{"id":147746,"date":"2025-11-22T22:18:08","date_gmt":"2025-11-22T22:18:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/147746\/"},"modified":"2025-11-22T22:18:08","modified_gmt":"2025-11-22T22:18:08","slug":"quirky-indie-phone-is-a-modular-nokia-ipod-hybrid-and-proof-theres-still-some-fun-in-mobile-tech","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/147746\/","title":{"rendered":"Quirky indie phone is a modular Nokia\/iPod hybrid, and proof there’s still some fun in mobile tech"},"content":{"rendered":"

Flagship smartphones turn our heads on a regular basis<\/a>, but we should also pay attention to devices like the Sidephone SP-01, which I don\u2019t think we\u2019ve talked about enough. Or at all.<\/p>\n

Time to fix that, and introduce you to a phone that does something different. Really different.<\/p>\n

What is the Sidephone SP-01?<\/p>\n

Less than a smartphone, more like a modular feature phone<\/p>\n

\"Renders
\n Credit:\u00a0Sidephone<\/p>\n

The Sidephone SP-01 isn\u2019t a smartphone. It\u2019s more like a feature phone with a modular twist, due to a unique feature we\u2019ve not really seen elsewhere.<\/p>\n

It has a removable keyboard, which can be swapped out for alternative keyboards and input methods.<\/p>\n

The keyboard is magnetically attached to the phone\u2019s body, and the company has announced a re-mappable T9 keyboard and an iPod-style touch wheel, which it currently calls the Sundial.<\/p>\n

The company is talking about further attachments, including a QWERTY keyboard<\/a>, a set of gaming controls, and an icon-driven pad to turn the device into a fancy remote control.<\/p>\n

It runs Google Android AOSP and does not include access to Google Play. However, there is a custom app library with key apps ready to download, plus it will be possible to sideload APK files.<\/p>\n

Because it doesn\u2019t have Google Services installed, there will still be limits as to what apps will work.<\/p>\n

For the hardware, it has a 2.8-inch screen, a MediaTek processor, USB-C charging, 4G LTE, and a camera described as \u201cretro 00\u2019s style.\u201d<\/p>\n

The look of the phone is a cross between an original Apple iPhone, early Nokias like the C5, and even Lumia designs.<\/p>\n

The Sidephone is described as an ideal first step for anyone wanting to lessen their reliance on a smartphone, but we\u2019d also say it\u2019ll be attractive to anyone who loves the tactility of a physical keyboard, just like how the Clicks Keyboard case appeals to BlackBerry fans.<\/p>\n

Since the input method is entirely customizable, the Sidephone has the potential to be whatever the owner wants it to be.<\/p>\n

Cases designed to wrap around the raised screen and keyboard will allow for personalization, too.<\/p>\n

Who\u2019s behind it?<\/p>\n

Meet the team<\/p>\n

Unlike a niche phone from a big-name brand, the Sidephone comes from a team of just a few people who are sharing a lot of the experience on a dedicated Subreddit<\/a>, giving potential buyers the chance to really get to know the project and the people behind it.<\/p>\n

While co-founders Chris Ristovski and Sebastian Snell appear to be newcomers to the world of consumer tech, a Reddit Ask Me Anything (AMA)<\/a> reveals that Laurent Le Pen is handling manufacturing in Shenzhen, China.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s likely this is the French entrepreneur<\/a> best known for founding Omate, a wearable technology company with considerable pedigree.<\/p>\n

A working prototype of the phone has been shown off on Sidephone\u2019s YouTube channel, and initially, pre-orders were expected to ship at the end of summer 2025.<\/p>\n

According to the order page, shipping is now likely to take place in January 2026, and it appears that only 1,000 will be available during the first run. The phone\u2019s full price is $300, but is available at the moment for $250.<\/p>\n

Why take notice?<\/p>\n

A thirst for something different<\/p>\n

\"Renders
\n Credit:\u00a0Sidephone<\/p>\n

Modern smartphones are incredibly powerful and genuinely exciting, but the industry lacks fun and variety, and the days of small companies launching devices that do something different seem to be mostly behind us.<\/p>\n

However, things are changing. Whether it\u2019s through online connections that make it less arduous to set up manufacturing, more people sharing their ideas quickly and easily, a thirst from tech fans who want something new, or passionate individuals spurred on by other successes to get things started, variety is returning.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the reason I\u2019m excited about Kevin Michaluk\u2019s (AKA CrackBerry Kevin) plan to bring back BlackBerry<\/a>, and why I\u2019ve pre-ordered the Pebble Time 2<\/a> smartwatch.<\/p>\n

These projects aren\u2019t backed by billionaire moguls and aren\u2019t just capitalizing on the AI bubble in the hope of making a quick buck.<\/p>\n

Watch with interest<\/p>\n

But still keep a sensible head<\/p>\n

\"Two<\/p>\n

These products are being developed by people, just like the Sidephone SP-01. We\u2019re seeing its development live, through YouTube and Reddit, rather than paying up front in a crowdfunding campaign, unsure of whether the end product will actually work as promised<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s refreshing, fun, and interactive, without being performative.<\/p>\n

This also comes with downsides for the team and warnings for us as potential buyers not to expect an entirely smooth launch.<\/p>\n

Failures and setbacks are seen happening in real-time, and a recent post<\/a> on the subreddit sums up the reasons we shouldn\u2019t get ahead of ourselves, and remember this is a product in development by a small team, so issues will come up.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d still rather see these problems shared, not hidden away due to fear of losing buyers.<\/p>\n

All this is why we should be talking about the Sidephone SP-01, and paying attention to its development and eventual release.<\/p>\n

Even if the product isn\u2019t for you, watching what happens is still fascinating for tech fans exhausted by the crushing inevitability of yet another powerhouse smartphone release.<\/p>\n

You can learn more or pre-order the Sidephone SP-01 on the company\u2019s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Flagship smartphones turn our heads on a regular basis, but we should also pay attention to devices like…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":147747,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[85,46,321,125],"class_list":{"0":"post-147746","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mobile","8":"tag-il","9":"tag-israel","10":"tag-mobile","11":"tag-technology"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147746","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=147746"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147746\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/147747"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=147746"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=147746"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=147746"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}