Minimal Phone takes on endless scrolling with E Ink touchscreen, 4-day runtime and MnmlOS
The Minimal Phone is defying current trends on the smartphone market, making use of an almost square E ink display combined with a BlackBerry-style keyboard. MnmlOS focuses on the most important functions of a phone and does away with social networks.
Minimal is offering an alternative to the modern smartphone, the Minimal Phone, which is intended to provide users with a smartphone that does not distract them from the real world or bother them with notifications. To this end, the device does without social networks, games and utilizes MnmlOS, a greatly simplified operating system that supports simple widgets and third-party apps such as Uber, in addition to the most necessary mobile apps.
The manufacturer has not yet confirmed whether the system will be Android-based. The largely text-based user interface is displayed on an almost square E Ink touchscreen, which makes the smartphone unsuitable for displaying videos, but should remain legible in direct sunlight. E Ink displays are also particularly energy-efficient, which means that the 4000 mAh battery should last for at least four days.
Charging from 0 to 80% takes 30 minutes and a full charge one hour. The keyboard under the display is said to enable faster typing, especially compared to an on-screen keyboard of a typically sluggish E Ink screen. On the current render images, the keys appear very flat and not as tactile as on newer BlackBerrys.
Waiting list promises advance access
The manufacturer has not yet confirmed any details about the price and availability of the Minimal Phone. On the other hand, those who sign up to a waiting list on the teaser website will be given advance access to the E Ink smartphone. As only render images have been published so far, it is unclear how far the development of the device has progressed.
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Editor of the original article: Hannes Brecher – Senior Tech Writer – 14233 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2018
Since 2009 I have written for different publications with a focus on consumer electronics. I joined the Notebookcheck news team in 2018 and have combined my many years of experience with laptops and smartphones with my lifelong passion for technology to create informative content for our readers about new developments in this sphere. In addition, my design background as an art director at an ad agency has allowed me to have deeper insights into the peculiarities of this industry.
Translator: Jacob Fisher – Translator – 647 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2022
Growing up in regional Australia, I first became acquainted with computers in my early teens after a broken leg from a football (soccer) match temporarily condemned me to a predominately indoor lifestyle. Soon afterwards I was building my own systems. Now I live in Germany, having moved here in 2014, where I study philosophy and anthropology. I am particularly fascinated by how computer technology has fundamentally and dramatically reshaped human culture, and how it continues to do so.
Hannes Brecher, 2024-01-24 (Update: 2024-01-24)
