This is an ode to an icon. The OG flip phone. My clamshell queen. You focused on the important things: long battery life (so we could spend the whole day and night together), quality calls and texting capabilities. You knew how much staying in touch with my loved ones meant to me. From calling my mom after volleyball practice to late-night gossip sessions buried under my blankets, you did it all so effortlessly in an easy-to-use, reasonably-priced package—complete with a metallic pink shimmer and that satisfying snap when I closed you.
They say everything old becomes new again. Trends come and go, culture shifts on the tectonic plates of progress and, eventually, what was once our favorite gadget becomes obsolete. But today we find ourselves in the midst of a flip phone revival. And I want you back. It makes sense: you represent simpler times, the good ol’ days–the ease of slipping a phone into the pocket of your Brandy Melville booty shorts; the novelty of a 99-cent ringtone that sounded like a waterlogged speaker sputtering back to life; the puzzle of T9.
Before there was 5G, there was 3G. The whole language that is texting dialect was born out of your illuminated buttons. You pushed me to stretch my imagination of what was possible in 160 characters. OMG ILYSM BFFL. Razr, not only were you the paragon of your era, you were the preferred cellular choice for junior high “it girls” everywhere. I remember laughing over your screen with my friends in the bathroom, pulling you out to take selfies in the mirror, duck lips protruding while throwing up a peace sign every single time.
They say you’ve gotten “smarter,” maybe even better. I’ve been scoping out your competition and flip phones have come a long way. This new wave of compact tech combines all the perks of your old design with the bells and whistles of the newest phones, all without compromising the full, HD pocket-cinemas we’ve come to adore. Not to say they have anything on you, Razr. I’ve seen your upgrades. That zero-gap hinge, which opens up into a perfectly flush seamless main display? That same sleek silhouette we’ve known and loved? You look good. You still got it. Call me?
