The 5G smartphone with a built-in keyboard, the Astro Slide, which was financed via crowdfunding, is finally starting mass production after several postponements. It is expected to finally ship in 2022.
Astro Slide launches into mass production
On the crowdfunding platform Indiegogo, the Astro Slide keyboard smartphone was a huge hit. Launched in 2020, the campaign by London-based manufacturer Planet Computers has so far raised €2,193,966 through 5,142 backers.
Originally, the 5G-enabled smartphone was supposed to ship as early as March 2021, but then had to be postponed several times. Now, however, things finally seem to be moving forward, as a campaign update dated December 27, 2021 reveals.
In it is a picture from the manufacturing plant showing that the Astro Slide has gone into mass production. It is now scheduled to ship in early 2022, and in some cases as early as January. As part of the CES 2022 in Las Vegas from 05 January to 08 January, the keyboard smartphone should once again be presented to the public.
The features of the Astro Slide
The most important unique selling point of the Astro Slide is of course the real keyboard, which makes the smartphone unique from today’s point of view. It disappears completely behind the display due to a sliding mechanism.
The 5G-capable smartphone will also be offered with different keyboard layouts. The Slide is equipped with a MediaTek Dimensity 800 SoC, an 8 GB LPDDR4x working memory, and 128 GB system memory that can be expanded via microSD card. Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.1 and NFC are also included.
The 6.39-inch AMOLED screen has a resolution of 2,340 x 1,080 pixels (Full HD Plus) and 403 ppi. Android 11 is used as the operating system. The Slide has a 48 MP camera with flash on the back, and the selfie cam has 13 megapixels.
The 4,000 mAh battery can be charged both wirelessly via Qi standard or with a cable, albeit with a maximum power of 10 watts. Another special feature is the two built-in USB Type-C ports, which can be used for additional accessories. The fully mechanical keyboard comes in 24 layouts or languages. The QWERTY layout used in Germany is also available.
Price and Availability
The Astro Slide can still be pre-ordered. Pre-orderers receive a 30 percent discount on the MSRP of 819 Euros and thus only pay 573 Euros for the smartphone. The EarlyBird special and the InDemand special with a 40 percent and 35 percent discount, respectively, are now sold out. Delivery is expected to start in January 2022.
