With the Boring Phone you can't surf social networks or even use WhatsApp. On sale on Kickstarter for just over 200 euros
Against smartphone addiction comes a new smartphone: it's called Boringphone, that is "boring phone", and it's very different from the latest generation devices we are used to. The biggest difference? With Boringphone you can do a lot less things than with a normal smartphone, even a low-end one.
The main claim of this phone is "Boringphone: get your life back", and the device is presented as a "minimalist smartphone". But, besides the slogans, what are we talking about? A campaign on Kickstarter through which the creator of Boringphone, New Zealander Alex Davidson, wants to raise funds to create the right compromise between too much and too little. Davidson describes it as a middle ground between a modern smartphone that vibrates and rings all the time (too much) and an old Nokia 3310 (too little).
What you can't do with Boringphone
The biggest limitation imposed by Boringphone is the one related to social networks: no Facebook, no Twitter, no Instagram or WhatsApp. But that's not all: with Boringphone you can't read email or even open a browser to browse the Internet. And if you're thinking of buying the Boringphone and then adding any of these features after the purchase, you're wrong: there's no app store either.
What you can do with Boringphone
With Boringphone you can make and receive phone calls, send SMS, take pictures, use the GPS navigator. A minimum of entertainment remains, with the ability to listen to music and podcasts. It is also possible to use the phone as a hot spot, to share the cellular connection.
Boringphone: technical specifications and price
From a technical point of view, the Boringphone is not exactly a concentrate of the latest technologies. But then again, to do what little you can do with this device you don't need a supercomputer. The display is 5.5 inches with 1080×1920 pixel resolution and Gorilla Glass 3. The processor is a Snapdragon 625, with 4 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal storage. Since you can't use the Boringphone to go on social, you don't need a front selfie camera either: there's a single 12 MP, f/2.2/ rear camera that can also record 4K resolution videos. The battery is 3,080 mAh, there's a headphone jack and charging is via USB Type-C. But how much does the Boringphone cost? The very first backers had the chance to buy it for 199 New Zealand dollars (about 120 euros), but today you pay 349 dollars (210 euros) with wired headphones and faux leather flip cover. In the future it will cost NZ$499, or about 300 euros.