Smartphone screen sizes have crept ever-upward in recent years, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that the upcoming Unihertz Atom XL has a much larger screen than the original Atom. But it’s still pretty tiny by modern smartphone standards.
The Unihertz Atom launched in 2018 with a 2.45 inch smartphone. The Atom XL has a 4 inch display, making it positively tiny by 2020 standards.
Last week we learned that Unihertz planned to launch a crowdfunding campaign for the Atom XL on February 25th. Now the company is sharing more details about the phone’s specs, design, and pricing.
The Atom XL is a rugged smartphone with an MIL-STD-810G certified design and IP68 dust and water resistance. It’s ready to be used outdoors and has a rather thick body designed to take a beating.
But even with fairly thick bezels and bumpers, it’s still one of the smallest Android phones likely to launch this year, which could make it an option for folks that just don’t want to carry around a nearly tablet-sized device.
While Unihertz hasn’t confirmed the phone’s screen resolution, processor, memory, battery, or storage specs yet, here are a few things that we know are included:
- 4 inch display (it appears to be roughly a 16:9 screen)
- Android 10
- Global 4G LTE support
- Dual SIM support
- GPS
- 48MP camera
- MicroSD card reader
- Fingerprint reader
- IR Blaster
- Fast charging
The company also notes that there will be two versions of the phone:
- Atom L for $169 (super early bird pricing)
- Atom XL for $219 (super early bird pricing)
The difference between those two editions? The Atom XL has a DMR Walkie-Talkie two-way radio while the Atom L does not.
In a Facebook post, Unihertz also notes that the prices listed above are 40-percent off the expected retail price, which means that the Atom XL will probably sell for around $280 and up when it hits retail availability later this year.
If you want to score the super early bird pricing, you can sign up to receive a notification when the crowdfunding campaign goes live.
It’s not clear when the Atom XL will eventually ship, especially given global shipping restrictions related to the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, China. The company recently told customers who had pre-ordered the Unihertz Titan (BlackBerry Clone) that pre-order shipments will be delayed due to the situation in China, but that customers who want a refund can request one.
This is too chunky for me. Does anyone know of any good small Android phones from a company that keeps them updated for several years?
There’s no Android OEM that makes small phones anymore.
There’s no Android OEM that updates phones for several (+3 ?) years.
The only exception is to import a Sony XZ1 Compact, and load it with custom firmware (bootloader, drivers, kernel, Operating System, and System Mods). The Sharp Aquos R2 Compact is a slightly better option, but you get zero software support.
The best option seems to be to stick with an iPhone SE. Yes, it has a great OS and is regularly supported by that Walled-Garden Company. But you may jailbreak it if you please. And it has the most accessories out there.
I guess I’ll keep my iPhone SE until Apple stops supporting it. Too bad both Android OEMs who support their phones and Apple have given up the market I’m in.
Sad but true.
So not even the flagship phablets nowadays from major OEMs aren’t even getting 3+ years of updates? That’s bad. How long has Google supported their Pixel phones so far?
Looking a Google’s site: https://support.google.com/nexus/answer/4457705?hl=en#pixel_phones
They only provide 3 years of updates. So even Google doesn’t support their phones for long.
Not quite true. Nokia (HMD) are Android One phones and are supported for 3 years
Wow, that’s really short. I’m not sure what I’ll do when Apple stops supporting the iPhone SE I got back in 2016. Given other iPhones, I probably have ~2 more years of support if I don’t break it before then.
If I’m going larger no matter what to get at least 3 years of support, then I’ll at least get something with a headphone jack like Google’s lower end Pixel phones (ie. 3a, 4a, etc.). Although, who knows if the 5a and 6a will exist and if they’ll have headphone jacks or not.
Depends on your phone usage. If you have little screen time and mostly use the phone for talking and a couple of messages or mail now and then the Palm PVG100 is quite alright. Only 800mAh battery so no youtubing or so.
Snapdragon 435
3GB ram
Android 8.1
3.3″ 720×1280 screen
800mAh battery
62.5g
Not sure about updates though.
Definitely going to get the L model. Need to replace the Moto G4 that I use for various things that I would rather not use my primary phone for (GPS for outdoors, traveling, using as a traceable device, etc)
Good idea, Bad execution. With so big bezels, it is not more rugged but may turn bigger and heavier than 5″ inchers like the Cat S32, Cat S52. Not to mention all the chinese brands specialized in rugged smartphones.
I sorta agree, but we gotta wait on official specs and dimensions. For one thing, I suspect the battery capacity is too little (1,500mAh?) which won’t last the expected two days, let alone one full day.
PS: And it’s non-removable.
Yeah, it’s non-removable, but the original Atom had a 2Ah battery with a smaller body than the AtomXL’s, so this will have at least 3Ah.
Estimating from the photos, the size is about 125x65mm which is smaller than the S32. As for the rest of the spec we will have to wait and see but I suspect the S32 will be better value.
Does the current Atom have Android 10 or have they said they’ll provide an Android 10 update? Trying to see how long they support their phones.
Actually pretty interested in picking up one of these, even if just for concerts, hikes, runs etc. Looks to be a bulkier iPhone SE? I hope we get actual dimensions soon.