I’ve been debating whether or not to post about my Mudita Pure, because I don’t have much to add to what has been been shared already. But I promised myself I would, so here goes.
TL;DR: I bought a very nice-looking, slightly overlarge portable alarm clock and an album of music for $270.
For context, I’m in the US, have never used a smartphone, and have no needs other than call and text. My current phone is a Sunbeam Daisy flip, which is not nearly as sleek-looking as the Pure, but suits me pretty well. I ordered the Pure back in 2019 primarily on the strength of its e-ink display and because it promised a basic phone that was truly basic.
The Pure delivers on being nice-looking and a pleasure to use. I like everything about the design, except maybe its size - it feels huge for a candybar. It’ll probably be a good size and shape to talk on if I ever get phone service. The e-ink looks just as good as I hoped. Texting and dialing interfaces are fine - simple and straightforward. However, actually making calls or sending SMS seems to be impossible with my carrier (AT&T), as Jose Briones already demonstrated (but I tried anyway just to be sure). The phone didn’t even acknowledge that I’d put a SIM card in. At one point (strangely enough), a bunch of texts I’d deleted from my usual phone popped up as new messages, but I was unable to send any out.
Given what I’ve read here about the performance of the phone in the US, I’m not yet inclined to go to the trouble of changing my carrier just to see if I have the same issues as everyone else.
Some additional notes:
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The alarm clock function works just about as well as any other alarm clock (once I figured out how to set the time). The default alarm sound is enjoyable, maybe even a little too enjoyable to be an effective alarm clock for me - it starts out with a buzz and then gradually spreads into song. It’s cheerful!
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Despite not being a meditator, I was pretty charmed by the meditation timer. All it does is play a chime every two minutes for a pre-set period of time. Why do I find this so likable? I don’t know. It’s a very soothing chime.
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The MOST charming thing was finding, under “Music,” nine extremely earnest songs about love, peace, and understanding by an artist called Nick Lewis. These songs were probably mentioned in the promotional materials at some point, but I must have missed it, because I wasn’t expecting them at all. I just set the Pure down on my desk and enjoyed them while I did some work. It was just like picking up a random album at the thrift store, only I paid $270 for it.
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The cork case that came with it is very nice. It actually fits my Punkt MP02 a little better than it does the Mudita, though sadly it’s far too slender for the Sunbeam Daisy.
So what am I going to do with this beautiful brick?
I’ll probably take it to Europe with me this summer to see if it’ll function any better with a European SIM. If that fails, it does make a nice travel alarm - the fact that it doesn’t work as a phone is a point in its favor there, since I can set it by my bed without worrying about it ringing in the middle of the night. I might even start taking Nick with me to the gym! It remains to be seen whether it’ll ever be worth using as a phone in the US - but I hope it will, and I’ll be checking back here from time to time for updates.
In conclusion, I don’t regret taking a chance on the Pure, but I’m glad I wasn’t counting on it to be a workable replacement for my old phone. I hope someday it can be a viable option for everyone who wants it.
