Japanese Flip Phone Market Grows As Smartphones Become Too Expensive

The Flip Phone Is Having A Revival
|

Just as vinyl is beginning to have a resurgence, so too is another aspect of technology: the flip phone.

According to Japanese analytics company MM Research Institute, more people are buying flip phones in Japan. In fact shipments of the old-school phones have reached a seven year high while smartphone shipments have actually declined.

Why? Smartphones in Japan cost more than almost any other country in the world, which combined with the weakened Japanese economy means that many are turning to a simpler age.

Companies such as Panasonic, NEC both pulled out of the smartphone business in order to better focus on other markets while still producing the cheaper feature phones that are proving to be ever more successful.