Minimal Phone 2 is the smartphone for nostalgic people: old school with a QWERTY keyboard

The first chapter of Minimal was born as an Android smartphone to fight screen addiction, thanks to an e-ink panel designed to minimize distractions.

For the new model, the company chose a different path but without betraying the nostalgic spirit of its device. Minimal Phone 2 was announced via crowdfunding on Kickstarter, with a color OLED display (new to the lineup) and its usual built-in physical keyboard.

Minimal Phone 2 takes you back in time: a smartphone with features from the past

The inspiration behind Minimal’s phone is clear: if you are a BlackBerry enthusiast still smarting from the brand’s demise, then Phone 2 could represent a valid alternative.

The device blends past and present in an apparently flawless balance: we are talking about a solution equipped with Minimal OS, a proprietary interface based on Android. So, if in appearance you look to the past in terms of software and features, we are dealing with a modern model in every sense.

Modern specifications

Compared to its predecessor, as hinted at the opening, Phone 2 abandons the e-ink display and switches to a 3.92″ OLED panel with Full HD resolution (1,240 x 1,080 pixels) and a refresh rate of 90 Hz. The front area houses a 20 MP selfie camera, while the lower portion is occupied by a large backlit QWERTY keyboard.

The main camera setup relies on a single 50 MP sensor with an f/1.8 aperture. The heart of the device is the MediaTek Dimensity 8300: launched in 2023, it is a 4 nm SoC with a main core A715 up to 3.35 GHz.

To power everything there is a 3,000 mAh battery with 27W wired charging and 15W wireless charging. For connectivity there is dual SIM and eSIM support, WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.4 and NFC. Included are a side-mounted fingerprint reader, stereo speakers, and two microphones.

Finally, the USB-C port located along the bottom also handles charging and audio and supports DisplayPort output.

Price and release

Minimal Phone 2 was launched on Kickstarter, with prices starting from $599 for the 8/256 GB version. The 8/512 GB configuration costs $675 while the Founder’s Edition (12/512 GB) goes up to $899.

Despite the price being far from affordable, the device has captured the hearts of nostalgics: there are 29 days left until the campaign ends and it has already attracted over 1,200 backers, reaching the goal of 86,000€ and reaching approximately 698,000€ (as of this writing).