Ed Sheeran enjoying 'less stress' without cellphone

Ed Sheeran has "so much less stress" in his life after ditching his smart phone as part of his New Year's resolutions.

The Shape Of You hitmaker decided to take a step back from using his "phone, emails and all social media" in late 2015 so he could enjoy some peace and quiet during a lengthy hiatus throughout most of 2016, and the silence prompted him to toss his smart phone altogether.

Ed insists his no-phone policy has turned his life around.

"I still don't have a phone number," he tells U.S. talk show host Ellen DeGeneres. "I bought an iPad and I just work off of email. It's so much less stress.

"I don't wake up in the morning and have to answer 50 (text) messages of people asking for something. It's just, like, I wake up and have a cup of tea."

The singer recently admitted continuing to stay a little disconnected from modern technology was part of his big plan for 2017.

"I have an addictive personality," he told the BBC last month (Jan17), "so, my New Year's resolution was to get off social media. I've got one of those little drug dealer phones - untraceable burners. I told (Adele) I got a flip phone and she thought I was taking the mick out of (mocking) her."

Ironically, Adele famously used a flip phone in the video for her Grammy-winning hit Hello.

Despite Ed's efforts to cut down on his use of social media, he hasn't logged off completely. Since making his Twitter comeback in December (16), the star has regularly used the microblogging page to keep fans updated on his new music, including about the release of his third album, ÷ (Divide), which will hit retailers in March (17).