New Yorker, 40, Sticks With Flip Phone in 2026 Despite Daily Digital Hurdles

1 articles · Updated · CNBC · Jun 9

Cheryl Geliebter, a 40-year-old New Yorker, says she has never owned a smartphone and still relies on a flip phone for calls and texts in 2026.
About 1 hour a day on her phone is enough, she says, because the device's limited internet access and lack of apps help her avoid distraction and curb what she sees as an addictive pull.
Paper maps, a portable GPS and printed directions fill in for smartphone navigation, while links and long messages often require workarounds through email and a computer.
Those limits still leave her excluded at times — she nearly missed a birthday party planned in a WhatsApp group — but she says the trade-off is worth it because the phone keeps work email and constant notifications at bay.