'Enough Phone' is an Android phone roughly the size of iPhone 13 Mini, launching in 2027
9to5google.com
Everyone says they want small Android phones back, and 2027 might be your chance to actually buy one. The “Enough...

I’ve been looking at phones lately and I’ve seen this company called Enough from their YouTube kickstarter video. It’s them and SLEKE (maker of OdesseyOS) working on building a nice size phone. I’m thinking of supporting their kickstarter because I am tired of these humongous phablets, and I can’t stand on how they feel in my hand when holding them.

The phone has everything I want but I am really wondering if the bootloader will be unlockable.

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Some important edits that should be added; (after looking on Enough’s website and kickstarter)

  1. No unlockable bootloader
  2. No sideloading
  3. On Enough’s website, storage is expandable by MicroSD or that same space is using a physical SIM card and you have the option for eSIM
  4. No headphone jack, but a USBC to 3.5mm converter is given if you do the kickstarter
  5. Stock android or OdessyOS only (from SLEKE); no flashing capabilities at all
  6. Replaceable battery
  8. Price of phone from kickstarter:
  9. Super Early bird price: $399 USD (sold out)
  10. Early bird: $449 USD
  11. Kickstarter special; $499 USD
  12. Retail price after campaign: $599 USD
        • defiance@lemmy.mlEnglish
          373·
          3 天前

          Their point is that “sideloading” is a PR framing device to relabel a complete reasonable action i.e. “to install any Software on your device” to something which is not intended, advised and should not be desired.

          Yes, the term “sideloading” is more distinct but it carries baggage

          • kkj@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
            82·
            3 天前

            Sideloading has been a word for installing apps that aren’t from a store at least since I started using Android in early 2010. There was never any negative connotation, aside from the acknowledgment that you wouldn’t get automatic updates.

          • communism@lemmy.mlEnglish
            64·
            3 天前

            You’re adding negative connotations to words that have none. That’s like saying that we should rename piracy to “downloading media from alternative sources” or whatever just because corpos are anti-piracy. We use these words because they are precise and concise. Big tech is anti those words. We are pro those words. The word itself is neutral. “Sideloading” is a meaningful category because big tech makes it so by forbidding it, or making users have to use workarounds to do them. “It’s not sideloading; it’s just installing apps onto the phone you own”—well, that would be lovely, but that’s not currently the case.

          • artyom@piefed.socialEnglish
            512·
            3 天前

            I’m fully aware of what their point is. My point is it’s a senseless boogeyman distinction that someone made up about a word that precedes Google, and replaces it with a much longer phrase.

              • artyom@piefed.socialEnglish
                62·
                3 天前

                This device has banned sideloading installing an app. Wouldn’t go anywhere near it.

                Surely you can see how that wouldn’t have conveyed the message I was sending in my comment?

    • Aatube@kbin.melroy.org
      12·
      3 天前

      TL;DR: a stock Android option is available where you still can sideload

      that’s only if you choose the “anti-distraction” OS where nearly no apps are available. stock android is also an option (on which sideloading is still very much possible but harder with a waiting period after the restrictions you’ve probably heard of).

      i think this feature of the anti-distraction OS is probably a misstep if it can’t be overridden, but you do not have to use the anti-distraction OS at all.

      Edit: Added TL;DR

  • Lettuce eat lettuce@lemmy.mlEnglish
    23·
    3 天前

    Locked bootloader is a no-go for me, I’m 100% on the GrapheneOS train now. But I do hope that smaller phones make some kind of comeback, I also hate how big they’ve gotten over the years.

  • zod000@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
    161·
    3 天前

    Locked bootloader, no headphone jack, dealing with a kickstarter. I’d absolutely risk the last one for the first two.

  • SpaceBishop@piefed.zipEnglish
    37·
    3 天前

    I might have simply missed it, but I didn’t see mention of expandable storage, and the provided storage is quite small. I also specifically noted the lack of 3.5mm (they will provide a USB adapter, but those are frail and prone to failure). Bluetooth is nifty and all, but when I’m on mile 7 of a marathon or even a half and my headphones die, I will be filled with a supernova-class rage that a reliable wired option was never provided (an inevitability). All that, mixed with the low specs, is completely a nonstarter. If there was a headphone jack I might feel differently, but this ain’t it.

