Tushar Mehta / Digital Trends
speech sound have become incredibly smart in late years . Devices such as theSamsung Galaxy S24 Ultranow have chipsets powerful enough to run AI applications right on the machine — something most computers , let in my four - year - old MacBook , can just dream of .
at the same time , the rush in phone ’ capability has also lead to larger dimensions that not only congest our fields of view , but also affect our cognitive abilities . This has spur the ascent of alternatives , such as obtuse phone , meant to disengage up our attention . As someone who juggles multiple phones as part of my job , I always seek out detox experience .
Tushar Mehta / Digital Trends
As part of this pursuit , I have been spending meter with a midget Android speech sound for winding down and as an aide-de-camp for outdoor expeditions . Here are all the reasons why I feel it has been a fruitful journeying .
Why bother with a tiny phone?
My desire to use a lilliputian phone was bear out of the months - long discontentment from using mySamsung Galaxy Watch 5as the only gadget I carried outdoors . Anyone who has tried to bank solely on a smartwatch — except theApple Watch Ultra — for their outdoor activities will agree with its limitations .
The first limitation I faced was in terms of the spiritualist you’re able to consume on the go with a Wear group O lookout ( even with an dynamic internet connection through LTE ) . medicine apps such as Spotify and YouTube Music do n’t let you choose songs freely other than the ones already added to your regular playlist . Audiobook readers like Audible will only salute a limited subroutine library of books , while apps such as YouTube are whole absent .
The 2nd limitation was confinement in terms of connectivity , with call and SMS being your primary options . Most third - company messenger are still scatty , and althoughWear type O 4 total WhatsApp living last year , you are mostly limited to articulation messages . Even then , WhatsApp must be actively refreshed to load the latest messages .
The quest for an alternative was inspired by two factors — ease of one - hand usage and minimum fuss in terms of carrying . I decided to go with a lilliputian Android headphone while avoiding those extremely miniature phones that are the size of a human thumb so I can in reality put the phone to use .
While my first choice was theUnihertz Jelly Star , a tiny Android phone with a 3 - in display ( render above ) , dispute with shipping it to my location resulted in me wait for choice . That ’s when I came across the Blackview N6000 .
This is the Blackview N6000
Although reasonably giving and heavier than my first choice , a few features prompted me to choose Blackview ’s tiny telephone set . The first was its rugged blueprint , which induce it much more suitable for outdoor activities . Second , its big 4.3 - inch screen that is easy to type on than a 3 - inch display .
Despite the midget , rugged phone weighing over 200 gram ( about 7 ounce or 0.4 pounds ) , it has examine fairly sluttish to hold and hold without feel like a load . The rugged fixtures around the torso not only aid the suitcase , but also loan a sense of confidence .
I have had the earphone for over a month . While it has not replaced my master telephone set , I have intemperately swear on it while heading out , peculiarly on daily walk . Besides ready the sound easier to hold , the small footprint is suit to typing with a individual hand . I also accomplish so much more without being tempt by the glamor of disorder apps , admit societal sensitive .
And if you ’re mix through various tasks , the ergonomics make it a tad bit easier to check out them off from your to - do lists .
Designed for the outdoors
Despite its lilliputian footprint , the Blackview N6000 feel mighty against the laws of nature . Thanks to its rugged exterior , it can make it falls from as eminent as 60 meters ( about 200 foot ) . Although I could n’t rally the bravery to shed the speech sound from that height , I did examine its lastingness by throw it from about 10 foot in good order on asphalt , and it survive without any signs of distress .
The society also claims it can bear being under 20,000 kilogram ( 44,000 pounds ) of weight without being crushed and can come through extreme temperature between -40 and 80 degrees Celsius ( -40 to 176 degrees Fahrenheit ) . It adds that the phone pull through being smash onto the primer coat at a distance of up to 5 meter ( more than 16 foot ) , make it the pure phone for clip when you want to wear out things to vent your excitement .
I neither had the resource nor the audacity to essay those claims . But it is assuring to see that Blackview has made travail to conceal the USB port with a dedicated flap to prevent debris , grit , or weewee from entering .
The phone gets an IP69 K evaluation — a footfall up from the common IP68 evaluation on most phones — for its tribute against dust and water . That means it can tolerate pressurize super acid of water at high-pitched temperatures and survive being overwhelm underwater for up to 30 transactions .
Battery life that lasts for days
This tiny rugged phone has another vantage when it comes to its battery fill-in . The battery indoors is n’t monolithic compared to those found in regular - sized phones . The actual shelling capacity is only about 3,900mAh , which is about the same as theGalaxy S24or slightly big than theiPhone 15 .
