Too much screen time is taking a toll. These low-tech devices can help you step away and unplug

If your New Year’s resolution is to cut down on screen time, you’re not alone. After decades of ever-accelerating innovation, many of us are beginning to question a once-dominant assumption: that more technology makes life easier. For a long time, ‘more’ was synonymous with ‘better’ – more apps, more features, more connectivity. Instead, endless notifications, constant multitasking and an ‘always on’ culture are making people feel overwhelmed, distracted and exhausted.

In response, the pendulum is swinging back. A growing movement toward minimalist, low-fi technology aims to optimise and reduce our screen time. According to technology innovation studio Tomorrow Lab, sales of flip phones, single-purpose music players and other first-generation devices surged in early 2023, with some models doubling year-on-year. People are choosing intentionally limited tools as a form of ‘digital detox’.

Instead of relying on willpower alone, these tools reshape the environment: adding friction, stripping back interfaces, limiting functionality, or making overuse dull and unrewarding. No single gadget will change your life overnight, but together they can subtly shift how you relate to technology – and help you reclaim your analog life.

Devices that do less and and demand less

Minimalist phones like the Light Phone II and III, Minimal Phone and Punkt MP02 pare the smartphone back to essentials: calls, texts, alarms and navigation. Browsers, social media and email are removed. Punkt, in particular, offers a rather austere experience that feels deliberately resistant to mindless use.

‘Dumb phones’ such as the Nokia 105 or the iconic 3310 push this philosophy to its logical conclusion. With only calls, SMS and basic utilities, they eliminate the dopamine loops that drive compulsive checking.

Other devices make technology less appealing rather than less capable. The Mudita Pure uses an e-ink display and eliminates scrolling, creating friction at every interaction, while Unihertz Jelly is technically a full smartphone, but its tiny size makes extended scrolling unpleasant.

Minimalist Android launchers like Olauncher, Niagara, Before Launcher or Ratio replace colourful app grids with text-based lists, while app and website blockers such as Freedom, Cold Turkey, LeechBlock or ScreenZen insert delays between impulse and action. Even switching a smartphone to grayscale mode, making it less visually stimulating, can interrupt habitual behaviour.

The return of single-purpose devices

One of the core problems with modern technology is convergence. Where once you called on a phone, wrote emails on a computer, and listened to music on an iPod, now a single device does everything, leading to multitasking and distraction. Choosing a single-purpose device can encourage more intentional use.

E-ink readers like the Kindle or Kobo are built almost exclusively for reading, with no notifications or apps. The Boox Palma technically supports apps, but the slow, uncomfortable scrolling introduces enough friction to discourage casual use. The same philosophy underpins distraction-free writing tools such as the Freewrite and AlphaSmart Neo, as well as tablets like the reMarkable, which emphasise handwriting and reading without browsers or social feeds.

An iPod or MP3 player offers music without recommendations or endless feeds. Simple fitness watches measure steps and heart rate without notifications or algorithmic nudges. A notebook can replace a notes app, a wall calendar can stand in for digital reminders, and physical photo albums can take the place of social media galleries. Of course, followed all the way through, this line of thinking might leave us without much of a Technology section at Wallpaper*, so we’re content to assume that a happy middle ground exists.

Tools that enforce boundaries

For those who want firmer limits, some tools restrict access by design. Devices like Brick or Unpluq use NFC tokens or key fobs that must be physically touched to unlock apps; without the object nearby, access is blocked. Yondr pouches, meanwhile, physically lock phones away. These measures may feel extreme, but there’s no question that they disrupt habit loops, which is the goal. Sometimes though, the simplest solutions are the most powerful: a physical alarm clock, for example, means your phone doesn’t need to be in the bedroom.

Low-fi technology isn’t about rejecting progress. It’s about choosing tools that serve you, rather than the other way around.