Quality Non-Smart, Non-Touchscreen Mobile

Dhamma

Hi,

I can't stand touchscreen phones and have no need for a smart phone - I just phone and text!

Are the sort of phones I like a thing of the past at this stage? Nokia used to make quality 'ordinary' phones, but the ones currently available are all very cheap and plasticky.

Does anyone know of a high-quality 'ordinary' mobile that you can buy new and sim free?

Thanks.

regress

Nokia ones seem to be the only real option in Ireland. A few "old folks" phones from Doro and Emporia. And that's about it.

_Kaiser_

eBay is probably your best bet these days. Why not look up models you used to have and liked and see if you can still get them?

The 6310i - probably the best phone Nokia made - is still going strong in the 2nd hand market for example.

long_b

Picked up an N82 on adverts.ie for about 60 euro for herself. She's over the moon to be back on physical T9 after a series of touchscreens.

regress

long_b wrote: »

Picked up an N82 on adverts.ie for about 60 euro for herself. She's over the moon to be back on physical T9 after a series of touchscreens.

N82 is a fairly big old smartphone. Nip what OP is looking for.

Think that there would still be a fairly big market. for a high quality dumbphone.

Faze11

Look for the Nokia 6700 chrome. Nice classy phone.

regress

Faze11 wrote: »

Look for the Nokia 6700 chrome. Nice classy phone.

It is. But it is now out of production and not sure it was ever available in Ireland.

Aidenwyatt

Nokia 2310. But don't know whether it is available in the market or not..

studiorat

JCB Toughphone...

RangeR

All prices SIM / NETWORK FREE

Nokia Asha 202 @ €71
Nokia Asha 300 @ €103

Doro 615 @ £111
Doro 612 @ £88
Doro 715 @ £87

TTfone Neptune @ £20

stevek93

Faze11 wrote: »

Look for the Nokia 6700 chrome. Nice classy phone.

Solid phone if it worked, had a board on mine replaced twice still same issue white screen when you turn it on nothing else. :mad:

regress

stevek93 wrote: »

Solid phone if it worked, had a board on mine replaced twice still same issue white screen when you turn it on nothing else. :mad:

As far as I can remember Vodafone said that they would not be offering it because it hadn't passed their testing.

regress

RangeR wrote: »

All prices SIM / NETWORK FREE

Nokia Asha 202 @ €71
Nokia Asha 300 @ €103


Doro 615 @ £111
[URL="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Doro-PhoneEasy-612-Mobile-
Phone/dp/B00A4FOH3W/ref=sr_1_12?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1377601408&sr=1-12&keywords=doro+mobile"]Doro 612[/URL] @ £88
Doro 715 @ £87

TTfone Neptune @ £20

The Ashas are more cheap smartphones than dumbphones.

Doros are very much designed for and aimed at old people although they are good phones for what they are. Big buttons, simple to operate and hearing aid compatible.

regress

Aidenwyatt wrote: »

Nokia 2310. But don't know whether it is available in the market or not..

A very basic Nokia now discontinued that was aimed at the third world market.

athtrasna

My Dad had the Asha and hated it! Worst of both worlds!

Davy

C2-01

or

Nokia 100

Both will do the the job and will last.

regress

By the way I am in same position as OP. I have had a Galaxy and an iPhone and now just want a basic phone. Would pay €800 for a good quality dumbphone but resigned to an old Nokia as there is nothing else available. This is not about price but rather about a quality option for those who would prefer a dumbphone by choice.

So not looking for cheap smartphone or old discontinued nokias on eBay.

Davy

regress wrote: »

So not looking for cheap smartphone or old discontinued nokias on eBay.

If it does the job why not?

regress

Davy wrote: »

If it does the job why not?

It does the job. And old Nokias are actually fine. Just wondering why nobody has made a premium high qualiy dumbphone as I think there is a big market for a phone like that. Diamond encrusted would be nice.

was.deevey

Gonna chime in with the Nokia C3, inexpensive, really good battery, built like a tank, the qwerty is handy for texting and all the buttons are clicky and responsive.

http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_c3-3269.php

Davy

regress wrote: »

It does the job. And old Nokias are actually fine. Just wondering why nobody has made a premium high qualiy dumbphone as I think there is a big market for a phone like that. Diamond encrusted would be nice.

