There’s nothing ‘smart’ about owning a smartphone

The UAE has the highest smartphone penetration in the world, at 73.8 per cent of the population, says Google, but its most popular handset is a basic Nokia.

Despite smartphones being all the rage, a hard core of people refuse to consume their days with technology, instead opting for basic, non-internet phones like this Nokia. Pawan Singh / The National

DUBAI // Jan Bakowski has a pet hate. Whenever he meets a friend for a coffee he finds he is competing for attention with their smartphone.

“We could be in the middle of a conversation, and then suddenly there’s silence,” said Mr Bakowski, 39, from Poland. “I’m staring at the wall, while he checks his emails.”

Mr Bakowski owns a Nokia X1, a dual-Sim handset without internet access. He is one of a hard core of consumers who are refusing to buy a smartphone as a lifestyle choice, rather than a financial one.

“Smartphones have their uses, but if it means I’m going to be distracted all the time then I don’t want that,” he said.

The UAE has the highest smartphone penetration in the world, at 73.8 per cent of the population, Google says.

Despite that, the most popular handset for sale in the third quarter last year was the Nokia 101/1010, one of the cheapest on the market and with the least functionality.

Statistics from the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority in December show the handset had 4.1 per cent of the market share, compared with the iPhone 5 (2.8 per cent) and the Samsung Galaxy SIII (2.5 per cent).

Matthew Reed, a principal analyst for the region at Informa Telecoms and Media, said the cost of handsets such as the Nokia 101, at Dh95, was only part of the reason for its popularity.

“I’m sure there are people who could afford a smartphone but choose to stick with or buy a basic handset instead,” Mr Reed said.

“For some it might be to assert their individualism by standing aside from the mainstream, and owning a smartphone is increasingly mainstream.

“Maybe for others it’s more of a practical calculation, based on factors such as with a basic mobile phone the battery will last longer between recharges, call quality is fine, you don’t have to worry about data costs.”

Khalid Nofal, 56, an Egyptian photographer living in Dubai, said he still used a beaten-up old Nokia that lasted him well.

“I just love my phone. It has fallen down a million times but nothing happened to it,” Mr Nofal said. “It works as perfectly as it did before the fall.”

He said he never felt like he was missing out if a friend produced their smartphone during a conversation.

“I actually feel angry at them,” Mr Nofal said. “I’m talking to them and they are busy checking their phones.”

A short film called I Forgot my Phone went viral late last year. It showed a world where people would take selfies or check their emails on their phones instead of making conversation with friends.

Many commented on the YouTube video saying they were inspired to go back to using basic, “non-smart” phones.

Retail billionaire Sir Philip Green, and SuperGroup chief executive Julian Dunkerton, both use Nokia 6310 handsets, which do not have internet access.

They were featured in a Financial Times story in December entitled “Need a status upgrade? Get an antiquated Nokia handset”.

Thomas Shambler, editor of the regional edition of technology magazine Stuff, said if there was an emerging trend toward “dumbphones” it was ultimately misguided.

“Some people don’t want a smartphone, as they think walking around with a banged up old Nokia makes them retro and cool – swimming against the tide of technology, so to speak,” he said.

“I applaud these tech revolutionaries and hope that this dedication to the past goes beyond the mobile phone.

“I hope they also use other 1990s tech stalwarts like the fax machine, dial-up internet and a Walkman CD player.”

* Additional reporting by Salam Al Amir