How to go analog in 2026

Despite all its benefits, the modern digital world can be quite daunting. Endless notifications, subscribing to everything, devices that always need to be recharged – it can be a lot. What if you could go back to a simpler time? Or at least a time when it seemed simpler. Nostalgia for analog devices has become very common, from the resurgence of vinyl and cassette tapes, to film and instant cameras and the sudden success of used book stores.

But how do you do it? How can you go analog in the digital world of 2026? Depending on how committed you are to ditching digital technology, it may be very easy. I’ve ranked the categories from easiest to hardest, based not only on how easy the transition is, but also on how much the switch will impact your daily life.

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One of the easiest ways you can use an analog camera is to get a real film camera instead of using your phone or digital camera. While you can get A fairly cheap new film cameraand There are countless usedIf you don’t know anything about cameras, this can be a daunting switch (and film processing can get expensive).

Consider one of Fujifilm Instax cameras instead. These instant cameras print the photo you just took, just like old Polaroid cameras (or… Polaroid now). This memento of a special moment can be something you put on your wall or in a photo album, or you can gift it to friends and family so they can remember the moment too. They also make great refrigerator decorations.

books

Reading for pleasure has become a bit of a lost art, but if you’re into analog reading, this is a great way to entertain yourself that doesn’t require a TV, subscription, or charging device. There are a lot of great books out there, importantin which genre you are interested. Best of all, you can enjoy the books for free. Your local library would love to meet you. They often have plenty of other stuff you can check out for free too, Including music.

One of the most surprising trends I’ve seen recently is… The emergence of independent book stores. You may be surprised to learn that there is one in your area now.

I love the smell of new and old books, but sometimes carrying a stack of paperbacks can be uncomfortable. that E-reader Offers a happy medium. If you don’t want to give Bezos more money, we recommend several of Kobo’s models. Although e-readers are certainly not analog, your library card allows you to do so “Verify” free e-books. So you save money, there’s no subscription and you support your local library.

Music (headphones, vinyl, and cassette tapes)

Concrete and hyper-focused listening pleasure Vinyl It has been praised by many, especially CNET alumni and popular vocal YouTubers Steve “Audiophile” Gutenberg. It’s hard to listen to records on the go, but fortunately, audio cassette tapes are finally old enough to get their own wave of nostalgia. Including new models. So you don’t need to search eBay for a questionable, heavily used Walkman that’s old enough to need a Lipitor.

Ideally, you’ll be able to find a used record store nearby so you can support local businesses. After all, it’s hard to be proud of switching to analog if you’re buying everything online.

If you’re not sure if you want to do everything on tapes, as someone who grew up with them, that’s understandable. A good compromise is an old MP3 file. Although it’s certainly not analog, it is for you: You don’t need a subscription to play it, and there are plenty of media players — Also known as MP3 players – To listen to your music on the go. Some record players also have a USB output so you can easily digitize your record collection.

As far as headphones go, switching is very easy. There are a lot of cheap (and expensive) things out there. Wired headphones on the market.

Offline entertainment

If you want some non-reading entertainment (perhaps after you have a record spinning), there it is Countless board games to entertain you during analog business hours. Some of them you can play alone, but most are better for two or more players. Some are designed for adults and others for the whole family. Don’t risk a family conflict over a game of Monopoly when there is so much to learn and (hopefully) enjoy. Two of my favorites are Gloomhaven: Lion’s Jawslocated in the linked list above, and Star Wars: The Outer Edge And it’s not like that. I’m also a big fan of Carcassonnewhich takes its name from An amazing castle that I toured a few years ago.

Or hey, why not start some family drama and get Catan?

writing

Using analog in my job will be a challenge, to put it mildly, but I can’t deny that there’s something wonderfully tactile about scratching pen on paper. There’s no chance I’ll be able to read what you wrote after a day, but if your handwriting is higher than “Distracted Doctor,” it means… Worth upping your pen game.

If you’re not quite ready to put all your thoughts and musings on paper, check out Noa pen. It works just like any other pen, but it can save what you’ve written digitally, converting your written words into searchable text on iOS and Android.

Then there are typewriters, something Tom Hanks is famously a fan of, and one person at CNET declared dead More than 30 years ago. Although it’s interesting that that story was about the first of two Smith Corona bankruptcies, they continued making typewriters for another decade and are still in business. While we don’t have any typewriter recommendations, This guy tested 300 and picked the top 10.

television

This is a little more difficult than other analog options so far. All modern TVs are digital, and this has been the case, in general, for more than 15 years. Until then, CRT “tube” TVs were very specialized. CRT tubes are very heavy, with larger models weighing hundreds of pounds. So you can find used CRTs, but if they’re not local, the shipping costs will be prohibitive.

The better question is: What specifically do you want from analog TV? If it’s just “analog,” that’s fine, but without a stock of VHS tapes, laserdiscs, or some old game consoles, you won’t be able to watch much on it.

If what you’re really after is to eliminate the costs of a streaming or cable/satellite subscription, all you might need is Cheap antenna And TV tuner. You can get HD programming over the air almost everywhere in the United States and in many places, Next generation television Offers more stations and programming. You might be surprised at the amount of free content in the air right now.

You can also purchase used DVDs and Blu-ray discs, perhaps from the same record store you selected for vinyl and cassette tapes. Sure, this is digital too — it’s literally in the name with DVDs — but it allows you to cut out another subscription fee. As long as you have a player, you’ll be able to watch your DVDs, although that’s not necessarily the case with Blu-ray. Don’t want to own the discs? Check your local library collection. This is also a great way to watch old movies and shows that never made it to streaming services.

As far as VHS, laserdiscs, and game consoles are concerned, you can get an adapter to go from composite, S-Video, or component to the HDMI on your existing TV. But I’ll warn you: everything will look like garbage on a big, modern TV. That’s because all that old content was in standard definition, 480p at best, and often lower than 240p in many cases. There’s not much a modern HD or 4K TV can do with this low-resolution signal.

Road tripping (old school style)

I’ve already covered the music. Your car is probably old enough to have duct tape. The biggest problem will be maps, assuming your car doesn’t have a built-in GPS. We’ve all grown accustomed to the convenience of Google/Apple Maps and Waze. I’m sure many of you have completely forgotten how to use a sextant. For shame! Fortunately, there is an option called “Maps”. I’m told it’s made of paper and is very easy to fold. If you have AAA Membership, They will give you maps for your next trip for free.

And finally your phone

Is it possible to make your phone analog? no. All phones are digital now. However, you can reduce your digital footprint. You can also delete apps that distract you, Install app blockers and more. I’m a fan Brickwhich allows you to make your smartphone stupid quickly and easily. If you use a real camera, listen to your Walkman and read a paper book, you probably won’t need to look at your phone much at all. Isn’t this the real goal?

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About the authorIn addition to covering audio and display technology, Jeff makes the photo tours From museums and amazing sites around the world, including Nuclear submarines, Aircraft carriers, Medieval castles,epic A 10,000 mile road trip And more.

Also, check out Budget travel for dummiesAnd his travel book, and his book Best-selling science fiction novel About submarines the size of a city. You can follow it Instagram and YouTube.