store, but nothing will ever truly beat the old games we had.
4. Snapping Flip Phones Shut to Hang Up
Back in the day, when we wanted to hang up on a flip phone, we could either press the end call button or snap the phone shut. The latter came in handy in many situations—especially when you were mad. After all, what's more satisfying than cutting a conversation short by slamming your phone shut?
5. Nostalgic Ringtones
Maybe you can't recall the names of these ringtones off the top of your head, but these jingles probably still pop into your mind every now and then. And that's no surprise—they were also your alarms and notification tones along with being your ringtones, which is why they're still so iconic.
6. Durability
Back then, phones were built like bricks—they were thicker, sure, but extremely durable. You could drop it on the ground 10 times and it would work fine. The current smartphones on the market now wouldn't stand a chance, given their fragility.
7. Simplicity
Phones back in the day were also simple—they had simple menus and features, and yet that was enough. We didn't have pages and pages of apps or the versatility we have today, but it was the simplicity that made them easy to use.
8. Small Build
Unlike the phablet-sized smartphones we're used to now, which barely fit into your jeans' pockets, old cell phones were super portable and easy to carry. Flip phones were relatively thin, and you could hold them perfectly in one hand, even when typing.
9. Playing Bejeweled
If you weren't playing Snake, you were probably playing Bejeweled, the other classic game available on pretty much all retro cell phones. Matching colorful gems on a tiny screen likely wasn't the best thing for our eyes, but that didn't stop us.
10. Removable Batteries
Remember how we could easily remove the back casing of our phones to simply pop the battery out and replace it? You can't do that with modern smartphones, and to swap the battery out with a new one will cost you a hefty price.
11. Decorations
While you have many case options for smartphones now, back then it was all about stickers and lanyards and phone charms, which added unique flairs and characters to our portable bricks. Even if you can decorate clear cases, it doesn't feel the same.
12. Pixelated Photos
Okay, hear us out—yes, you have high-quality photos now and selfie cameras, but isn't there something so nostalgic about old mobile photos? They were often grainy and pixelated, with desaturated colors, but they make great mementos.
13. No Internet
Okay, there was internet available on old cell phones, but not everyone had regular access to it. Data plans back then weren't as affordable and easy to come by as they are now, so most people lived without it—unless they had constant emails coming in.
14. No Social Media
No data meant no internet, which meant no apps and certainly no social media. And while you might think you can't live without these platforms now, having no access back in the day meant we had more time to stay present in our lives than be cooped up in bed doom scrolling.
15. Headphone Jack
Remember the headphone jack? The little port that allowed us to jam to MP3 music files and the FM radio? It may be inexistent on current smartphones, especially now that Bluetooth earphones have become the new normal, but nothing will beat that satisfying static of plugging in your wired earphones.
16. No Constant Updates
Unlike current phones, back then there were no constant software updates. At most, there were security patches, but even these were uncommon. Smartphones now get frequent refreshes to fix bugs, security issues, or faulty features.
17. No Expensive Repairs or Maintenance
Current smartphones cost a fortune to get parts fixed, like a broken screen or a faulty battery. Back then, phones were extremely durable, which meant they rarely ever needed to get fixed at a shop. Spare parts were also relatively inexpensive.
18. Various Designs & Colors
When flip phones were all the rage, there were various designs and colors to choose from, unlike the simple black, navy, and silver options. And because there were multiple companies with popular devices, you could shop around to see which design spoke to you most.
Joost J. Bakker IJmuiden on Wikimedia
19. Fingerprint Recognition
Stepping away from the era of physical keyboards and into the age of smartphones, fingerprint recognition was a beloved feature that, unfortunately, doesn't exist on many phones anymore. Nowadays, it's all about facial recognition. (Security on old cell phones, on the other hand, were usually random keys, like the asterisk, or had none at all.)
20. Came with a Charger (and Other Necessities)
Phones also used to come with chargers—and sometimes other necessities, like earphones—in the box. This was a given back then, since without these essentials, you couldn't properly use the phone. However, nowadays, smartphones don't come with anything else but the device itself.
