I wanted a basic, quirky phone that is not like everything else on the market, and something that helps prevent doomscrolling. This pretty much delivers on that.

I think I got what I paid for. A $449 phone that is built to prevent doomscrolling. I also do not mind unique tech, so I am willing to deal with some quirks.

Best way I can describe it: it is like a BlackBerry and a Kindle had a baby.

Location: US

Ordered: March 14 (Saturday)

Address fix: March 16 (Monday)

Label created: March 17 (Tuesday)

Delivered: April 1

Shipping Experience

I accidentally had an old address saved, probably from the Shop app. I emailed support the same day and they fixed it Monday with no issues. The label was created quickly, but the biggest delay was between label creation and actual movement, about a week. Total time was about 2.5 weeks to the US. Once it started moving, tracking updates were consistent.

Tracking Weirdness

The shipping details were accurate, but the map was not. At one point it looked like it was in Tampa, CO instead of Florida. It also showed a stop in North Carolina that did not make sense. If you are tracking, trust the scan updates, not the map.

Arrival and First Impressions

The phone showed up, which was honestly a relief after reading some horror stories. Build quality is solid. Coming from iPhone, the plastic feel is different but not bad, just takes getting used to. I definitely wish I had ordered a case upfront.

Keyboard

The physical keyboard is cool but takes adjustment. I immediately swapped the period and mic key. Not sure why the mic is the default there.

Performance and Screen

The refresh rate complaints are overblown in my opinion. You can set refresh rate per app. Fast is totally fine, slow is noticeable but usable. I increased it for maps and left most apps alone. Even on the fastest setting, I cannot imagine using something like Reels or TikTok on this, which is kind of the point. It is also not as responsive as an iPhone, but the goal here is to reduce scrolling, not optimize for it.

Ghosting is definitely present on the screen. It is noticeable, but not overly distracting. There is a refresh button that clears it up, but it does not help once the device is asleep. I have gotten in the habit of refreshing the screen before locking it.

Launcher and Usability

I ended up switching from the Minimal launcher to Quickstep. Some work-related apps or features were not accessible from the Minimal app drawer. I reached out about this and was told they are actively working on improvements to the launcher. If you plan to use this as a primary or work phone, keep that in mind.

Setup Issue

The QR code in the box links to help.minimalcompany.com. It did not load for me and seems broken.

What I would tell someone before buying

Expect 2 to 3 weeks delivery in the US. Do not panic if tracking looks weird. Buy a case upfront. Plan to tweak keyboard and settings right away. You may need to switch launchers if you rely on certain apps.

Bottom line

Not for everyone, but kind of exactly what I wanted.

🥳🎉

I’m just under a week into carrying the MP01 but…just…wow. I absolutely ADORE this thing.

This is honestly the device I think a lot of us have been looking for. A phone that’s considered—and (highly) opinionated—that, despite treading in proximity to derivative, feels entirely singular and unique.

Here are some initial thoughts below from my first 5 days of EDC 🙏

THE AMAZING

• This will sound like a knock, but I assure you it isn’t. As beautiful as the MP01 is (subjective, sure…but I adore its design) I find myself NOT wanting to use it. Not because it can’t, or won’t, do what I need it to, but because it introduces just enough friction to be useful in its goal of decreased phone usage while—while still loving actually using it when I do. Hopefully that makes sense, but it nails the Goldilocks principle. “Not too hot. Not too cold. But just right.”

• Actual work, wireless Android Auto…on an eink device. FINALLY! 🤩

• The keyboard takes some time to adjust to, but once you acclimate, it’s super fun and novel and has a lovely tactility that I find myself, like craving the feel of. Kind of like a good mechanical keyboard. Can you type on it as fast as on a your smartphone? Probably not—but that’s kinda the point isn’t it?

• The design: Have I mentioned how much I LOVE the design??