So want style rather than substance then? :pac:

Its just a matter of going through the options of what you do and don't want. You can still get a so called smartphone that is good quality, can look the part and just use for calls and texts, and cover in any case you want. But an old S40 can do the same job if you are happy with it in a diamond covered case. Just most people wouldn't want it because of the age.

Davy

was.deevey wrote: »

Gonna chime in with the Nokia C3, inexpensive, really good battery, built like a tank, the qwerty is handy for texting and all the buttons are clicky and responsive.

http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_c3-3269.php

E63, E72 are more or less the same and built well. Slightly older tho

regress

Davy wrote: »

So want style rather than substance then? :pac:

.

Well no. That was a joke. I'm not looking to impress anyone. Just wondering why there isn't an option for those who want a high quality dumbphone.

There are reasons why many people would prefer not to have a smartphone and it is by choice.

GreenWolfe

Davy wrote: »

But an old S40 can do the same job if you are happy with it in a diamond covered case.

If anyone actually wants one of these things, there's always the Vertu Signature. You'll have to ask for a quote, but a quick web search suggests a diamondless model goes for approx $20,000. After that, the sky's the limit.

regress wrote: »

Well no. That was a joke. I'm not looking to impress anyone. Just wondering why there isn't an option for those who want a high quality dumbphone.

In my own opinion, improved data is the focus of 3G and beyond. Since operators aren't able to get much money out of non-smart phones (i.e. people won't buy data and other add-on services), the operators (who have considerable sway over the types of handsets being produced) won't demand them any more and as a result their manufacture has decreased.

was.deevey

E63, E72 are more or less the same and built well. Slightly older tho

Agreed - Better Specs, But the OP did say he wanted a Dumbphone Specifically though.

regress

was.deevey wrote: »

Gonna chime in with the Nokia C3, inexpensive, really good battery, built like a tank, the qwerty is handy for texting and all the buttons are clicky and responsive.

http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_c3-3269.php

Well. It has long been discontinued and replacef by Asha smartphined but I think it was a cheap smartphone.

regress

EarthlyPangaea wrote: »

If anyone actually wants one of these things, there's always the Vertu Signature. You'll have to ask for a quote, but a quick web search suggests a diamondless model goes for approx $20,000. After that, the sky's the limit.



In my own opinion, improved data is the focus of 3G and beyond. Since operators aren't able to get much money out of non-smart phones (i.e. people won't buy data and other add-on services), the operators (who have considerable sway over the types of handsets being produced) won't demand them any more and as a result their manufacture has decreased.

This may be. a reason. There is definitely a market that is being ignored. Maybe in an attempt to push them I to buying smartphone. On 24 month contracts.

Davy

was.deevey wrote: »

OP did say he wanted a Dumbphone Specifically though.

Define dumpphone or smartphone?

Its only a marketing gimmick to charge more. A so called smartphone is just a phone, with more bits and pieces than normal. Call it smart and they can charge the €700.

regress

Davy wrote: »

E63, E72 are more or less the same and built well. Slightly older tho

Once again. This is not about cheap or old smartphones.

regress

Davy wrote: »

Define dumpphone or smartphone?.

Excellent question that goes to the heart of the matter. Dumbphone should have no Internet access. I would still like a dumbphone though with a good quality camera, maps and access to e-mail. Just don't. Want the twrtemptatiin of the Internet.

was.deevey

Dumbphone should have no Internet access. I would still like a dumbphone though with a good quality camera, maps and access to e-mail.

If you have maps and email you will have access to the internet ... so you really want a "not-so-smart" phone rather than a dumb phone.

Just get a phone with a browser so bad you couldn't be arsed.

N95 .. old but does the trick, decent maps email and takes better photos even compared to more modern phones.

Well. It has long been discontinued and replacef by Asha smartphined but I think it was a cheap smartphone.

Didn't realize it had been discontinued, but trust me it was pretty dumb with very basic functions, no apps to speak of whatsoever, a crap mobile browser (which could not be updated) and wi-fi that was really only any use for receiving mail.

