Crowdfunding: The Minimal Phone is for purists and retro fans

While Apple, Samsung and co. outdo each other every year with new record-breaking hardware, the Minimal Phone wants to take a different approach and is focusing on the principle of “less is more”.

Minimal Phone is reminiscent of Blackberry

Higher, further, faster? Anyone who does not adhere to this motto has no business in the smartphone industry. After all, the majority of customers always want better devices. However, this could now change with the Minimal Phone. It doesn’t come with a gigantic OLED screen, the latest processor technology and multiple camera lenses. Instead, you get a tailor-made phone for real purists. The screen size of 3.5 inches is reminiscent of the good old days. In combination with the keypad without touch operation, the whole arrangement looks like a classic Blackberry.

If only it weren’t for the display technology. This is more reminiscent of an e-reader. This is not surprising. After all, a so-called e-ink display is used here. Although this can only display grayscale, it is extremely economical with the battery. According to the manufacturer, the battery life should be extremely long at several days. When you consider that the battery in the Minimal Phone is said to be an impressive 4,000 mAh, this is hardly surprising. This means that the Minimal Phone is probably even ahead of the flagship competition in one discipline.

Technology from the day before yesterday

Of course, there is no high-performance CPU at the heart of this somewhat different smartphone. Instead, the Mediatek 6769 is a rather weak model. This is supported by a no less dusty 4 GB of RAM. The CPU is supported by a Mali G52 graphics unit. The flash memory is also somewhat small with a size of 128 GB. The Minimal Phone is also a little flat on the chest when it comes to mobile communications. It is said to be able to receive a maximum of 4G, which is really frightening in 2024. Things don’t look any better in WiFi networks, as only the outdated “n” standard is supported here.

The one or other snapshot should also be possible thanks to the built-in camera technology. But you shouldn’t expect any miracles here either. There are two cameras in total. A main camera (16 MP) on the back and a selfie camera (8 MP) on the front. This may also be outdated, but whether this is really noticeable in practice in view of the e-ink display is doubtful. Unfortunately, you also have to make compromises with the software. With Android 13, the Minimal Phone is not really up to date in this discipline either.

Price and availability

When it comes to design, the Minimal Phone is certainly appealing. This is probably mainly due to the fact that it simply cannot hide its clear references to the classic Blackberry series. However, the outdated technology can only be glossed over with rose-tinted retro glasses. Given the features, the price is also somewhat surprising. The crowdfunding campaign is asking a hefty 400 US dollars. We are curious to see whether the manufacturer will be successful and gather enough supporters.