In 2025 it’s exceedingly rare that smartphone makers do anything new. That’s not the case with the Minimal Phone, a handset currently up for pre-order. The price of novelty? About R7,600 with free worldwide shipping, provided you purchase before the phone goes on sale.
And why would you want this smartphone? Because it integrates functions from Android, the average Kindle, and the old-school BlackBerry designs to give you a smartphone that maybe won’t entirely consume your life.
Keep it Minimal
A quick look at the Minimal Phone immediately reminds us of the original Kindle devices. The large display and underslung keyboard are a weird marriage of Amazon’s OG e-reader and the sort of devices BlackBerry released at the end of its hardware lifespan. The 4.3in 600 x 800 E Ink display makes it ideal for reading text. Images and the other doom-scrolling portals are less of a joy. And that’s the point.
The rest of the features don’t agree with the typical Amazon Kindle loadout, however. There’s a MediaTek Helio G99 processor, 6GB or 8GB of RAM, and 128GB or 256GB of storage onboard. Most of the typical Android amenities are present too — the Minimal Phone supports the Google Play store, so you can have your messaging and other apps. They just won’t be as shiny, if you’re the sort to gush over glossy images at the expense of everything else in your life.
Camera hardware is a little basic. This is to be expected when you’re rocking a monochrome screen so expect a lone 16MP rear and 5MP front camera. The 3,000mAh battery supports 15W Qi wireless charging and the Minimal Phone also charges over USB-C. There’s no 5G (again, what will you use it for?) but there is a fingerprint sensor, expandable storage, and many typical smartphone sensors (GPS excluded) on board.
The Android 14-based OS will, Minimal says, receive five years of software updates, for those worried about longevity. It’s an authentic departure from the usual smartphone design, though TCL makes a pricier version with a similar concept and dual screens so you can have full-colour images as well as that lovely reading screen. This one is, arguably, a more novel take. Sure, it’s riskier for the company making them but we’d be lying if we said we didn’t want to immediately lay hands on this unique smartphone.
