Mobile technology has become quite ubiquitous throughout the last decade, be it through the latest Apple, Samsung, or Android device. Many people are constantly connected to their smartphones for accessing news, social media, or for games. According to a study from Statista, it is estimated that over two billion people own a smartphone. In the United States alone, two-thirds of adults own a smartphone, with 19% of them using it daily for work. With the rapid growth of advanced technology, it seems highly unlikely that anyone would find the need to purchase an outdated phone. Two companies, Punkt. and Light, have deliberately created such phones.

Punkt., a Swiss phone manufacturer, produces the MP01 mobile phone, devoid of internet access, applications, music, and other features typically seen on a smartphone. This phone only has the option to make phone calls and send text messages utilizing the T9 text technology that has since been replaced. Having a design similar to a calculator, the phone is distinct, but is oddly sleek. The price is ironically on par with other smartphones, coming in at $295.

A phone of a similar nature is the Light phone. Releasing in June 2016, the Light phone appears to be unlike any phone. Its design is even more simplistic than the MP01, with a simple digital display of the time. It is used exclusively for accessing and making calls. Even more surprising is its size, being just as small as an average credit card. Costing only $100, the Light phone is actually an extension of any existing smartphone device, removing all other amenities and keeping only the feature to make calls. It is one of the first phones ever invented created deliberately to be invisible.

Both companies have created these phones not just for shock. In fact, both organizations have intentionally designed these devices to be as useless as possible. Petter Neby, founder of Punkt., argues for the limited technology:

“Today’s world is consumed with technology and I think we are too distracted by it in day-to-day life. I founded Punkt. to offer a viable alternative for those feeling overwhelmed by the advanced technologies that have pervaded modern lifestyles. Punkt. is about using technology to help us adopt good habits for less distracted lives.”

With this in mind, it is no coincidence that the company itself is built on the German word meaning “full stop/period.”

Joe Hollier and Kaiwei Tang, co-founders of Light, gave this powerful statement on the mission of their company:

“We are forgetting the importance of solitude, something we once cherished. Having window seats while traveling, taking a walk alone [maybe] with a camera or making art for hours at a time, these important conversations with ourselves are lost to our habit of pulling out our screens. Solitude and boredom are essential to creativity or producing any sort of serious work. We are becoming scared of boredom, scared of solitude, scared of conversations with ourselves.”

The world continues to be increasingly connected, but in reality, it is becoming anti-social, having people ignore those that are in front of them. Punkt. and Light both develop their products for commendable and honorable causes. By downgrading the standard for technology, these two companies are not only promoting more productive and distraction-free lives, but more social ones. As the creators of the Light Phone have stated, “We’re not anti-technology; we’re only human.”