Making the feature phone smart (but not a smartphone)
Once upon a time, there was no distinction between feature phones and smartphones. For those of us old enough to remember what things were like in the 90s and early 2000s, classic phones let us text and call our friends, play games, and browse the internet (to a very limited extent). These phones had many characteristics that smartphones still don’t, like really going the distance with their robust build and everlasting battery life. In fact, the same tests that were carried out on feature phones 20 years ago are still used to test phones at top manufacturers like Nokia HMD today.
With new technology enabling feature phones to provide access to the internet and app ecosystem, ensuring their purpose remains true to the people that really need them can ensure their survival, and that of their manufacturers, for years to come.
Feature phones don’t deserve the ‘dumb’ label
Sadly, these trusty and durable devices have been recast as ‘dumb phones’ in the wake of the smartphone. However, not only do people seem to forget that they are highly evolved pieces of tech; they are also the only devices that billions of people around the world can afford. With more aspects of work, life, and access to vital services and opportunities increasingly becoming digital, the feature phone market is still hugely important to the world’s poorest people. Despite its resurgence in mainstream culture as a first world luxury for people looking to digitally detox, it is a vital lifeline providing access to critical information, education, healthcare, government services, and entertainment for those with limited incomes.
A full 3.4 billion people remain unconnected to the internet and for most, owning a smartphone is still financially beyond reach. Despite the best efforts of smartphone companies, many of the cheapest smartphones still cost around US$150 — which is still far from affordable for people in many parts of the developing world. However, new feature phone technology is making it possible for devices priced at $20 and below to provide access to the app ecosystem, presenting a unique opportunity to finally bridge the digital divide.
Why feature phones should stay for the (underserved) people
The end goal should not be for feature phones to try and catch up to smartphones, but to remain a category that makes it possible for this underserved audience to feel the benefits of the mobile revolution. Smarter feature phones have a huge role to play in bringing the internet to those at the bottom of the pyramid. They can change lives, give people new opportunities to claim their place in society and be included in global conversations and entertainment. And frankly, ensuring that these underserved audiences are catered to isn’t just good for society. It’s critical to securing growth and new business opportunities, especially for the phone manufacturing industry.
To understand why feature phones have endured and remained resilient in the smartphone era, avoiding the fate of many other technologies of decades past (RIP VHS tapes and floppy disks) comes down to their relevance to the developing world. Though smartphones undoubtedly have greater market share, revenue generated by the global feature phone market is projected to reach US$10.6bn in 2024. Despite the rise of smartphones globally, feature phones still hold a significant market share in emerging countries like India and South Africa.
Cloud technology has created new opportunities for the so-called ‘dumb phone’ to become smarter and continue the journey with its users in the transition from 2G to 4G networks and data plans. Cloud Phone technology, which uses a virtual browser that acts as the phone’s operating system, makes access to the internet and app ecosystem possible on feature phones priced as low as US$10. That makes it 150 times more affordable for the last billion people. The benefits of making ‘dumb phones’ smart — without turning them into smartphones — are immense and offer huge new opportunities for phone manufacturers.
Though it may sound incredibly simple, this technology has successfully broken through the hardware limitations that have plagued the category. It enables the easy development of apps for feature phones, a capability previously unavailable. It adheres to modern web standards like HTML, CSS, and JS and performs optimally in terms of functionality and video quality, even on low-end devices with only 16MB of RAM and ROM, typically found in devices priced at $10 USD. Additionally, Cloud Phone facilitates real-time content updates, enabling feature phone manufacturers to collaborate with a wider array of content providers to expand their reach through Cloud Phone widgets.
The advent of this new technology has created a pivotal moment for the industry. In the realm of feature phone manufacturing, a delicate balance exists between profit margins, affordability, and user satisfaction. Often, cost-cutting measures compromise user experience, leaving consumers with subpar devices. Cloud Phone technology disrupts this paradigm by prioritising user experience and affordability without sacrificing quality. It lets manufacturers design phones around a specific experience, or a focused set of tech features, and deliver the perfect everyday solution at an affordable price.
For feature phone manufacturers, success is a numbers game and not capitalising on this new technology to adapt to users needs will mean losing out to competitors or even worse, face obsoletion.
A golden opportunity to get billions of people cloud-covered
The transformation of feature phones into smart devices through Cloud Phone technology isn’t about catering to smartphone users looking to pare down their digital activity. It’s about one thing: putting the power of the internet into the hands of the world’s poorest. These smart feature phones should be unapologetically focused on serving the billions living below the poverty line, ensuring access to critical information, education, healthcare and work opportunities becomes a fundamental right for all.
For manufacturers, this isn’t just altruism either. It’s a golden opportunity for sustainable growth. By focusing on this untapped market, they can expand their customer base, forge partnerships with carriers and content providers, and unlock the immense potential of these new users. To be sure, investing in smart feature phones for the underserved represents major societal impact. But it’s also a shrewd business move that recognises the potential of those at the bottom of the pyramid and seizing the opportunity to grow alongside them.
