3 Minimalist Phones to Help Kill Your Social Media Addiction

Social media has changed our world, but even the most ardent supporter will admit that it can be addictive. Now, using social media to connect with friends, catch up on some news, and watch a video or two is fine, but there’s no doubt that we’re all spending way too much time on our phones.

Due to this, the use of minimalist phones has begun to boom, with many opting for simplified and streamlined devices for their daily use, removing themselves from the endless doomscrolling and casino-like distractions that many smartphone brands and app companies incorporate. Of course, you still need some sort of connectivity, so we’ve rounded up 3 smart-yet-simple phone options to give you a break from the frantic and distracting world of modern phones:

Lite Phone 3

Coming from smartphone manufacturer Light, the Light Phone 3 echoes these sentiments and wants to offer people a simple, pared-down phone that eliminates the noisy connectedness that smart devices currently cause. It’s a 5G device that uses e-ink, instead of an LCD or AMOLED screen like many modern smartphones of today, so it’s softer on the eyes.

The Light Phone III also adds a metal frame, USB-C, fingerprint ID, a flashlight, camera, an NFC chip, and a clickable wheel.

Furthermore, the company has also future-proofed this phone so that you get meaningful software updates without asking you to upgrade to a new product.

The company is also not saying you should dump your smartphone in the river and never look back, but having an alternative for days when you don’t want every minute detail from social media on your mind isn’t a bad idea.

You can pre-order the Lite Phone 3 for $599, and it will work with Rain, Vodacom, and MTN. Also, you can use you can use Postbox Courier to help get it to South Africa.

Punkt MP02

Phones like the Punkt MP02 are the answer to a simpler, straightforward life, giving users the option to pare down the digital tether in their pockets to the bare minimum – so that what’s actually in front of you in person gets your full attention.

The MP02 is a bit of a departure from the MP01, which offered only basic telephony tech in the old-school body. The MP02 retains the simplistic design but branches out in terms of connectivity slightly, by adding 4G and other digital communication outlets like Facebook, Email, etc to its roster.

The attractive part is that you can toggle whether or not you want to see those additional platforms or not, so they’re there if you need but out-of-sight and out-of-mind if you don’t want to be distracted by them.

So, if you feel like your social media participation is reaching excessive levels, look into a semi-smartphone like the Punkt MP02 ($299) to free up your attention a little bit with this slice of digital minimalism. Also, you can use you can use Postbox Courier to help get it to South Africa.

Minimal Phone

The Minimal Phone is a minimalist-inspired phone that retains certain conveniences and elements from modern smartphones, but strips away many of the distractions and annoyances users tend to have with the latest high-end devices.

It runs on Android 14 and has full access to the Google Play store, so you can still get Uber, banking apps, and the like, but it features a full e-paper display, so you don’t get the harsh and distracting colours that lure your eye and attention. You also get a full QWERTY keyboard, 16MP camera, headphone jack, and the choice of a 6GB RAM/128GB storage or 8GB RAM/256GB storage model.

The goal is not necessarily to highlight the negatives of apps such as Facebook and Instagram, but rather to highlight the idea that when you’re not on your phone, your time becomes available for other things.

The Minimal Phone is priced at $399 for a pre-order special.

Getting minimalist phones in South Africa?

While we do get a lot of great tech in South Africa, the reality is that many of these innovative brands only ship in the US and key regions. But, we’ve got you covered: you can use Postbox Courier to get anything from the US to South Africa, irrespective of shipping constraints.

Create a free account

All you need to do is sign-up with Postbox Courier and you’ll get your own personal address allocated to you in the US, UK, or other regional depots, then allowing you to use that address when purchasing from US, UK, or other international stores. If they only ship locally in the UK or US, well, you now have a local address — winning! Postbox Courier will then forward the parcel(s) from your remote depot to your doorstep in South Africa.

You’ll also be able to save money, and this is because parcel forwarding companies like Postbox Courier often have local and international courier partners, allowing for the best rates for express shipping, something individual shops won’t be able to offer you.

Pssst, parcel consolidation saves you money

On top of getting items you wouldn’t usually have access to, Postbox Courier also offers parcel consolidation. This is extremely beneficial for people who shop with multiple retailers or want to bundle a number of international orders into one larger package, in order to save costs doing multiple shipments.

Postbox Courier offers free package consolidation, which is even better and then just leaves you with the singular shipping cost alone.

So, if you have your heart set on something you can’t buy without a US shipping address, then check out Postbox Courier, sign-up for free, and get your dedicated address in New York, London, or in many other key spots around the world. Then, you can shop, ship your goods there, and pay based on your orders to get the items back to South Africa.