    Slightly related concern, did anyone see that extremely condescending video from Nothing that was basically like “small phones are for nerds, and only idiots want phones thick enough for headphone jacks. Want to debloat your software? How about no OS at ALL so this expensive gadget does not function!” Talk about rage baiting. Fuck those guys.

    • Ripley_Tripley@lemmus.orgOPEnglish
      19·
      3 天前

      I remember that video. I was in full support of Nothing until that came out, I lost complete respect of them after that. Just another company that went completely against their motive and a wanna be Apple😒😒

      • Mirror Giraffe@piefed.socialEnglish
        13·
        3 天前

        Nothing is so weird, adding AI buttons that can’t be remapped and adding lots of new unasked features to their OS.

        They had a niche and botched it completely.

        • kkj@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
          3·
          3 天前

          I’m starting to think that Carl Pei gets off on making good but somewhat unfinished phones for a few generations and then following them up with bloated, confusing garbage. OnePlus did the same thing.

      • SpaceBishop@piefed.zipEnglish
        15·
        3 天前

        Yeah, same. And I was not prepared for the level of outright contempt they showed toward their fans with that one. “These are our most requested features by our customers,” proceeds to call them nerds and laughs as they brag about not building said features.

        • Echo5@lemmy.worldEnglish
          13·
          3 天前

          Literally every feature was something that sounded good to me. Even no OS I can work with as long as I can install one. Just save me a few extra bucks that way

      • Ripley_Tripley@lemmus.orgOPEnglish
        1·
        3 天前

        They do but its in the same spot as the physical sim. So its either one or the other with esim. They have more then enough room to make a spot for physical sim and micro sd; i dont get why they didnt go that route.

    • ExcessShiv@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
      712·
      3 天前

      when I’m on mile 7 of a marathon or even a half and my headphones die

      That’s a user error though, and only your own fault. Most BT headphones will outlast even slow marathon runners these days, so if yours die at mile 7, you’re the cause because you came unprepared by not charging your gear.

      Having a wire dangling down your body for a HM or marathon would be absolute hell for me though.

      • SpaceBishop@piefed.zipEnglish
        111·
        3 天前

        In theory there are a number of “true wireless” buds that claim 4+ hours. In practice battery degradation is real. Charging can also be inconsistent. Even Apple’s own Airpods have failed to recharge inside their case for me and virtually everyone that I know that has them. Not Airpods, but my BT pair doesn’t last 1.5 hours on a full charge, anymore, and charging has become incredibly inconsistent. But you know what doesn’t need recharging? You know what doesn’t experience battery degradation and forced obsolescence? Just gimme my goddamn headphone jack. “User error” gtfoohwt

          • kkj@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
            2·
            3 天前

            Check out the Fairbuds 2, then. The batteries still degrade, obviously, but you can reasonably replace them.

        • ExcessShiv@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
          16·
          3 天前

          Not checking and double checking, and/or knowingly choosing gear with issues (low battery life or inconsistent performance) are great examples of user error. These are nothing but examples of you making the wrong decisions leading up to something (presumably) important. It’s the equivalent of complaining that wired earbuds are shit because you chose a pair with a bad wire/mini jack.

          • SpaceBishop@piefed.zipEnglish
            12·
            3 天前

            “Yes, hello, Comcast? My internet stopped working.”

            “Oh, that’s user error. You should have done your research and seen that our product isn’t reliable.”

            Lmao

            • ExcessShiv@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
              11·
              2 天前

              You’re comparing apples to oranges here, because your internet connection is not something you have control over or can do anything about. Checking that your headphones are fully charged before running a marathon is absolutely something you can (and should) do something about, and you know in advance if your device has issues and should plan accordingly with a contingency. Anything less is you planning badly.

              …but being surprised that Comcast is a highly unreliable ISP really is on you, that is almost common knowledge these days.

  • dog@reddthat.comEnglish
    23·
    4 天前

    The iPhone 5/5s was probably the perfect phone for me in terms of comfortable one handed use. Something like that again would be perfect.

    • Ripley_Tripley@lemmus.orgOPEnglish
      8·
      4 天前

      Yeah… that size is perfect. I remember having the 6s plus ( my first iPhone) it was 5.5 in, so only .2 inches taller than the Enough Phone. When that phone was done, I struggled with finding a phone I was comfortable with ever since.

