1d ago

Hands-On With the Minimal Phone: Week 1

cross-posted from: https://startrek.website/post/26640050

Got my Minimal Phone about a week ago. It's definitely a niche device, a cross between a e-reader and a smartphone with a QWERTY keyboard. I'll preface this whole "review" by stating that it's not for everyone. For me, though, it's almost perfect as I don't (nor want) to spend all day staring at my phone, doom scrolling, watching video after video, etc. I just need the basics, love e-ink displays and physical keyboards, and this has me covered.
I put each section into spoilers as I didn't want to throw out a full-on wall of text. If I left anything out or if you have any questions about it, just ask.
Overall / TL;DR
It's a solid, well-built device for people who want to minimize distractions and get down to business. The e-ink display is naturally gorgeous, and the keyboard a joy to use. Other than the lackluster camera, most of my gripes can be solved in future software updates.
Specs: https://minimalcompany.com/
I won't spend time going over the specs since they're readily available. Rather, I'll just give my experience with the major features.

Frequently Asked Questions
Why spend money on this rather than just uninstalling stuff from a regular smartphone?
I've tried that and failed. What ultimately worked for me was when I bought a semi-dumb phone (Cat S22 Flip) that could only really do my bare essentials effectively. Now that I've cut all but the necessary apps out of my life, I really don't want to go back to a regular smartphone. The S22 Flip is also getting a bit long in the tooth with its Android 11 and no manufacturer support. I've flashed newer GSI-based images onto a secondary S22 I bought, but those have their own quirks and issues that aren't present on a stock device and have proven unreliable as a daily driver. I need a successor to my beloved S22 Flip, and this was the primary contender.
More than that, though, I am beyond tired of the "tall, skinny rectangle" form factor. Phones keep getting taller, skinnier (screen width), and thinner (thickness), and I've reached my limit. I miss my old OnePlus 3 with it's 16:9 screen that didn't feel cramped like the CVS-receipt screens on current gen phones.
This one has a portrait-oriented 4:3 display as well as a physical keyboard (something I miss greatly on phones).
Can it run Doom / play YouTube / etc ?
Yes. But you're not going to want to. The refresh rate is way too slow, and the images get all strobe-y.
What's the battery life like?
Honestly, I don't know yet. It's packing a 3,000 mAh battery which is tiny for a smartphone, but with the e-ink display sipping power, it evens out.
This early on, where I'm still setting it up and just seeing what it can do, I'm probably using more battery than I would under normal usage.
That said, I've been trying to use it "correctly" and have seen pretty decent battery life. Using it as an e-reader, for example, it only draws power when I turn a page (minus any Android background tasks). With the backlight off, I've read 5 or 6 long chapters with the battery only going down a percent or two (which is comparable to my Kobo).
Bottom line is: The less the screen changes, the longer the battery will last. I don't know if it'l get days of battery life with actual usage, but I've never obsessed over that; as long as it gets me through the day with normal usage, and so far, that's what I'm seeing (plus some).
Is it your daily driver?
Not yet. I'm still putting it through its paces, getting to know it, customizing it, etc. Unless my primary device meets a catastrophic end, it usually takes me 1-2 weeks to "provision" a successor. For now, I have my second line SIM card in it, so it's something of a secondary device at present. I also really like the S22 Flip I have now, so parting with it is going to be difficult.
Is there anything you hate about it?
I've got a few gripes and have noticed some quirks with the Minimal-specific software, but nothing I truly hate. If I had to choose one thing, and this might just be an Android thing nowadays and not specific to this device, it's that you can no longer configure a long-press of the power button to turn on the flashlight. All my other phones had that, or something similar, but this one does not. The closest I've come is mapping a long-press of the "symbol" button to toggle the flashlight, but due to not being rooted, that only works if the screen is on.
Can the bootloader be unlocked / Can it be rooted?
No idea yet. The developer option to enable OEM unlocking is available, but that may not mean much. I have not (yet) tried to actully issue the fastboot oem unlock command to see if the bootloader is capable of being unlocked or if it requires a code from the manufacturer. AFAIK, all non-shady rooting methods these days rely on unlocking the bootloader first.
Minimal has stated that they do not yet support 3rd party ROMs, but they do seem like they are open to it down the line (take that with a grain of salt, naturally).
I'm pretty conservative when it comes to modding my phones and never attempt anything without recovery tools and images on-hand. Right now, I do not have access to a stock image to restore if something should go wrong.

19 comments

Tip for regular android users: Install an alternative open source ROM such as LineageOS, GrapheneOS, Calix OS, eOS... They come without Youtube, Google News or any other addictive bloatware that cannot be uninstalled.
I bought one of these for my wife and we she has unfortunately had to switch back to her other phone due to some bugs. It seems to fail to be able to make phone calls or maintain bluetooth connections frequently. She has never had an issue receiving calls though. I'm still working on trying to find a solution for her because her old phone is a Pixel 6a which Google just nerfed the battery into oblivion like they did my 4a. I swear they have it out for us.
thank you for an elaborate and in-depth review, enjoyed imagining owning it. although it has a lot of nice-to-haves (e-ink, keyboard, etc) at 10x (that's TEN times) the price of my usual phones Imma forget about it as soon as I click "post".
- What smartphone costs 40-50$?
I've been following this phone for a while, it's nice to see there is a market out there for this kind of thing. The BlackBerry-esque design does look quite cool, although if I were to use a minimalist smartphone myself I'd probably go for the Mudita Kompakt instead. It's just a bit more practical for my lifestyle, with the much smaller body, normal on-screen keyboard and de-Googled OS. There's also another newish one called the Bigme Hibreak Pro which is the most "normal" overall.
Great review - thanks for writing it.
I love e-ink screens and physical keyboards, so this looks ace. Almost like a cyberdeck but with all the advantages of access to android apps.
I wonder how easy it would be to 'de-google'.
Since it runs Android, you should be able to use any app in the store, right? So, let's say you need to buy train tickets, take care of banking, track package deliveries, check your PUK code, troubleshoot a wifi router, control smart lights, book a time for the dentist etc. There are a variety of random things where the modern world expects you to have either Android or iOS with you, so can this phone handle those situations too?
About 10 years ago, you didn't really bump into situations like that very often, so you could get stuff done by making a phone call, using a browser etc, but the 2020s are getting increasingly app dependent. It's just wild how many things you can't do these days unless you have a reasonably modern smart phone with you.
- can this phone handle those situations too?
  It can, the Minimal Phone is not a dumbphone, privacy-focused or even minimalist and that was a conscious choice by the company. It's just a normal Android smartphone with an e-ink display and a physical keyboard (and a headphone jack). The "Minimal" in the name is referring more to minimalising the phone's influence on your life, because the e-ink screen is a barrier to so many addictive activities like doom-scrolling and video playback. It is not minimal in features at all and is designed to be able to do all of the important real-world task stuff, should you need it to.
I love a good e-ink device, but this seems performative. FFS, just get a dumb phone.
- I like wired phones 😎
- What dumb phone has reasonable security and the ability to run Signal?
  
  https://josebriones.org/dumbphone-finder
  Take your pick.
- I broke my Boox screen, and I’m very upset with myself. I don’t even know how it happened.

Overall / TL;DR

Frequently Asked Questions

Why spend money on this rather than just uninstalling stuff from a regular smartphone?

Can it run Doom / play YouTube / etc ?

What's the battery life like?

Is it your daily driver?

Is there anything you hate about it?

Can the bootloader be unlocked / Can it be rooted?