Unihertz came close to realizing the Zoolander small phone fantasy in 2017 when they announced the Jelly phone (The Smallest 4G Smartphone), a modest Android device sporting a ridiculously small 2.45″ screen.
The design was compelling but the specs were a bit modest to seal the deal at the time. Fast forward to 2020 – Unihertz is now proud to unveil their 5th phone, the Jelly 2!
100% funded in 175 seconds on Kickstarter!
It seems that they’ve given it that extra push to reasonable viability as a main cellphone all while maintaining that extreme compactness.
It’s impressive what the phone offers, but I’ll highlight the features that most appeal to me:
- 3″ screen
- 6GB RAM
- 128GB internal storage
- Android 10
- Dual SIM
You can learn more about the Jelly 2 phone on their Kickstarter campaign page.
The Size
I know that a 3″ screen won’t work for many people but it’s an asset for me. I mostly read and email from my cellphone. What I do dislike is having a pocket full of big phone – with a screen size of only 3″, this will be a dream. The smaller screen should also maximize a charge cycle, even on a modest 2000 mAH battery.
One thing to note is that while this may very well be impossible for people with sturdier hands, it may be viable for people as myself who have smaller hands. We’ll see how a round of Drawful plays out though.
The Hardware
Lets talk about the hardware. Sure, the CPU (Helio P60 octacore) isn’t going to smash any benchmarks, but packing 6GB RAM is going to be well appreciated. Let me tell you how annoying it is to constantly have apps reload on switch on a humble 3GB of RAM.
I also like the beefy 128GB internal storage. I had a 16GB Nexus 5X back in the day and had to choose my favourite apps.
The Jelly 2 also sports dual nano SIM – not a common feature but convenient when traveling abroad. I personally loathe having to safeguard my home SIM when on vacation.
It also has a 3.5mm audio jack.
Finishing Touches
I’m thrilled that they are supporting Android 10 out of the box with confirmation of Android 11 upgrade – my Blackberry KEYone died with Android 8 :/
Surprisingly, you’ll find NFC and a fingerprint reader onboard. It also has a 3.5mm audio jack.
Not their first rodeo
With 4 other successfully funded phones under their hood, this isn’t Unihertz’ first rodeo. Adopting fringe technology can be a gamble but their track record gives me confidence that they won’t evaporate overnight.
Overall, this looks like a good thing in a small package and I look forward to receiving mine.