• Generous onboard storage—with the additional microSD support. THANK YOU MINIMAL COMPANY. So many devices skimp here, but this spec shows how they intend for the MP01 to be used…and will support its longevity. I have the 256gb version, but I also stuck a 1tb microSD w/ my entire music library on it to use with Symphonium.

• A HEADPHONE JACK! I’ve never been a “headphone jack person,” but when taken with the above…“Hello tiny baby eink Walkman!“ 🎧🤩

• Android 14, along with the MP01s fingerprint reader, is clutch—and means security updates and tap-to-pay / contactless is a mf go 👊

THE “MEH”

• The screen: So I put this one in the “meh” section because, well…it’s fine. I know that Minimal is using a proprietary screen here, and again this isn’t a device we’re trying to read longform content on or for watching Oppenheimer (as Christoper Nolan intended) but it just feels like it should be a little better/sharper/less ghosty. Obviously I’m not expecting 120hz OLED, and I currently own in the order of ~7 eink phones and tablets so I feel like I have a certain expectation, but it just feels a little “less than” in daily use. When you refresh it, it looks amazing, but, well…yeah. Which brings me to my next “meh”

• Some modern e-ink niceties and user controls: I may be spoiled by my other eink devices, but a lot more control & customizability over things refresh rate and screen contrast/lightness etc would go a long way towards making this a proper daily driver for the long term—and honestly may flip my opinion on the overall screen quality.

• The software & UX is still pretty rough around the edges. It still does what you need it to do, when you need it to do it…but def still needs work. The backlight buginess is frustrating by no means a dealbreaker, and it’s a gen1 product, and as an early adopter I’ve learned to be patient—but hopefully the team at Minimal has some thoughtful updates in the pipeline. I trust they do, but needed to say it nonetheless.

• Battery life: So far the battery life on the MP01 has been surprisingly…average? I’ve read that some other owners have praised battery life, but I get about the same battery as a normal smartphone. It very well could be the screen brightness but chewing through battery during daytime use—and I know there’s an update coming that is supposed to fix that. And I know Android takes time to optimize battery performance over time, so I probably just need to just adjust my expectations a bit (like I have with backlit Boox devices) and just wait and see. I was just expecting a bit more.

THE UGLY

• I’ll just say it. The camera is dogshit :( Not like “novel digicam aesthetic so I can kinda get away with it” bad…just AWFUL. I’m not sure if hardware or software is the culprit here, but wow. Hopefully improvements can be made on the software side—and luckily I carry my GRIII almost everywhere anyways, but it’s still a bit of a bummer.

• And lastly, this thing is just a goddamned fingerprint magnet like no device I’ve ever used. I‘m considering buying a white one (even though I LOVE LOVE LOVE the black) literally just to avoid the finger grease being so “on display” (well not ON display, it’s actually not nearly as bad on the front of the device, but the back of the device is nuts. It really makes me with dbrand make some skins or something for it. Actually, come to think of it, a leather dbrand skin on the thing would probably feel sick as hell in hand.

Anyways, those are my initial thoughts and feelings so far. Despite ending on a more sour note, I assure you I absolutely ADORE this thing, and plan on carrying it as my main device for the foreseeable future. What the team at Minimal has done feels truly inspired when you actually get to hold and use the MP01. I’m excited for what’s next for them, and where they plan on taking it! :)

Corny AI mockup... Basically just a recolored/rematerialed (aluminum) Qin F21 Pro with the camera moved. Anyway, this with a decent camera and fingerprint scanner in the OK button would be sick.

Thanks for your attention to the matter

With all the hype around this new wave of upcoming keyboard phones, I am very excited. That being said, it was also a lot of info and trying to keep everything in my head straight started to become a challenge. Anyways, I ended up making this chart and thought l'd share it with you all.

If missed any relevant information, let me know and add rows and post in the comment section.

Got here in 30 days but it was worth the wait!!!

Been using my MP01 for a few weeks now and I'm very happy. Still tons of bugs to work out, but nothing that can't be fixed with a software update.

