I was wondering again about an e-ink minimal dumb phone today and thought I’d see what others think.
Whilst I was one of (the few?) who voted for a Pure 2 when Mudita sent out the questionnaire that led to the Kompakt a couple of years ago, I still preordered a Kompakt and have been very happy with it.
I use the Kompakt as my second weekend/detox phone so I have ended up with a very minimalist set up: Phone, SMS, Alarm, Calculator, Calendar, E-reader, Meditation & Notes (no data and nothing sideloaded, although I’m tempted by inkOS).
I just thought today, bar the e-reader for minimal occasional distraction when out and about, this is in effect already a “minimal dumb phone” (as opposed to the “minimal phone” the Kompakt is designed to be).
So if I’ve configured the Kompakt to essentially act as a Pure 2, is there still a use case for a Pure 2?
I thought Punkt got a lot right with the MP02 and, much like the Pure, I would have loved a slightly updated version that just ironed out a few minor problems. What Punkt got right, in my opinion, was total minimalist design (hardware & software) and calls/texts that just worked. I also had calculator/notes if needed. That is enough. Music and/or an e-reader for the occasional longer wait somewhere seems a better fit for the Kompakt.
Given the interest in both dumb phones and minimalism, and appreciating both Mudita and Punkt are small companies so can’t develop an infinite number of product lines, my theory is that if someone can get that “minimal dumb phone with physical keypad” design right and sell it at a reasonable (although still premium) price of <$200 they’d be onto a winner.
I had a Sunbeam Wireless F1 Orchid for three years. I replaced it with a Kompakt last year. I replaced it, due to some missing and suboptimal features, after a few months with an F1 Pro Maple. One of my favorite features of the Sunbeam cellphones is the ability to press and hold a physical key to dial someone. I had two races this weekend, and in each race I was able to flip open and unlock my Maple – in bright sunlight – and then press and hold a key assigned to someone’s number to call that person a mile or so before the finish line. Yes, I could do that with the Kompakt, too, but the physicality of a real keypad has its place. I originally ordered the Pure before the Kompakt was released but cancelled my order because the Pure could not handle MMS. Now, if Mudita had both a Pure-type cellphone and a more feature-complete Kompakt, I am unsure which one I would order eventually to replace my Maple, which has 4G/LTE bands only for USA and Canada – vs. the Global Kompakt that I had last year for a few months and confirmed to work for me in the USA.
I LOVE the Mudita Pure, but it never worked here in Canada consistently. Unfortunately I don’t see Mudita every going back to it. They are focused on the Kompakt now and then eventually a new phone. I think in this day and age the pure dumb phone just does not work. You need something in the middle, like the Kompakt. But trust me I prefer the pure dumb phone. I do enjoy my Kompakt but I if my Pure had worked in Canada I am almost positive I would still be using it.
It is lol, I seriously contemplate still trying to find it off ebay because it does technically work on my current provider fizz mobile lol, its spotty but it works lol
