also: ガラけい
feature phone; Japanese flip phone
Colloquial abbreviation of ガラパゴスケータイ. Refers to traditional Japanese mobile phones with specialized features (e.g., i-mode, one-seg TV) that evolved separately from smartphones. Often used in contrast to スマホ.
See also: ガラパゴス携帯
My grandmother still uses a feature phone.
There are still quite a few people who use feature phones.
Since switching to a smartphone, I miss the buttons on my old flip phone.
He finally switched from a flip phone to a smartphone.
I'm still someone who prefers a feature phone.
ガラケー refers to old-style Japanese flip phones, while スマホ refers to modern smartphones, and the two are usually contrasted.
stand; base; platform; table; rack · setting (of a gem); mounting · stock (in grafting) · counter for machines and vehicles · level; mark; range; decade (of one's life) · tall building (with a fine view); observation platform · plateau; heights
Hiragana variant; rarely used in practice.
Abbreviation of ガラパゴスケータイ (Galápagos keitai), a term coined from the idea that Japanese mobile phones evolved in isolation like Galápagos species, developing unique features not found elsewhere.