  • norealme@lemmy.worldEnglish
    4·
    3 天前

    My favorite smartphone size was sony xperia z1 mini And favorite size of dumb phone - nokia 3100

    • Ripley_Tripley@lemmus.orgOPEnglish
      2·
      3 天前

      I wish I was able to experience a Nokia, they’re such cool looking phones, but Apple pushed everyone out of the US market when they came along

  • JeeBaiChow@lemmy.worldEnglish
    19·
    4 天前

    Company: I don’t wanna make a big phone. Waste of resources, engineers say no difference.

    Older users: I want a big phone. I can’t see shit on the existing models

    Company: ok I’ll make one, but it’ll cost ya. Markets small and all that, plus old users are not in line with our brand.

    Older users: ok done.

    Fomo users: zomg! More expensive phone must be good! Buys them. Does the exact same thing on the gigaphone

    Company: hey, we might be on to something here. Proceeds to add useless features no one wants or uses whole jacking up the prices.

    Older users: wtf is this phone asking me for my satellite launch codes?

    Capitalism sucks.

      • bampop@lemmy.worldEnglish
        4·
        3 天前

        I always bought the smallest smartphone I could get my hands on until I hit my late 40s and my eyes weren’t so good anymore, now I get the biggest. Don’t know why companies don’t just cater to both. Different people got different needs.

      • idiomaddict@lemmy.worldEnglish
        1·
        3 天前

        I loved the 4. I dropped it while looking for a lost dog, and ran it over with a car, which finally broke it for good. I tried to get my account transferred to a friend’s old iPhone 4, but the guy at the store (this was before SIMs in iPhones, I think, so they needed to transfer your phone service over in store) said he literally couldn’t do it and tried to sell me the 8. No idea if that was correct, but I didn’t buy it.

        • Coldcell@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
          3·
          3 天前

          If the solution presented at an Apple store is “buy new product” it’s likely just fishing for a sale. Use a 3rd party and they’ll do the work and not gaslight you.

          • idiomaddict@lemmy.worldEnglish
            2·
            3 天前

            Oh god, I didn’t go to an Apple Store! I went to T-Mobile (iirc, but maybe it was Cingular?). Probably not significantly better, but nobody looking at me with two iPhones 4, one smashed to smithereens, and one just most of a decade old, thought they were getting a sale, lol

            This was before I was able to go outside of my provider (I had been a T-Mobile customer and I brought in a sprint iPhone, back when they were still locked and I didn’t have a SIM card yet- after that, I could switch to whatever). I eventually brought the guy a 5s and he could switch it over, but it was 2019, to be fair, and the 8 was the oldest option they had available in store.

    • magnue@lemmy.worldEnglish
      2·
      3 天前

      I think it’s simply that there’s a balance between the usability of a small screen vs the clarity/added real estate of a big screen, and the line between those is different for everyone. The bigger devices tend to have better battery performance too.

  • abc@suppo.fiEnglish
    2·
    2 天前

    I’m blindly trying the upcoming Commode phone out. It should be small enough and it runs on Sailfish, not Android. For privacy and security, that’s of course a complete wild card and could be great or complete shit for both.

    I’m hoping the Sailfish core devs have 24/7 LLMs churning on looking for and fixing security problems. Practically the only way a small team like theirs could survive in 2026-27.

    • Ripley_Tripley@lemmus.orgOPEnglish
      1·
      2 天前

      I would wait for testers to do that to see how the phone functions. Even though it can run android apls, i keep wondering on how far that can be tested, cause the company is saying not all android apps will work.

    • zinge@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1·
      2 天前

      If it had wireless charging, I would’ve backed the kickstarter already. Without it, I’ll hold on to my S22 for now and see how the reviews go once it’s released. But this is the size I want with most of the features I want.

    • Ripley_Tripley@lemmus.orgOPEnglish
      2·
      3 天前

      The only small phone ive seen that is getting the attention it deserves is the Mudita Kompakt. Ive been paying attention to all the software updates and they look really good, plus you can sideload. Its a minimalistic e ink phone but it has way more features than the Enough Phone.

      • dominos_project_3@lemmy.worldEnglish
        1·
        1 天前

        if you need a really small phone which is modern (4g) I suggest the latest Nokia ( don’t remember the number ), you will not get distracted.

        • Ripley_Tripley@lemmus.orgOPEnglish
          1·
          1 天前

          Which 4G one in particular? Some won’t work here cause they still relay on 2G/3G or I’ll have to look up the international version of the phone.