Unveiling The Phone: The €100 internet-free device that is still just a concept

In principle, it is difficult to say bad things about the project The Phone. Initiated by Maïlys Cantzler, a mother worried about the time teenagers spend on their smartphones, “The Phone” aims to reduce digital dependence, with a device deliberately limited in its functionalities. He offers an alternative sexy to “ dumb phone », phones with a numeric keypad like the Nokia 3310.

The problem with The Phone, as reported by several Internet users on Twitter, is that the way in which the brand communicates raises many questions. Several media outlets devoted an article to the startup without asking about the product, which nevertheless hides a lot of things. Among the problems raised: The Phone website, its Facebook page and press articles never show the same phone.

An iPhone, a Wiko or an Android terminal… What does The Phone really look like?

Just go to The Phone website to ask yourself questions. On the home page, an iPhone XR from 2018, with the startup's logo in the middle of the screen. Other images, which also look like a montage, show a back without a camera, holes on the corners to hang a neck strap and a front identical to that of the iPhone. (We can even see Apple's Lightning port in a photo where an iPhone is hidden in a case).

On his Facebook pagethe startup shows a different design, with big borders at the top and bottom.

On The Phone website, we are shown an iPhone. // Source: Capture Numerama

Even more surprising, in an article published in the Parisian, Maïlys Cantzler shows what actually looks like a Wiko brand smartphone. Forget the corners to hang a choker, make way for a much more ordinary design, with a notch in the shape of a drop of water.

But that's not all. The status bar, at the top of the screen, is that of Android, with Google connection notifications and… the Wi-Fi logo. This would mean, if it is indeed The Phone, that the famous phone without “no internet access” is connected to the Internet and has access to Google services.

The phone shown to the Parisian looks like a Wiko device running Android with a simple application. // Source: Capture Le Parisien

The truth about The Phone, with the real technical characteristics

Real photos from The Phone, with a hidden camera block. // Source: The Phone, at Numerama

Plastic shell, borders at the top and bottom, camera hidden rather than removed… The Phone is consistent with what one might imagine of an entry-level Chinese Android smartphone. The company's co-founder promises that the site will be updated in the coming hours, with real images of the product.

Some of the features of The Phone. // Source: The Phone, at Numerama

Underneath its innards, The Phone is a very limited terminal, with a Unisoc SC7731E chip (it is found in Chinese devices for 100 euros, so no surprise). It has 2 GB of RAM, 16 GB of storage (expandable by Micro SD, but what's the point?) and a 480p LCD screen, which will undoubtedly be a little pixelated. Its 2,500 mAh battery is small, but it should last a long time thanks to its limited functions.

In short, The Phone exists and really doesn't have access to the Internet. These are the products shown by the brand on its site that do not exist.

Can The Phone succeed?

Without Internet, The Phone risks facing several obstacles, such as the fact that SMS is used less and less by young people. Without WhatsApp, Snapchat, Messenger or even RCS (the Internet replacements for SMS), The Phone is losing interest. Most dumb phones with a numeric keypad, running KaiOS, have Internet for messaging applications. This is the minimum in 2024, but the brand accepts this choice of disconnection.

Without entering into the debate “Is the Internet really harmful for a teenager? »The Phone also has another opponent: other phone brands.

More images of the real The Phone. // Source: The Phone, at Numerama

The mistake parents make is to leave their children/teenagers with a jailbroken phone, with access to the entire Internet, application stores and social networks. At Google and Apple, however, settings allow a smartphone to be restricted to limit it to applications defined by parents, with a quota of maximum hours per day. The first thing to do is not to lend your adult account to your child, but to create a child account for them, with restrictions from the outset.

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By this summer, The Phone hopes to import 50,000 phones and convince municipalities to equip college students with its anti-digital addiction product. The initiative is interesting, but does it really meet the needs of young people and their parents?

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