Why Gen Z is Embracing the Flip Phone Revival
Published On: July 31, 2025.
In a bustling café, a student snaps shut a tiny colorful phone with a satisfying click, drawing curious looks from friends with sleek smartphones. She’s part of a growing Gen Z movement embracing flip phones – some are rediscovering old devices, while others flaunt the latest modern revamps, which folds like a makeup compact. This summer, many declared it “flip phone summer,” a social media trend to ditch smartphones for simpler flips. “Flip phone summer is a test of human will,” says Lauren, 22, who swapped her iPhone for a $100 clamshell handset. Without constant notifications, she’s been “listening to nature... thinking my thoughts” in ways she never did while glued to Instagram.
It may sound like nostalgia, but the trend is real. Online searches for flip phones have surged by over 15,000% in the past year among Gen Z and young Millennials. On TikTok, the hashtag #flipphonesummer went viral, with young people sharing their digital detox journeys. Last year, TikTokers rallied under #bringbackflipphones, leading to a rise in sales. HMD Global, maker of Nokia “dumbphones,” saw its flip phone sales double by April 2023. Gen Zers are swapping their app-packed devices for ones that just call and text, driven by curiosity, nostalgia, and a desire to regain control over tech. TikTok creator Caitlin Kunz said the switch brought “better sleep, fewer migraines,” and slashed her screen time from 12 hours to just 3.
Digital detox is at the heart of this movement. For a generation raised on smartphones, flip phones offer a break from information overload. Flip phones impose limits – no TikTok feeds, no push alerts, no doomscrolling. “It’s better to live in the moment rather than checking my phone every five seconds,” one flip phone convert told The New York Post. Gen Z has been called the “dumbphone generation” not out of lack of tech savvy, but because they’re aware of the harms of constant connectivity. Three in five Gen Zers say they’d like to be less connected to the digital world, and they’re the only group whose social media use has fallen since 2021.
Aesthetics and nostalgia are also big draws. For many Zoomers, flip phones carry a Y2K retro appeal – a throwback to a time of low-rise jeans and Laguna Beach reruns. Teens post mirror selfies taken with grainy flip phone cameras, reveling in the early-aughts vibe. “Gen Z loves flip phones because they love things that are iconic,” quips Paris Hilton, whose bedazzled pink Motorola Razr was the status symbol in 2005. Hilton recently teamed up with Motorola to promote its new Razr, tapping into the same nostalgia. The turn-of-the-millennium trend is everywhere: young people are buying vinyl records and disposable film cameras again, and the flip phone fits perfectly. There’s also a certain drama to flip phones that today’s slabs lack. You can answer a call with a flourish and end one by snapping it shut – a tactile satisfaction no touchscreen swipe can match.
Sensing an opportunity, tech companies have jumped on the flip phone trend. Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip series is the poster child of modern foldable phones, and the Galaxy Z Flip 7 is marketed as the ultimate Gen Z gadget. It looks like a classic flip, but open it, and you get a sleek smartphone display. Samsung has leaned into Gen Z branding – vibrant colors, limited editions, and TikTok-friendly ads. The strategy seems to be paying off: while pricier folding phones have struggled to go mainstream, smaller Flip models (around $1,000) are drawing younger buyers who see them as fun and fashionable. The Z Flip 7 is thinner and tougher than prior models, with a revamped hinge mechanism and improved durability. When closed, it slips easily into a jeans pocket; when open, its 6.9-inch screen offers the full modern smartphone experience. It offers the best of both worlds – the nostalgic cool of a flip phone without giving up Instagram or Google Maps.
Practicality aside, the flip phone obsession speaks volumes about Gen Z’s mindset. This generation is coming of age with a heightened awareness of burnout, surveillance, and the downsides of constant connectivity. The old-school flip phone feels almost like a counterculture statement – a symbol that it’s okay to log off. “It’s not a small trend,” one mobile industry CMO observed, even if the enthusiasm is partly symbolic. Pop star Dove Cameron made headlines for switching to a flip phone because being online had become “joyless.” And for every teen who buys a flip, there are many using features like Do Not Disturb and app timers to carve out tech-free time. In an online era, the flip phone offers a dash of freedom – or at least a conversation starter. As summer ends, some “flip phone summer” participants will return to smartphones (college classes and group texts await), but they may have a new perspective on their tech habits. Even if most Gen Zers won’t permanently rewind to 2005, the fact that so many are intrigued by the idea is telling. Whether it’s for a digital detox or nostalgic fun, Gen Z’s flirtation with flip phones shows that sometimes, innovation means rediscovering something retro. And for now, at least, the allure of flipping a phone shut – click – remains undeniably cool.
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