A minimum is set to fix a problem. Social media fatigue, doom-scrapping, and endless screen time are side effects of skilled phones, and the complete purpose of the minimum phone is to slow you down. It does so, but it actively hates you using your phone.
The result is the minimum phone-an e-paper phone that runs on Android. It carries a familiar design with the original Blackberry or other devices returning to 2005. A full qwerty keyboard catches the lower part of the phone while a small e-reader screen leads the majority of the real estate to the top.
The phone has every essential ability that is a modern phone, including the ability to connect to 4G LTE network.
Minimally proudly deploys its new e-paper phone as anti-device. The company claimed on the sites of data on its website that users spend more than 6 hours on their phone each day, and the minimum wants to offer a solution that curbs the number, or removes it outright.
The minimum phone works so well that I found myself as low as possible, just to avoid the obstacles to use it. Does it meet the company’s target? Sure, but it also creates for an abrasive experience.
Hardware
Minimum phone Takes more on a retro-minimalist design with an adorable keyboard located at the bottom 25% of the device. The phone itself is attached to plastic, which feels a little bit on the cheap side. I understand what the company is doing with some light-made minimal design, but the material does not feel high in hand.
In addition, the phone’s boxy nature makes it slightly faster around the edges. It is not necessarily uncomfortable to use because it is very light, but applying any force on your palm will not look great. It is definitely happy to look at, however, and it discontinues that many people find pre-iPhone vibe indifferent.
For simple as the device, one of the best tacked fingerprint sensors was. It is surprisingly accurate and provides a very easy way to bypass the lock screen, even more than a common smartphone. It also acts as a power button, and the display provides an AOD mode by the nature of having an e-reader screen.
On the other side of the power is a set of volume buttons and a refresh key. The key, when tapped, allows you to refresh the display for the best resolution, or it can be placed down to bring display settings. Later on it.
At least most of the companies did not go on the route when facilities sit on the chopping block. This is clear because this phone has a 3.5 mm headphone jack for wired earbuds. This is a major feature that is often ignored, and it is good to see it.
Display
Generally, our review recipe is mentioned within the hardware section for performance, but the performance of the minimum phone is internal the overall experience of the device that it is to be mentioned with the performance of the phone.
The display, on paper, is a 4.3 -inch screen with 600 x 800 and 230 PPI resolution. It is not impressive for any other OLED display, but this screen is powered by an e-paper panel, which only shows black and white colors. With this, it also carries a basic refresh rate somewhere in the 1 to 2 FPS range.
The idea is that the performance of the minimum phone allows for the necessary tasks in any app that you can get from Google Play Store. In addition, you are not going to tension your eyes, and the battery will last long, making the device a reliable companion and not a burden. An e-paper display is perfect for him.
In addition, the minimum company was capable of developing a racecin of Android that provides only the necessary shortcuts on the home screen. Swipe in any direction will introduce you to an app of your selection, which is a good touch that keeps the experience clean.
Capacitive buttons under the screen serve as a shortcut for the home, back and recent apps.
In theory, the experience seems amazing. I can examine my email, run music, and take notes with the entire physical keyboard, while dumcolling cannot be sucked in social or is spending too much time on its device. This is the minimum phone.
The issue I have this is – because the screen operates at such a slow fresh rate, the phone often struggles with registration. If I ever goes very fast, the screen will ignore the input. This actively slows the user, who can be positive for those who want out of a device, or if you are trying to send time-sensitive emails then a negative.
This is a common side effect of the e-paper screen, and the minimum is using it for its benefit. Nevertheless, it creates for an uncomfortable experience. No touch really matters, and there is no swiping up or down to gradually to move the page barely. In the last decade of using modern equipment, users with each habit have been thrown out of the window.
It is not minimal, it is deprived.
In addition, the keyboard was not immune for the input delay. It may also be that due to the learning state, it takes a unique shape habit. After some time, it became easier, but finally, it still felt that the keys were a bit very rigid to use for the expanded period.
With even tuned the settings correctly, the performance still felt like a late-down. The rapidly fresh rate still did not feel enough enough, and each app had a significant amount of ghosts. This is not unique to this phone, however. It comes with the area of some e-reader display.
On another note, the minimum phone has AOD, and with an e-reader display, it takes very little battery power. The irony is that the AOD does not update until no notification comes. If no information comes, the clock is never refreshed, and always the purpose of a performance is moot. It is a small point of annoyance, but it fulfills a lot of issues with me with the execution of this phone.
I think the minimum could have solved these complaints with a switch on a physical directional pad, such as what the phone was in the mid -2000s. The screen can still register the touch for the complex app design, but a D-pad for messaging and call can effectively create more intentional experience.
Battery
Here is the place where the minimum phone shines a bit of that silver lining. Despite being a simple device, the phone still packs a 3,000mAh battery, which is sufficient to power a modern smartphone for at least half a day. Add it to an e-paper device, and you have a huge leap in the overall battery life.
With a complete fee, closing and using the keyboard, I could squeeze around two or three days. The average experience may be different, given that this phone is used by restraint. Nevertheless, it is likely to achieve several days of life when it is used.
It has quickly become one of the redeeming facilities of the phone. For something that needs to be with you all the time, the minimum phone becomes an essential bit with a permanent purpose. It is not giving strength all the time and this happens when you need it.
final thoughts
Overall, it is a difficult. The minimum phone is clearly designed to prevent long hours of use and is sucked into scroll until you develop arthritis in your thumb. But by the same token, they prevent the railing user from having a great experience with the device. So, it is actually about sacrificing.
The sacrifices you make has the ability to interact with your device at a modern or comfortable speed and see incredible details in images in your apps. You will not renounce the ability to call or text on your favorite network and reach any app on which you can get your hands, although overraching experience can falter.
The minimum phone simply feels under-engineer, even what it should have been. Cost sounds like a stretch $ 400 during pre-order phase ($ 500 MSRP). If it had a slightly more premium design with more spontaneous functions that facilitates a simple yet effective experience, the price may be appropriate.
The result was a phone that I definitely wanted to use less, so I think it works.
