Apple and Samsung dominate the smartphone space in the United States, leaving little room for competition… even from well-established players like Motorola, LG, Google, and others. From time to time a company you’ve never heard of launches a crowdfunding campaign to bring a new phone to market with some killer feature or other… but few really pan out.
But I kind of hope Teracube’s upcoming crowdfunded smartphone does. Because the gimmick that makes this phone stand out is its warranty — at a time when most phones Android phones only come with a 1-year warranty and only get a few years worth of software updates, Teracube its phones will be covered by a 4-year warranty.
The Teracube smartphone has a list price of $349, but it’s selling for $249 and up during an Indiegogo crowfunding campaign.
While it has decent specs for a mid-range phone, the real selling point is that this is a phone that’s designed to last a long time. Teracube promises to deliver 3 years of Android OS updates and security updates, with new updates coming out every 3 months. So while the phone will ship with Android 9 Pie, an Android 10 update is scheduled to arrive this spring.
Meanwhile, the 4-year warranty covers parts, performance, and shipping costs, as well as free battery replacements.
There’s also accidental damage coverage — if you have a cracked screen, a phone that’s malfunctioning after coming in contact with liquid, or any other unforeseen damage, you can send the phone to Teracube and pay $39. The company will send you a replacement phone (most likely an already-repaired device) and then fix yours and send it along to someone else.
All this hinges on the idea that Teracube will still be around in 4 years to honor the warranty. That’s a bit of a gamble — the company is a startup with no track record of its own (even if it was founded by a team with decades of experience in tech).
Still, the relatively low asking price for the company’s new phones means that the wort case scenario is that you’ll buy a mid-range device today and not be able to get it repaired in a few years… which is pretty much what happens if you buy a phone from anyone else.
In terms of hardware, here’s what’s included:
- 6.2 inch, 2280 x 1080 pixel IPS display
- MediaTek P60 octa-core processor
- 6GB RAM
- 128GB storage
- 3,400 mAh battery
- microSD card reader
- 3.5mm audio jack
- USB-C port
- 12MP + 5MP dual rear cameras
- 8MP front camera
- Fingerprint sensor + face unlock
- 802.11ac WiFi
- Bluetooth 5.0
- NFC
- GPS
- Dual SIM support
- 5V/2A charger
The smartphone sis carrier unlocked and supports GSM networks including AT&T and T-Mobile. But while it supports Verizon’s LTE Band 13, the phone isn’t approved as a Verizon bring-your-own-device model, so Verizon customers should probably steer clear for now.
Never buy something because of the warranty… buy it because the company has a track record for building quality products.
This * 1000. Doesn’t matter how cool or progressive the company or product is if it gets bought out or folds overnight leaving your warranty null and void. Just ask folks like me who bought the Nextbit Robin before the company was purchased by Razer.
Double Agree.
I like this concept, but I think it would’ve been much better coming from one of the big phone companies; Apple, Microsoft, Google, Sony, Samsung, LG, Nokia, Blackberry, etc etc.
Or maybe even from the likes of Huawei/Honor, ZTE, TCL, Xiaomi/Redmi, Oppo/Vivo etc etc.
Personally, I would’ve liked to see this with more mainstream parts:
AndroidOne software
Snapdragon 765
Sony IMX 865
4,000mAh battery
…then it’s more likely to keep up with it’s 4-year longevity (plus modding)!!
Seems reasonable enough a phone.
Teracube does not fit in Liliputing world…
Why?