device
Flip phone
A clamshell phone that opens to answer and snaps shut to hang up — pocket-proof screen, no accidental dialing.
A flip phone (clamshell) folds in half: screen on the top wing, keypad on the bottom. Opening it answers a call; snapping it shut ends one — still among the most satisfying gestures in consumer technology.
The form factor has practical advantages that explain its survival: the screen faces inward and stays unscratched in a pocket, accidental dialing is physically impossible, and the microphone lands closer to your mouth. In the dumbphone world flips dominate the senior, rugged, and budget categories.
Related Terms
View all →Bar phone
The classic candybar shape — one rigid slab with keypad below the screen, ideal for one-handed T9 texting.
Dumbphone
A mobile phone deliberately limited to essentials — calls, texts, maybe maps — with no social media, feeds, or app store.
Feature phone
The industry term for keypad phones with basic capabilities — the hardware category most dumbphones belong to.