Define dumpphone or smartphone?

I think where the line is drawn is in that with a smartphone you aren't stuck with whatever happens to be preloaded when you buy it.

A with dumb phone comes with software pre-loaded and will run Java Apps if you are lucky at best.

Davy

regress wrote: »

Excellent question that goes to the heart of the matter. Dumbphone should have no Internet access. I would still like a dumbphone though with a good quality camera, maps and access to e-mail. Just don't. Want the twrtemptatiin of the Internet.

Nearly every phone though has internet access, it might be slow if using a non 3G phone but still a function so using that requirement might not be the best idea. This was point earlier, you can still get a 'smartphone' and use what you need from it, delete the access points if you wish so you cant connect.

From the OP its about build quality to me rather than features, thats why I suggested the two I did as they will last a decent amount of time. And they do the basics well while I have a battery that will last a few days and both can be gotten at a reasonable price

mad muffin

Nokia just released the 515.

GreenWolfe

mad muffin wrote: »

Nokia just released the 515.

Link to the official blog announcement - http://conversations.nokia.com/2013/08/28/iconic-style-meet-the-nokia-515/

Looks really nice, aluminium body and a plastic keymat. According to the spec it won't have GPS. Other than that it looks like a phone the OP would want.

regress

The Nokia 515 does indeed look a lot like the phone the OP was asking for.

Looks like Nokia realized that there could be a market for a high quality feature phone.

Perhaps we have an answer.

mad muffin

Before 2007 the 515 would have been the kind of phone I'd go for in A heart beat.

Dhamma

Thanks for all your replies.

Yes, the Nokia 515 is exactly what I'm looking for. Quality materials, good looks, Symbian S40 (basic talk and text, with a few extras). Can't go wrong!

I'll eagerly await its appearance on amazon or ebay.

Many thanks again.

MuppetCheck

Would you use a Blackberry? The Q5 is out at the moment and they are a big improvement on the old ones with the BB10 operating system. I'm using the bigger Q10 at the moment and it's a lot more basic than the HTC One I usually use. My father even likes it and he hates anything too complicated.

Kristopherus

Aidenwyatt wrote: »

Does JCB Toughphone have a Micro SDHC/memory card slot?

Get to know amazing offers on Mobiles, Gadgets, News about Iphone, Android.
Mobilecruze.com

Pity they would'nt update their site more often;).

28064212

Every phone is a dumbphone if you just turn off and/or don't use the 'smart' features. Disable mobile data, WiFi, GPS, don't sign in to any accounts, don't install any apps, and hey presto, you've got a dumbphone that can only call and text

RangeR

28064212 wrote: »

Every phone is a dumbphone if you just turn off and/or don't use the 'smart' features. Disable mobile data, WiFi, GPS, don't sign in to any accounts, don't install any apps, and hey presto, you've got a dumbphone that can only call and text

Buttons over touch screen.

/

28064212

RangeR wrote: »

Buttons over touch screen.

/

Smartphones can have buttons

flutered

i am using a nokia 5800, it is near enough a dumbfone, i only use the call and text features, also it has a nice (for me) keyboard for ringing nos, also the keyboard for texting is large enough, the two times i used the maps i found them rather effecent, a holder on the car windscreed makes it easly answered while driving as it only needs a finger tap rather than a swipe, also it only requires charging twice weekly, btw i am well on the wrong side of 60, have bad eyesight and large arthritic fingers,

CH3OH

for anyone interested in the 515
Just received a Nokia 515 via Amazon.de and used Parcel motel via Belfast

I used the following seller ALB computer. I ordered evening of 24th Sep and received it yesterday

regress

O2 have announced that they definitely won't carry the Nokia. 515. The other networks are still refusing to say.

angeline

I don't think this phone will be for sale at all in Ireland...

regress

angeline wrote: »

I don't think this phone will be for sale at all in Ireland...

Well.Ireland is usually a few months behind advanced nations anyway but I wouldn't rule it out just yet. Only O2have said they won't carry it. Vodafone and Meteor are just sayinfg that they never heard of it and they don't know.

jimmynokia

Vodafone will be selling the 515 tomorrow, it's live on site now.