In Japan, the clamshell feature phone known as the “garakei” (ガラケー), which once defined an era, is disappearing. Smartphone adoption has effectively reached saturation, and the closure of the last 3G networks is squeezing out traditional mobile phones.

On Oct. 11 (local time), IT media outlet Engadget reported that Japan’s largest mobile carrier NTT Docomo ended its FOMA 3G mobile service and i-mode mobile internet service in March. KDDI’s au and SoftBank previously halted 3G services in 2022 and 2024, respectively.

Garakei is short for “Galapagos keitai,” referring to mobile phones that evolved independently in the Japanese market. Backed by physical keypads and strong durability, they offered functions such as One-Seg TV reception, infrared contact sharing, transit cards and small payments.

Their flashy designs and phone straps were also popular. Manufacturers such as Kyocera later kept the line alive by launching “garaho” (ガラホ), combining clamshell designs with Android operating systems and 4G connectivity.

The market shrank quickly as smartphones spread. According to NTT Docomo’s Mobile Society Research Institute, the share of smartphone users among mobile phone users in Japan exceeded 90 percent in 2021 and reached 98.3 percent this year.

Data compiled by market research firm MM Research Institute showed feature-phone shipments in the first half of fiscal 2025 fell 25.3 percent from a year earlier to 343,000 units. This contrasted with an increase in smartphone shipments.

The fallout from the 3G shutdown is not limited to mobile phones. Older in-car navigation systems and devices such as vending machines and unmanned parking lots that depended on existing networks have also been affected. In Japan, about 500,000 users and more than 400 device models are estimated to have been impacted.

Switching older people to smartphones has also emerged as a challenge. Docomo is running smartphone classes at its stores to teach web searches and screen operations.

Clamshell phones that support 4G can still be used. The exit of garakei is less about the clamshell form factor itself than about Japan’s homegrown 3G mobile phone ecosystem coming to an end.