{"id":15144,"date":"2025-05-15T09:35:48","date_gmt":"2025-05-15T09:35:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/?p=15144"},"modified":"2025-05-15T09:35:48","modified_gmt":"2025-05-15T09:35:48","slug":"minimal-phone-review-a-distraction-free-middle-ground","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/?p=15144","title":{"rendered":"Minimal Phone Review: A Distraction-Free Middle Ground"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Escaping the screen<\/span> isn\u2019t easy. When I tested the Light Phone III in March<\/a>\u2014a phone designed to strip away apps and focus on the basics\u2014I quickly found how many little things I needed my smartphone for, from accessing my home\u2019s security cameras to authentication apps so I could sign in to web services on my laptop. Sometimes it’s just not easy to go cold turkey. But that’s where the Minimal Phone<\/a> steps in.<\/p>\n

This is an Android phone<\/a> with a physical keyboard and an e-paper touchscreen. It looks like a Kindle<\/a> had a baby with a BlackBerry<\/a>. Unlike most anti-smartphone products<\/a> that offer a curated suite of basic phone functions, the Minimal Phone lets you access any app through the Google Play Store like a normal Android phone. But the experience is hampered by the tiny, 4.3-inch e-paper screen that needs constant refreshing. The keyboard will also slow you down. This frustrating smartphone experience is sort of the point.<\/p>\n

I got into bed one night, ready for my usual bedtime doomscrolling ritual<\/a>. As my wife was zooming through TikTok, I looked at my phone and wailed to my wife, \u201cI can’t doomscroll!\u201d I heaved a sigh, put my phone down, and went to bed. This is not to say that I magically woke up the next day with the best sleep of my life\u2014using your phone before bed can<\/em> affect sleep<\/a>\u2014but it did prove one thing: The Minimal Phone did its job of cutting my time spent on social media.<\/p>\n

Ghost City<\/h2>\n
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