Flip-phone Shipments Up 5.7pct In Japan, While Smartphones Decline 5.3pct in 2014

[engine]

Is it just Japan bucking the trend for a high-tech country? Excessive fees for smartphones use might be the reason, according to the research.

Japanese shipments of traditional flip-phones rose in 2014 for the first time in seven years while smartphone shipments fell, highlighting Japanese consumers' tenacious attachment to the familiar and typically less expensive older models.Flip-phone Shipments Up 5.7pct In Japan, While Smartphones Decline 5.3pct in 2014 [in.reuters.com]

[bill]

Japanese flip-phones are still pretty good. Even before the smartphone invasion, they could do a lot of things even a lot of today's smartphones can't.

I see a lot of people carrying flip-phones these days. Older consumers seem to be the majority. They seem to prefer the basic functionality, as they use these devices mostly for voice communication. Another market segment are the young people who talk a lot on their phones. The calling plans are a lot more affordable on a flip-phone.

There are a lot of people I know who carry both. The smartphone is for data and the flip-phone is for talking. Smartphone plans can cost 10x more than a simple voice plan on a flip-phone.