It’s a bad period and perchance additionally a awesome period to create a new smartphone.
Brennan Jordan and Austin Boer are two-thirds of the trio rearward the Enough Phone, a small phone that volition run your choice of inventory Android or the minimalist OdysseyOS. They’re currently seeking backing on Kickstarter, and fair a day following launching, the project is complete midway to its $250,000 goal.
The Enough Phone’s mark details contain a 5.3-inch display, 3,500mAh user-replaceable battery, MediaTek Dimensity 7500 chipset, a 50-megapixel Sony sensor in the rear camera, and 8GB of RAM. The dimensions listed on the Kickstarter leaf propose an iPhone Mini-ish size; Jordan and Boer additionally happen to be erstwhile iPhone Mini users themselves.
The two of them cofounded a application startup called Sleke, which sells refurbished phones loaded alongside OdysseyOS, their minimalist, low-distraction type of Android. Putting the application on existing phones is a win for sustainability, but it additionally helps them get their application to market faster, Boer tells me. The brace offers small batches of Pixel 8 and 9 phones correct now through the Sleke website, but the ample devices didn’t awareness fairly correct to several customers.
“One of the biggest things that we get is, ‘I don’t desire this ample of a phone for a minimal functioning system,’” says Boer. They’d wanted to create a small phone, and the chance arrived whenever Will Stults approached them concerning creating one. Stults operates an online shop for non-smartphones called Dumbwireless. He additionally brings familiarity alongside the smartphone manufacturing procedure to the mix gratitude to several former activity alongside a “big” phone brand.
But hardware is difficult in the finest of times, and 2026 has proven extremely challenging for phone companies big and small. The part shortage has driven prices up and made RAM scarce. Jordan and Boer are emotion the pressures, particularly about pricing. The Kickstarter run offers several discounts for first backers, but following that the Enough Phone volition market for $599. “We don’t desire to be charging as much as we are,” says Boer, “but as a startup you can lone do so much.” They’re a self-funded procedure and desire to keep it that way, he says, so they can choose their own priorities. Outside backing would alter the energetic and power put force on them to shorten their promised five years of application assistance or cut another costs.
As it stands, the project is on schedule. According to the Kickstarter page, it’s in the manufacturing tooling phase, alongside plans to container phones to customers in May 2027 — although a footnote says that the RAM shortage’s “ripple effects throughout the complete electronics manufacturing industry” could motionless throw a wrench in the works.
Prospects for small phone fans (disclosure: I am one) were bleak equal before the part crisis. Apple’s final Mini was released five years ago, and there’s no sign of another one in sight. Asus’ Zenfone used to be a nice, small-ish Android option before the business made it bigger and quit marketing it in the US. Pebble originator Eric Migicovsky made a lot of noise concerning launching a small phone, but has since shifted priorities. And there’s Unihertz’s Jelly Max — certainly small, but its specs lag rearward a contemporary midrange phone.
Boer sees this gap as an opportunity, equal in the midst of a earth RAM crisis. “Nobody was doing it, and we’re benevolent of seeing why — since it’s not the ideal period to start. But that additionally benevolent of makes it the ideal period to start, since no one alternatively is doing it,” he says. “Let’s fair do it ourselves.” Enough is enough. At smallest that’s what they’re hoping.
Follow topics and authors from this narrative to see additional akin this in your personalized homepage nourish and to obtain email updates.
