Smartphone screens seem to be getting bigger every year… but Chinese company Unihertz seems to be moving in the other direction. Last year the company launched a crowdfunding campaign for Jelly, an Android phone with a 2.45 inch display and 4G support.

Now the company has introduced a new model called Atom, which has a similar display, but upgraded specs and a rugged design.

It’s expected to have a retail price of $300 later this year, but you can pre-order one for $219 during a Kickstarter campaign. The Atom is expected to ship in October.

The Atom measures about 3.7″ x 1.7″ x 0.7″ and the phone features an octa-core processor, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, and Android 8.1 software. There’s a 16MP camera on the back of the phone and an 8MP camera on the front.

It has a fingerprint sensor, NFC, and an IP68 water and dust-resistant body. In fact, Unihertz says you can use the phone to snap photos under water. The Atom also has a rugged case to help protect it from bumps, scrapes, falls, and other shocks.

With a tiny 432 x 240 pixel touchscreen display, it’s probably not the best device for mobile gaming or multimedia. But it’s a compact phone that could be useful if you’re looking for a tough, small device that you can use to stay connected and/or listen to music or podcasts while running, for example.

Unihertz offers optional accessories including an armband, a bike mount, and a clip case.

It also has a physical shortcut button that you can program to snap a photo, open a specific app, or perform other actions without looking at the phone or interacting with the touchscreen.

The phone supports 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 4.2, and FM Radio. It has dual SIM card slots and support for 4G LTE networks. And NFC support means it also supports mobile payments.

The Atom has a 2,000 mAh battery and a USB Type-C port for charging. While the battery is rather tiny by modern smartphone standards, the small, low-resolution screen shouldn’t be too power hungry, so it’s not hard to imagine that the phone will get all-day battery life.

via ZDNet

 

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9 replies on “Unihertz Atom is a tiny, rugged 4G smartphone with a 2.45 inch display (crowdfunding)”

  1. It is small but it has terrible screen-to-body ratio so the screen is tinier “than it needs to be”. Also, the battery barely lasts a day with wifi and bluetooth on. Maybe they have improved those aspects, but maybe not. The screen-to-body ratio is still very disappointing.

    1. Regarding the screen, you’re not going to get a good screen-to-body ratio on a crowdfunded ruggedized phone, period.

  2. Simply too expensive, I just don’t understand why they had to put so good hardware on it?

    IMO best option would been to include Android GO, 1-2GB RAM and 16-32GB eMMC, and little upgraded processor from the earlier Jelly Phone versions (MT6737) to either MT6738 or MT6739 or P10/P18 at max, also camera options are somewhat high end.

    What I like this IP68 and increased battery.

    Not going to buy.

  3. I’ve seen several crowdfunding campaigns with the “Atom” name. All had to change their names.

  4. I have the Jelly Pro, and I will love the Atom, but somehow we have to convince Stephen / Unihertz to change the 432×240 display with an 800×480 IPS panel, because the Jelly Pro is so kewl apart from the low viewing angle low-res screen, and it seems they wanted to use the same screen with the Atom as well.

    Plus an IR Blaster would be nice, because less and less phones have this feature! I won’t replace my LG V20 for a while, because it has a replaceable battery plus an IR Blaster.

    One thing is for sure: you won’t play or read too much on this tiny display! :))

  5. Finally, a cell phone expressly designed for Donald Trump…

    (Go ahead, downvote away!)

    1. Ranger Pete, it is now your fault that everyone in my office calls me the “Dolphin Giggler.” I apparently laughed way too hard at your comment!

Comments are closed.