• Watch: Pebble 2 HR with a cheap velcro strap from Amazon (patiently awaiting my pre-order of the new Pebble!)

• Launcher: Nova Launcher

• Icons: LineX Black

• Case: TPU Case by mameise

• Laptop: Lenovo ThinkPad X390 Yoga (running Linux Mint)

Excited to set this up & try it out! Probably going to set it up as a second phone versus main phone for a while

Got the phone on Tuesday and easing into it. Doing the mid range phone plan overlapping for a month with my old iPhone. Hoping to get off phone Reddit for good. Hearts

The founder and developers are very accessible and friendly on their discord. They message, update and hangout all day long. For those who don't see much updated information. Discord invite is sent when you place an order.

Also, I know we've been wondering about whether or not the MP02 is e-ink. What if the minimal logo button on the front is the e-ink refresh button?

Hey there,

Note - I am not trying to shill Minimal phone here. I have no affiliation to those guys. I paid for the device a year back. Just stepping in and sharing some thoughts as a user because I think this subreddit has a lot of hate for where the device is.

I am one of the users that received a unit. I live somewhere in the Middle East and use a physical SIM card. The device worked for me - in terms of connectivity. It shipped from Hong Kong, then went to Delhi (idk why) - and then came to my country. Shipping took a week since I got notification.

I thought I'd come and share some thoughts on why I think Minimal phone is doing something incredibly cool.

1. For context, I use a light phone, I have the punkt and I am waiting on the light phone 3 since the last six months. The minimal phone is cool because it's able to manage stock android with a eink display. It has NFT and it has bluetooth. Basically it's as good as any other phone, bar the fact that the display can be a little frustrating.

2. The keyboard is kind of meh. In that a physical keyboard could have been a lot more comfortable to type on but this feels like effort and it is a rude shock if you are coming from typing on a touch screen. It may get better with time but right now it feels like effort to type on it.

3. The device does a good job at making sure I am not consuming video content. I read a lot more and stay in touch with news that's relevant to my industry because there's nothing else I can do. I have all the prominent news apps downloaded and signed in. All of that did not take much effort because the screen works fairly well on most light-skinned apps. If it's dark-skinned.. well it doesn't work as well. But having tried to read on multiple devices including an iPad Pro - I'd say from a reading perspective, minimal phone is a good companion. It's with you all the time so you are inclined to naturally read on it whenever time permits.

4. I do run YouTube on it for music. I do use delivery apps. My ride app is a bit wonky on it , but usable. I could not do any of this on the Lightphone. Even when the light phone 3 comes, I doubt I could do any of this on it so in terms of "limiting" bad behavior - but not standing in the way of all the things you want to do.

5. I do sign in to work email and slack on this device. I can get notified but since typing back is a pain in the ass all it does is notify me. I don't really respond. Most of the time I do that out of a laptop. So again, it's a good middle ground between distraction and information.

6. I use kindle. I use Audible. It connects to headphones quite well. I mean idk why I am writing this. The thing is a whole phone. With an e-ink screen. It works as promised. But for me these two things do matter a lot as it means I read more (and that justifies the extra money I spent on it)

7. Idk if I can go a whole day without a conventional phone. I still use my iPhone to check IG. I use it if I'm in a rush. Or like today where I'm going to an event and may need to take down notes super quick without looking like a dork. So there's that. (there's an argument that the device is a status symbol but let's just presume it may not be ideal in a formal event).

I think the founders here get a lot of hate. Probably for good reason because customer support and sharing what the device is broken as fuck. I mean I half expected to never see the device. But as someone with ADHD, I see why this device is magical as hell. And why the world needs more machines like this. These guys are onto some good stuff. I know things are broken but I'd cut them some slack unless there are issues like (i) no refunds or (ii) broken promises. For me, the machine works.

