Six in 10 mobile phone users say today’s handsets have too many features, making them over-complicated and unreliable.

Although a mobile phone is considered an essential gadget by most people, research from Fonebank found that over a third wanted simplicity.

The mobile phone recycling company said of the 1,000 people who took part in its recent survey, three-quarters believed current handsets are less reliable and robust. While many are initially swayed by all the functions bundled into a phone, the survey found many are rarely used.

For example, although the average age of the respondents was between 18 and 35, inbuilt cameras and MP3 players are considered superfluous by 30 per cent and 45 per cent respectively.

Fonebank found that nearly half of people said they tend to use their mobiles almost exclusively for making and receiving calls and texts.

Mark Harrison, Fonebank’s director said: “People think they care about pixels or megabits when in fact they just want mobiles that are easy to use. Calling and texting remain the primary functions of mobiles, with web surfing, emailing and music capabilities relatively unimportant.”

However, he did say that despite a lack of enthusiasm for some of the 'whistles' and 'bells', mobiles have fundamentally changed the way people use other gadgets.

"Many people feel lost without their mobile, using it as a personal assistant or even a replacement for their alarm clock or watch," said Mr Harrison.