Ever since Apple launched the first iPhone with a 3.5 inch display, smartphone screen sizes have been getting bigger and bigger. But Uniherz figures there’s a market for a small-screen smartphone.
The company has unveiled Jelly, a phone with a 2.45 inch display, Android 7.0 software, and a list price of $109 and up. But the company is taking pre-orders for as little as $59 through a Kickstarter campaign. The Jelly phone is expected to ship in August.
So what does $59 buy you? Not much, really. The entry-level phone has just 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage. It’s probably worth spending a little more on a “Pro” model with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage.
The Jelly Pro will eventually sell for $125, but it’s going for just $75 on Kickstarter.
Both the basic model and the Pro feature the same 2.45 inch, 432 x 240 pixel display, 1.1 Ghz quad-core processor, dual nano SIM card support, 950 mAh battery, GPS, 802.11n WiFi, and Bluetooth 4.0.
The Jelly phones have 8MP rear cameras and 2MP front cameras. There’s also a separate microSD card slot for up to 32GB of removable storage.
The phone should work with AT&T or T-Mobile in the US, but not Verizon or Sprint.
Color options include white, black, and blue. And while the phone’s tiny size and low-res display might make for a less-than-stellar experience for gaming, web browsing, or news reading, there are a few upshots. First, the phone won’t take up much space in your pocket or your bag. It can also fit into an armband more comfortably than some larger phones if you like to take your phone running.
Second, did I mention it’s cheap? And third, the hardware’s not very power hungry: Uniherz says you should be able to get up to 3 days of battery life.
If the phone looks familiar, that’s because it bears a more than passing resemblance to an older model called the Micro X. But Uniherz notes that the new model runs a newer version of Android, has more memory and storage, a bigger battery, higher-resolution cameras, and other upgrades.
via 9to5Google
I love the idea. I’d use this as my main phone. Too bad, like with many Android phones, my main concern is how the company will officially support it with software/firmware updates. I’ve long grown out of my 3rd party ROM days.
I’ve seen some similar phones on Aliexpress a few years ago for around $60, although it was with 512MB/4GB and some 1GHz 2 core MTK CPU, so I skipped it.
Found it: https://goo.gl/9S6LQM
Also a slightly better version: https://goo.gl/l0jKfG
/edit: shortened the URLs
Wow! Nice looking smartphone! This could be a great travel companion.
“The Jelly Pro will eventually sell for $125, but it’s going for just $75 on Kickstarter.” – no, this pledge costs $85, but I had to order one, as I love gadgets like this. ;)) And $85 isn’t too much for a phone with 2GB RAM and 16GB storage, plus it has dual sim slots along with a microSD card slot, and a replaceable battery. :))
If you look closer on the page they did have 300 units at $75 which sold out, then another set at the $85 price you paid. I thought the same thing until I scrolled down (sold out tiers go to the bottom). If you look now the 500 units at the $85 tier are sold out too but is available for $95.
Sorry, I saw that today, but at least I was able to pledge mine for $85. :))
I want to get one to use when running. Gps and Bluetooth with Android….should work great.
fyi: The waterproof Diver mp3 player is perfect for outdoors, especially if you do a lot of sweating or run in some rain.
I almost want to buy this to use as a music player
This might be a better option (I just picked one up for $20): https://fave.co/2oVaaXT
Just wish there was a rockbox rom where it removed all the phone stuff and booted into a lean media interface.
love this idea.. would be a great second phone basically a small mp3 player that can receive phone calls