Just wanted to write a quick review because reviews others have posted were helpful to me when I was shopping for a dumb phone.
My main message: I absolutely love this phone. I love the e-ink. I love how simple everything is. I love (and I can feel it in my brain) how non-addictive it is. I am grateful to the folks who made this phone, and to the helpful forums and community that helped me find it.
I dislike that I cannot silence texts while leaving the ringer on. I hadn’t figured out that this is the reality on the MK before I bought it. Frankly, I wouldn’t have bought it if I knew that fact. And I’m glad I didn’t know because I love the MK. but I find this to be a major flaw.
I dislike that I cannot control who could call and break through a silence mode, meaning that I could have the ringer off for everyone except my husband, my daughter and my office. This I did know before purchase. I think having focus modes like the iphone is probably complex and I didn’t expect it in a non iphone. I will still say that I miss that function.
I have no other gripes. I like that the keyboard is slow to respond. It makes me thoughtful and curt in my texts and encourages me to call friends with longer items. I enjoy making more phone calls. I love the offline switch. But again, I just love how I feel no addictive pull towards the phone.
Before switching to the MK I had totally dumbed down my iphone for 8 years. It was black and white, had no browser, just tool apps like the bank and meditation. I thought I had prevented the addictive pull towards the phone but it turns out the MK, with it’s zero additive-ness, is even healthier for my brain. It also turns out I like going to the bank instead of using an app for everything.
I couldn’t be happier with it.
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@nikkirodney
Thank you so much for taking the time to share this. What you wrote about feeling the difference in your brain really resonated with me. It’s something we often hear in different ways, but you captured it so clearly.
I also really appreciate you calling out the things that don’t work perfectly for you. Feedback like this helps us understand where we can improve, especially around sound settings and call filtering. Custom sounds & notifications ARE on the roadmap & we are working on getting that implemented as soon as it’s possible.
It’s interesting that even after years of simplifying your iPhone, Mudita Kompakt still felt like a different experience. That’s exactly the kind of shift we hope to create.
And I love that it’s leading to more phone calls and even small real-world moments, like going to the bank.
On a side note…talking to people more (rather than texting/messaging) was one of my resolutions for 2026 & I’m happy to report that I’ve stuck to that goal.
Thank you again for sharing this with the community.
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Congratulations!
Your posts in 2026 about this have prompted me to call more than to text-message. For example, I now call instead of text-message friends and relatives to wish them a happy birthday.
A text-messaged “Happy Birthday!” today is flat and almost meaningless (given that almost everyone sends those). A “Happy Birthday!” telephone call is lively and meaningful.
The more that I see a cellphone as a way to SPEAK with people, the happier that I am.
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Thanks @urszula . I’ll second this piece about how I had already dumbed down my iphone fo rmany, many years. I kept telling myself that was enough, I didn’t need to switch to a simpler device. It was just genuinely shocking to me that, after switching to the MK, I could palpably feel how there was still a line of addiction to that iphone. And no surprise–it is designed that way. I keep telling my kids, when we reflect on our gratitudes daily, that I am grateful to the folks to make my new phone because they did it with the health of my brain in mind.
And yes–the bank! I have had lovely conversations at the bank in the last weeks. Going to the bank instead of using the banking app makes me feel more like a human and less like a robot. I even started a Luddite Club in my hometown after noticing how meaningful those interactions were to me. I have lots of folks coming to my house for device free time to play games, make art, and sit around with tea and without notifications. Overall, it’s just a better life.
Grateful to the folks on the community here who are inspiring me (the happy brithday phone call is so obvious it’s like it hit me over the head!!). And frankly, I listed flaws with the phone so people could make the best decisions for themselves. For me, these are mild issues whose resolution I am not attached to. More than anything I am grateful to have a phone that doesn’t steal my time and my joy.
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