One in five of respondents to its survey agreed to ‘I don’t want a smartphone – I just want a phone that makes calls’. Only 5% said they planned to upgrade to an iPhone soon after launch and 65% say they were happy with their existing phone.

The findings came from Future Thinking’s poll of more than 4,300 respondents, conducted at the end of August.

John Whittaker, head of marketing at Future Thinking, said: “Consumer hype remains underwhelming, especially given what a huge moment this is supposed to be for Apple. Apple and its peers are targeting a premium market that is gradually shrinking, while a growing smartphone evolution backlash is starting to emerge.

“Our research shows that 20% of people now do not want a smartphone at all – instead they just want a phone that makes calls, driven primarily by those over 45 years of age. Many have ditched their smartphones in exchange for a simpler, more liberating life without being glued to a screen and being bombarded with notifications. The rebooted version of the classic Nokia 3310 launched earlier this year is one response to this trend.”