Despite its small size , the bombardment lasts for a few days . This is primarily for two cause : a pocket-sized LCD screen without any fancy underlie tech and the not - so - powerful internals . While these may voice like disadvantages , the same factors also prevent me from getting soak up into endlessly doomscrolling of YouTube Shorts or playing redolent games .
The mediocre ironware forestall a multisensory overload , making it easier to detach from the otherwise seductive sounds and visuals . This assist me limit the earpiece ’s utility to the necessary and tolerate my senses to baby in the literal macrocosm , especially aside from home and in nature .
Cameras that get the job done
I ’m not a Brobdingnagian Instagram - every - consequence person , but I occasionally support — and give in to — the FOMO of wanting to share a lusty scene with my friends and online acquaintances . That ’s where Instagram Stories serve well . After all , sending personal update in direct messages may appear too clingy in today ’s day and historic period .
While my smartwatch can , to some extent , supervene upon my earpiece when I ’m outside the house , the scabies to becharm and divvy up romantic moments is what led me to deliberate using a phone instead . The Blackview phone has n’t let down me in this obedience .
The 48MP camera on this lilliputian phone does n’t match up to those mighty phones that can copy actual professional camera . But it fix the Book of Job done , letting me captivate scenarios that can be geminate with evocative caption and shared on societal media .
The front tv camera , although sitting inside an unsightly teardrop - shaped pass , is estimable enough for sweaty or sun - snog selfies . The camera also enables Face Unlock , a useful option to the fingerprint scanner .
A cure for boredom
in the beginning in this article , I harp on the lack of potent internals inside the Blackview N6000 . Well , that ’s not entirely reliable .
The phone has a midrange MediaTek Helio G99 chipset and 8 GB of RAM with 256 GB of storage . These components make it estimable enough for some casual games .
Although I do n’t urge stretch your care in a way that may compromise your certificate or distract you from the luxuries of being close to nature , the phone runs light game with ease . I particularly indulge myself in strain - busters such asTwo DotsorSand Blocks(Tetris , but with moxie ) since both are wanton to play with just one paw and without unremitting attention .
The hardware is also sufficient for running all sorting of stock apps — messaging , entertainment , shopping , payments , societal medium , etc . — without nigh any limitations .
4G is useful, NFC is great
The tiny phone descend with double SIM support , both of which can run LTE networks . This means you will require a disjoined mobile joining if you ask connectivity outside the bound of a familiar Wi - Fi web .
I ’m a stiff exponent of get down a disjoined association , especially if you want a phone for your wind - down time . This facilitate prevent unwanted call or spam during your me time . This approach shot is also more beneficial than using a smartwatch with LTE connectivity because that connection is tied to the same phone number as your master telephone set .
The absence of 5 G does not immediately repulse me since the deficiency of lightning - dissolute data prevents me from engender hop-skip - up on the Dopastat kicks from instantly load videos of cats — or frankfurter , base on what the algorithm attend to you .
Despite its thick and rugged carapace , the Blackview N6000 also affirm NFC . This is super useful for outdoor ventures because it not only spares me from the effort of carrying my wallet singly , but also from worrying about losing it . For supported region , NFC can also be used with local transit cards and airplane boarding passes or even as a key successor .
More than a secondary phone
While I select the Blackview N6000 as my secondary phone , it can very well be the only phone you use — particularly for those who want to trammel their interaction with ( or distractions due to ) technology . Its rugged features make it a smart as a whip selection for those who have an outdoorsy life-style , but do not wish well to indulge in spending thousands of dollars to get the latest Apple Watch Ultra — and maybe an iPhone to pair it with .
There will be some obvious drawback — this is n’t the brightest presentation you could find , and you could not necessarily play big secret plan or take stunning photo . But for a phone that cost $ 260 ( or less , thanks to voucher and promos that are usable ) , those deficiency are almost forgivable . The only other matter you will require to note is that although the phone comes with Android 13 , there are no hope of a next update , which may touch some users .
For internet coverage , Blackview also has an extensive chart ofsupported carriers . LTE forge on the N6000 with AT&T , Sprint , T - Mobile , and Verizon , among other leading meshwork in the U.S. , which is commendable , considering earpiece from lesser - known brands typically do n’t come well here .
Lastly , I want to sum up that I did not all relinquish my Galaxy Watch , but I bank less on it for feature article other than tracking my steps or other seaworthiness data , and that help its battery last a few hours more than it previously would . As comedian Dave Chappelle once said , modern problems require mod solutions .
