Smartphones are convenient. They allow you to play games, access the internet, stream movies, and TV shows, and help you with a variety of everyday things.
However, there are times when you don't want other people to contact you or when bringing your smartphone is inconvenient for many reasons.
This is where a burner phone comes into play.
What Is A Burner Phone?
A burner phone, according to How To Geek, is a cheap, prepaid mobile phone that you can destroy or discard when you no longer need it. It may or may not come with a "burner SIM," a cheap, prepaid SIM card you can insert into another phone that allows you to use the phone permanently without linking it to your real identity or for a limited time.
You may recall that burner phones are popular among fugitives and criminals in movies, TV series, and other consumable popular media.
Interestingly, the term "burner" was popularized by the 2002 HBO series "The Wire," wherein "burners" were used to avoid detection by authorities. Should a number be suspected of being detected and compromised, the phone or device was discarded or "burned" so the person using it is untraceable.
However, burner phones are similar to the phones used during the day when smartphones are not yet popular meaning that they can't run apps as smartphones do, nor can they take pictures or access the internet.
Why Use Burner Phones?
Burner phones are handy if you're going to a place where you aren't going to stay for long and can't use your main smartphone at the same time due to roaming fees, according to to Make Use Of.
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Tech Target adds that burner phones, just like in pop media, allow you to be anonymous as using them means that you bought the phone with cash rather than a credit card. It also requires no contract with a service provider since the SIM you'll be using is a prepaid one.
Additionally, burner phones could be used to register to a secure messaging service like Signal or Telegram without disclosing the phone number on the smartphone you regularly use, per PC Mag.
It can also be used as a disposable phone that you can afford to lose or give away to a robber in a pinch.
Furthermore, a burner phone could be used as a decoy - providing a phone number linked to a burner phone can help you avoid telemarketers or anyone likely to send you follow-up messages.
The Best Burner Phones Out There
If you want to keep telemarketers off your back or you just want a disposable phone to take with you on your travels, then you may want to have a burner phone with you.
Thankfully, getting one is neither hard nor expensive. You can simply use an old phone you can part with anytime and then install a burner SIM on it to turn it into a burner phone.
Alternatively, if you don't have an old phone, you can buy one at your local store.
According to a separate Make Use Of article, you may want to get a Nokia 3310 3G, which is a modernized version of the brick phone your parents and even grandparents are familiar with. It can stay on for almost a month at full charge and even an updated version of Snake. Despite having only 3G internet access, it still is a great burner phone to have.
Meanwhile, Wired recommends a variety of flip phones popular in the 2000s, such as the Samsung S336C and the Alcatel A206. They won't run apps, but they can stay on for half a month and can receive and send calls and messages.
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