Hi Flix,
As Ula wrote, we are extremely happy to receive reviews like yours. Every testimonial from real-life usage is a great help for us.
Now, coming to your comments, about what to improve:
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Camera quality.
Our intention behind the camera was more as a utility tool – mainly for scanning, QR codes, etc. Because of the small B&W screen, we assumed it would not be used much for taking real photos. Of course, we did our best to make the photos look decent, with a bit of a nostalgic style, but this feature was never a priority for this kind of device. Sorry that it disappointed you :-/
A similar approach was taken with the front camera – we assumed the phone is not very suitable for selfies or video calls, which is why we decided to omit this functionality. -
Refresh modes.
Actually, the phone has dynamic refresh modes, which means the software adjusts them depending on what is displayed on the screen. It is not always the same “fast” mode. Our goal was to make life simpler for users, and while this helped in some areas, it also introduced some compromises. We still hope to improve this in future updates.
We also note the need for a manual refresh option. We cannot promise if it will be introduced in Kompakt, as the overall UX is very simplified, but we will take a closer look at whether and how it could be implemented. In any case, in our next device this option will definitely be present. -
Banking apps and other important apps.
When we originally started working on the idea of Mudita Kompakt (around 5 years ago), the reality was a bit different, and it seemed there was always a way to avoid using a smartphone – for example by carrying a physical credit card. Since then, things have accelerated a lot. Even here in Poland, more and more convenient government services are accessible only via smartphone.
Because of this, our next device will be more universal. For now, the only option is to make Kompakt as customizable as possible. The good news is that upcoming updates on our roadmap include more extensive support for sideloaded APKs, including notifications from third-party apps. There are still a few months to wait for this update, but we are doing our best to address as many requests as possible. Hopefully, some of the things we have planned will make the device more usable for you.
Once again, thank you for posting your review!