Balmuda 4.9-inch adorable and compact smartphone

Balmuda Technologies, a kitchen and household appliance company based in Japan has launched its very first smartphone, the BALMUDA Phone.

Perhaps what’s most unique about the BALMUDA Phone is its 4.9 inch display and curved-back design. For context, iPhone 13 mini features a 5.4 inch display.

BALMUDA believes that this compact size is the perfect Easy-to-hold size. Furthermore, its curved-back is designed to fit naturally in your hand. The BALMUDA Phone is the one of the only smartphone whose proportions do not include any straight lines.

BALMUDA Phone Key Highlights

Aside from its unique design, the BALMUDA Phone has a couple more highlights worth talking about.

1. BALMUDA basic app: While the device runs on Android 11 and supports Google Mobile Services, it uses an entirely custom launcher along with a custom calendar app, camera, memo, calculator, and clock. All of which have a strong emphasis on a minimalist but yet user-intuitive design.
2. Snapdragon Processor: In terms of performance, the device is powered by a Qualcomm® Snapdragon ™ 765 processor. While it isn’t the highest performing chipset in the market, it is a fairly reliable processor with great battery performance.
3. Lightweight: The device weighs in at only 138g. Partly thanks to its smaller battery size of 2,500mAh. The BALMUDA Phone weighs in 3g lighter than an iPhone mini (141g).

Home Screen

Scheduler

Calendar

Camera

All in all, the BALMUDA is a relatively simplistic smartphone that has a strong emphasis on its form factor and user interface.

BALMUDA Phone Full Specifications

_{Available in Black or White}

Weight & Dimensions: 138g, 69mm x 123mm x 13.7mm

Display: 4.9″, full HD (1920×1080) IPX4

OS & Processor: Android 11, Qualcomm® Snapdragon ™ 765

Memory & Storage: 6+128GB

Camera: 48MP (Rear) + 8MP (Selfie)

Additional: Biometrics, NFC, Bluetooth 5.2

Battery: 2500mAh

Price: ¥104,800 (~RM3810)

Final Thoughts

While we can appreciate BALMUDA’s bold approach to introduce something new to the smartphone market, we do think RM3,810 is way too hefty of an introductory price point for what the smartphone has to offer.

Priced at RM3,810, shoppers are spoilt for choice with many more flagship phones with more to offer such as the Mi 11, S21, Google Pixel 6 and even the iPhone 13 series.

Ultimately, we do not see Malaysia as a potential market for this device.

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