Having two phones—one for work and one for personal life—isn’t a new idea, but the trend is gaining steam in many circles for a variety of reasons.
Adding yet another screen might seem like a counterintuitive way to get offline, but some adopters on Reddit have reported the opposite: A separate phone means a separate work life.
“Can’t go back,” one commentator declared on the r/Smartphones forum in response to a question about returning to one phone status.
“I separated my work life and personal life and I intend to keep it that way.”
Elsewhere, “Tried the single phone life for a month,” another contributor offered.
“Missed the work-life separation and the security of a backup device too much. Definitely sticking with two phones.”
Privacy Concerns
Work-life balance isn’t the only reason to get a second smartphone. Some online pundits warn that if your company wants to invade your privacy on a work device, they can do so.
“Last rep who left our company used his work phone and email for all his personal business,” a contributor posted on the r/sales forum.
“I can see when the dude pays his mortgage, his address, his homies are texting me. […]
“Your boss can read all that s*** if you work for anyone with a functional IT department.”
A fellow commentator replied, “You should also wipe the business phone prior to giving it back regardless!”
Going Without a Smartphone
Some folks, meanwhile, have had success with the concept of “digital minimalism,” to the point that a New York Times article predicting trends suggested that having a “dumb phone,” or a lower tech device, could become a status symbol.
“There’s always going to be a hipster element to going smartphone free, I feel,” a pundit on r/digitalminimalism mused.
“However, anyone can choose to leave the phone at home when they aren’t working and turn off all the notifications. They aren’t needed if you don’t want them.”
Meanwhile, “I’ve been accused of having privilege in not having to access a banking app every day, or needing to be reachable all the time with constant stuff going on,” an individual shared.
“I don’t even carry a dumbphone, but I certainly chime in when folks wonder how they can use their iPhone like one.”
A Low-Tech Option
One new phone, the Titan Elite 2 from Unihertz, is advertised as a way to keep yourself from scrolling for hours—an ideal option as a second phone in some instances.
Coverage of the Titan Elite 2, which is expected to be released later this month, found that the phone was designed intentionally to make watching videos a less appealing experience.
“The Elite 2 might be most appealing as a device when you don’t plan on watching a lot of TikTok videos—maybe if you want to actively discourage yourself from doing so, even,” Allison Johnson wrote for The Verge.
“It’s OK for secondary phones to be kinda crappy. If it’s a terrible experience scrolling TikTok on your secondary phone, then you might be less tempted to do it.”
The Titan 2 from Unihertz is currently available.
Other low-tech phones are available as well, including the Nokia 2780 Flip as well as the Bark Phone, which is advertised as a safe option for kids and teens.
Newsweek has reached out to Unihertz for comment via email.
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