Known as “dumb phones”, without internet connection and only used to make and receive calls or send SMS, they entered the Spanish market and surprisingly found receptivity.

According to a research in which the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) participated, one in 10 Spaniards abandoned the smartphone to start using “dumbphones”.

Silvia Martínez, professor at the UOC’s Faculty of Information and Communication Sciences and director of the University Master’s Degree in Social Media, pointed out that this cell phone is “a basic type of device, with a name related to the concept of dumb phone, to make a clear distinction with smartphones”.

Despite society’s current dependence on smartphones, the hyper-connectivity they offer and, to some extent, encourage, is beginning to drive a wedge between users.

In Spain, around 50 percent of smartphone users are connected between one and four hours a day to the internet via their mobiles, according to Statista data.

In fact, just over four percent spend more than eight hours a day in front of their phone screen, although this hyperconnectivity does not always translate into happiness or productivity, the study noted.

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