I swapped my smartphone for a $70 brick approximately a year ago and have zero regrets - I highly recommend that anyone curious give it a shot (though I'll note that I'm not 100% convinced yet that doing so is the best long-term move). I've been working to reduce the total parasitic load that I allow on my conscious mind and the impact of removing an always-on computer from my pocket has been palpable. For me, the cost / benefit analysis strongly favors eschewing a smartphone: cognitively I feel more refreshed, "present", and able to focus on tasks for longer without the phone present, financially I've transitioned from purchasing a multi-hundred dollar device every few years and paying ~$800-$1,000 a year for data to paying far less for a device that is very durable and reliable and not paying for data at all. After a year of having no on-the-go access to my email I am happy to say that the hourly mental impulse to check if I've gotten anything important has finally dissipated (it was surprisingly strong and persisted even into the sixth month mark). The price I pay for increased communications friction is negative in the final tabulation: for every new app I miss out on, every email that sits in my inbox a bit longer than it used to, and every text that I answer slowly and without emojis, I find that I am able to actually process information around me more carefully and thoroughly. It's also genuinely shocking to see the smartphone phenomenon from "outside" - with nothing to look at or play with, my attention tends to be on other people around me, and the fact of the matter is that nearly everyone I encounter is only half-present no matter where they are due to having a chunk of their mind constantly devoted to whatever is going on (or might be going on) on their phone's screen. Strange times.