Japanese toaster maker launches a $900 compact Android phone
Japanese luxury toaster maker Balmuda has launched its first smartphone, called the Balmuda Phone, in its home country. Priced at JPY 1,04,800 (around Rs. 68,000), the handset is currently up for pre-orders in black and white color options. As for the key highlights, it comes with a compact curved body, a Full-HD+ display, a Snapdragon 765 processor, and a 2,500mAh battery. Here's our roundup.
Why does it matter?
According to Balmuda, the idea behind the handset comes from the need of a compact Android smartphone as majority of the current devices are hard to use single-handedly. It sure has a unique design, but do people really want small phones? As per Counterpoint, only 10% of consumers buy smartphones with screens under 6.0-inch. Even the iPhone mini range is seeing low sales.
'It is the only smartphone without any straight lines'
The Balmuda Phone's shape was designed to naturally fit in a human hand and even the front section has a gentle curve. As per the company's website, it is "the only smartphone whose proportions do not include any straight lines."
The phone measures 13.7mm in thickness
The Balmuda Phone features a plastic body, a punch-hole cut-out, and chunky top and bottom bezels. On the rear, there is a single camera, a speaker unit, and a power button with an integrated fingerprint sensor. The handset bears a 4.9-inch screen with a Full-HD+ resolution and an aspect ratio of 16:9. Dimensions-wise, it measures at 123x69x13.7mm and weighs 138 grams.
It sports a 48MP rear camera
The Balmuda Phone is equipped with a single 48MP camera on the back along with an LED flash. For selfies and video calling, there is an 8MP front-facing snapper housed in the punch-hole cut-out.
It boots a custom Android 11 interface
The Balmuda Phone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 765 chipset, paired with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. Under the hood, it runs on Android 11 OS with custom developed apps and a swipe interface including gesture-based quick toggles. The device packs a 2,500mAh battery and offers both wired (via USB Type-C) and Qi wireless fast-charging support.
Balmuda Phone: Pricing and availability
The Balmuda Phone is priced at JPY 1,04,800 (around Rs. 68,000) for its 6GB/128GB solo model. The handset is already up for pre-orders in Japan and will go on sale from November 26 onwards.
