Brits go back to basics with mobile phones

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Despite the hype around touchscreen and push email features on the latest mobile handsets, a third of Brits would prefer to have just basic features.

That’s according to a new survey of over 2,000 UK adults, where less than a fifth (18 per cent) said they wanted a phone with the latest technology.

Perhaps more surprisingly, this figure rose to 42 per cent of those under 20 years of age.

It also found the frequency with which people were experiencing problems with their latest handsets may have a lot to do with their rejection of new features.

In fact, the survey found a quarter (25 per cent) of people had had a problem with their handset in the past 12 months.

Split out by brand, over a third of LG owners (34 per cent) had at least one problem with their phone in the last 12 months, followed by Sony Ericsson (33 per cent), Samsung (25 per cent), Nokia (24 per cent) and Motorola (22 per cent).

Although LG owners experienced the most problems, one in four (26 per cent) of them were most likely to go for a high-tech handset from this manufacturer.

James Parker, manager of mobiles at survey sponsor, moneysupermarket.com said it may not be a coincidence that LG owners suffer the most faults, as they are often the most advanced phones.

By contrast, 43 per cent of Nokia owners said they preferred to have a basic phone that can be used for just text messages and calls.

Parker added: “This survey just goes to show a large number of people don't want the all singing, all dancing ‘smart phones’. For a lot of people, simplicity is key.”

The top five worst aspects of mobile handsets emerged as ringtones and sounds, camera, handset buttons, games and internet access respectively.

And over a fifth (21 per cent) of Motorola owners found the camera was the worst aspect of their phone, followed by Sony Ericsson owners (20 per cent) and Samsung owners (19 per cent).

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