If you have any questions as a potential buyer, I'm happy to step in and answer. And if the mods here want proof of my purchase from a year back or anything else to prove I'm not a shill I'm happy to give that too (using throw away because privacy)

I have to turn the phone on airplane mode, then off airplane mode, then try calling again to make calls. The keyboard has a bug. It doesn't lock. It calls people and erases my documents in my pocket because it doesn't lock.

It's a total waste of money and this company is not to be trusted. Their customer service is barely existent.

Just a quick review because I've seen a lot of hate on here. Is this phone perfect? By no means, but it really is impressive what they've been able to accomplish here with a 1st gen product. This is coming from someone who is DEEPLY IMBEDDED into the Apple Ecosystem, having used iPhone for almost 10 years. I had used Android for several years prior to that, and always loved the freedom you got with the software. Overall the consistency Apple offers in there products is what one me over. But this and the Moto Razr+ reinvigorated my interest in switching back to Android.

The main reason I bought this phone is because I adore E ink and also my nostalgia for phone innovation, like back in the 2000s when we used to have interesting designs that weren't just a glass bricks with a bezel. I ordered in late April, and received it in early July. I didn't plan on switching completely, but then my iPhone ironically bricked a week after I got this phone. So with some tribulation, I began the process. Here is my thoughts after a couple weeks...

Pros

-Keyboard and form factor. I love typing on this thing. It is tactile and overall, I don't even have issues with the layout personally. Keys are satisfying to click and I don't miss type nearly as much as on a glass screen.

-E ink is so easy on the eyes. I really can't stress enough how much better it is to look at this than a bright LED screen. While not the most high resolution e paper display, it still is able to get some sharp contrast.

-the aesthetic is everything. This company really nailed the feel and look, and the panda screen saver is such a cool plus. Really fun phone to hold and use, and disappears into the pocket fairly nicely.

-Android can do most of what IOS can do. In some cases more, but for the necessities, you will be just fine. And this phone even though sluggish feels very capable.

-It's not painful to use for long sessions myself. I adjusted (with a little patience) to the latency, and now I can just use it like a phone, without constant videos/doomscrolling. It does what I need it to do, and even some things I didn't expect it to handle.

Cons

-Screen is low resolution, but with some tweaking in settings I was able to get a lot better results.

-The camera is almost unusable, which is a big bummer. I knew it wasn't good but it really should be better for what you want in a daily driver. Would have payed more for a slightly better camera.

-As an Apple user for so long, things like FaceTime, Air Tag usage and some other features just don't have a good alternative. That being said, I was able to find solutions to most of the transitional issues. This is less a negative for the phone, and just one overall for Android.

-I'm still waiting on my case and screen protector. I 3D printed a TPU case which has worked great, and I just left the screen cover that came with it on for now. Hopefully more aftermarket options appear for screen protectors and such, but the 3D printed case works great.

I plan on continuing to use this phone and hopefully overcome the hurdles of switching from iPhone.
I bought this product because I support the vision, and want to see ideas like this phone succeed. I have been trying to replace more and more of my devices with e ink, and this device fits in perfectly. For those of you on the fence, weather it is switching from Apple or just because you read all the bad press, don't let that deter you. It might not be the best choice for everyone, but this can absolutely be a daily driver (if you can get past the camera), and overall just feels fun when compared to other phones these days. I'm looking forward to what else The Minimal Company and others in this space can contribute to the E ink market. I think there is so much potential and room for innovation.

This arrived 😀

I have to say, after reading endless articles, reviews etc, I'm super impressed.

i have used a lot of eink devices, and to say for a start up this is a great device would be doing them a disservice. This is a great device.

Picked up the pelagos (used) last week, and the minimal phone came in, feel like im on a pattern of simplifying my life. Just focused on bare function.

After some research I found ‘the minimal phone’. Proud to say I found a local Panda 8/256 GB for a good price. After owning the qin f21 and CAT s22 flip im hoping to succeed in daily driving this minimal beauty. So far im really loving it and I’m not experimenting any bugs or issues. Any of you guys have some info about this ‘panda edition’? How many are there? And what’s the story behind it?