--- title: Flip Phone Sales Grow In Japan While Smartphones Decline | TIME description: A study from MM Research Institute says for the first time in seven years, flip-phone shipments grew. canonical: https://time.com/video/xOMv4k9d/ og:title: Flip Phone Sales Grow In Japan While Smartphones Decline og:description: A study from MM Research Institute says for the first time in seven years, flip-phone shipments grew. og:url: https://time.com/video/xOMv4k9d/ og:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/xOMv4k9d/poster.jpg?width=720 og:type: video.other twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Flip Phone Sales Grow In Japan While Smartphones Decline twitter:description: A study from MM Research Institute says for the first time in seven years, flip-phone shipments grew. twitter:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/xOMv4k9d/poster.jpg?width=720 --- # Flip Phone Sales Grow In Japan While Smartphones Decline > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ## Video: Flip Phone Sales Grow In Japan While Smartphones Decline [Watch (HLS stream): Flip Phone Sales Grow In Japan While Smartphones Decline](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/xOMv4k9d.m3u8) (2:00)  _Published 2015-02-17. A study from MM Research Institute says for the first time in seven years, flip-phone shipments grew._ --- Jul 27, 2023 5:56 PM UTC --- ## More From This Series [All Videos](https://time.com/video/) [Samsung's Trying Foldable Phones Once Again With the Galaxy Z Flip](/video/lH9PyqK3/) ### Samsung's Trying Foldable Phones Once Again With the Galaxy Z Flip [Tech Time: Everything to Know About the iPhone 6S](/video/mGmugY5H/) ### Tech Time: Everything to Know About the iPhone 6S [Apple Predicts Record Sales For New iPhones](/video/9jvgFrTR/) ### Apple Predicts Record Sales For New iPhones --- ## Transcript When was the last time you saw a flip phone in person? Old episodes of Law and Order don't count. Flip phones are hard to find in American culture these days. But according to a new study sales are actually holding strong in Japan. Engadget reports a study from MM Research Institute says for the first time in. Seven years, flip phone shipments grew, leading to 10. 5 million flip phones being sold in Japan in 2014. And, while the flip phone was busy making its comeback, smartphone sales in Japan dropped by 5. 3 % to 27. 7 million. By comparison, 57 million smart phones were sold in North America in the fourth quarter of 2014 alone. So, what keeps Japanese consumers buying these somewhat outdated tech? It seems to be a combination of things, starting with price. Japan has some of the most expensive mobile phone contracts in the world and. And so sticking with the flip phone can potentially lower the mobile phone bill significantly, along with saving money there some functional advantages to the flip phone, they are generally more durable and have a longer battery life. That's not to say being able to drop your flip phone and it not break. Outweighs the ability to watch Netflix, watch the weather and get directions on your smartphone. [ MUSIC ] Oddly enough, there's another old piece of technology that [ MUSIC ] That Japan won't let go of, CDs. While America and many other developed countries around the world, can't get enough of Spotify, iTunes, and the like. More than 85 % of music sales in Japan, are CDs. Vice interviewed an employee of Tugboat Records, a popular record label in Tokyo, about the compact disc craze. Japanese people prefer things you can see or touch. Something that exists in real life. While most U. S. companies have stopped producing new version of the flip phone, some Asian companies continue to produce new flip phones. Late last year plans were leaked for a smart Samsung flip phone, the Galaxy Golden II, only to be sold in Asia. ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Flip Phone Sales Grow In Japan While Smartphones Decline","description":"A study from MM Research Institute says for the first time in seven years, flip-phone shipments grew.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/xOMv4k9d/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-02-17T19:01:20.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/xOMv4k9d.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/video/xOMv4k9d/","duration":"PT2M","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/video/xOMv4k9d/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}} ```