A Minimalist Phone For Breaking Free

The world has expanded, and we’ve all become connected, which sounds like a good thing, and to some it is. But for others, this hyper-connection is overwhelming and disconnecting from the smartphone is an option they want. Enter, Mudita Kompakt. This minimalist phone is designed to separate you from constant reliance on your smartphone and foster disconnection from the virtual world and reconnection with the natural world. Before we jump into this, it is clear that the Mudita Kompakt isn’t for everyone. This device is catering to a certain market and if you’re not prepared for the realities of disconnection, then this phone isn’t for you.

Estimated reading time: 14 minutes

The Mudita Kompakt surprised me. It proved to me just how much my smartphone has become an extension of my body. This fact is probably not lost on you, either, and it’s most likely why you came here to read this review. I will freely admit, I had a very difficult time making the Mudita Kompakt my main device, and I failed at it. I always had my smartphone with me, checking emails and socials mostly, but still with me. The Mudita Kompakt will test you, and props to those who manage to get through the challenge. Let’s get into the full Mudita Kompakt review.

The Quick Take

In keeping to the theme of simplicity. The Mudita Kompakt is pretty straightforward and minimal. This is either going to be a success for some and a failure for others. This phone really tests your reliance on a smartphone. It does have the ability to sideload Android apps, but that’s not simple to do. This is truly the device for those who want to be disconnected. I couldn’t do it, but that’s me. I think the users who are seeking this sort of device and lifestyle, will love this phone.

Score and Bottom Line

Mudita Kompakt

$439.99

Nailed it

• Nice hardware, solid build quality
• Nice looking design, fits nicely in the hand
• Nice e-ink display that looks good in all lighting conditions
• Headphone jack and you can upload mp3’s
• Does what it says it does, removes you from smartphone chains
• Possible to sideload apps, but may be too involved for some users

Needs work

• Speakers are not great, but hey, keeps it out of your hand
• The camera is not great, but again, this keeps you from having it in your hand all the time

There’s a lot to like about the Mudita Kompakt, but it also has its fair of shortcomings. Though, I think those shortcomings come from the fact that I am used to a certain experience from a phone. It was really difficult to separate myself from those expectations, but that will not be the same for everyone.

The Mudita Kompakt is so stripped back from connectivity that I found I could not function. I did find it useful in the small moments. Times when I needed to just spend time with kids and family and only needed calls and texts. That was helpful to not be reaching into my pocket every few minutes. But for me and the work that I do, I need that connection. OK, maybe I don’t NEED IT….but I found it difficult to get out of that mentality.

The Mudita Kompakt does what it does very well. The camera isn’t great, so you won’t be constantly feeling the need to snap pics. The operating system is bare bones, so you won’t be constantly playing games and checking the web. The bottom line is, this phone isn’t for everyone. But for those, it is for, it’s a pretty outstanding choice.

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Mudita Kompakt Specifications

• Dimensions: 70mm x 128mm x 12.6mm
• Weight: 164g
• Display: 4,3″ E-ink touchscreen; 800×480 resolution
• Processor: Quad-core MediaTek MT6761V/WBA
• RAM: 3GB LPDDR3
• Storage: 32GB expandable with microSD
• Battery: 3300 mAh Li-Polymer (up to 6 days standby)
• Charging: USB-C (10W max) or wireless (2.5W max)
• Audio:
  • ACC speaker
  • 3.5mm headphone jack
• Connectivity:
  • 2G, 3G, 4G LTE
  • Wi-Fi 5 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band
  • Bluetooth 5.0
  • NFC
• Location:
• Camera: Rear-facing 8MP with dual-color flash (warm and cold light temperature LEDs)
• Operating System: Mudita OS K (custom degoogled AOSP)
• SIM Card Configuration:
  • SIM tray layout: 1 SIM card slot + 1 hybrid slot (second SIM or microSD card)
  • SIM card format: nano-SIM (4FF)
  • eSIM: supported (deactivates SIM 2 if used)
• Durability:
  • IP54 dust/splash resistance
  • Matte mineral glass screen with 8H hardness
  • PC GF casing (polycarbonate reinforced with glass fiber)
  • Reinforced metal frame
• Sensors:
  • Fingerprint reader
  • Accelerometer
  • Barometer
  • Gyroscope
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Proximity sensor
  • Magnetometer

What’s In The Box

• Mudita Kompakt
• Canvas Bag
• USB charging cable
• Meditation Cards
• Manuals and Documentation

Design

The Mudita Kompakt design reminds of the iPhone 3G, not exactly, but very similar. It also harkens back to something like the Palm Pre as well. It’s a stumpy-rounded rectangle with a sort of soft rubber back, and it fits nicely in the hand. The feel is very comfy, and the soft back really makes it stay in your hand. Though, it does pick up fingerprints and smudges.

The back has the small 8MP camera and the flash, which can have a warm or cool color to it. Along the left side is the SIM tray and the offline mode switch. The switch allows you to turn off the network on the Mudita Kompakt, so if you just don’t want calls or texts or any connectivity, this will turn it all off.

Along the top is the headphone jack and a mic. Along the bottom is the USB-C port and a speaker. Along the right side is your power button/fingerprint reader, and the volume rocker. The tactility of the buttons is great, and the fingerprint reader is accurate.

The front houses the 4.3″ display with some chunky bezels. Along the bottom of the display are your back button, home button, and settings button. These buttons are capacitive and have a nice haptic feedback to them. The settings button provides you with quick access to settings, volume, brightness, and other functions.

Overall, this is a simple design that looks impressive and feels good in the hand. What more do you want from a minimal phone?

Display

The 4.3″ E-ink display on the Mudita Kompakt is actually one of its stronger points. This is a very nice display that is easy on the eyes and if you go in knowing that you’re not dealing with a smartphone display, you will be very pleased.

Because this is an E-ink display, it takes less energy and prolongs battery life, more on that later. The touch responsiveness of the display is great, and I never felt like it wasn’t taking my input. It is very different from a color OLED display, for sure.

Overall, this is an excellent E-ink display that pairs perfectly with the minimal design and creed of this device.

Software

The Mudita Kompakt is running Android 12, yes, Android 12. Now, normally, I would be appalled if this were a Samsung, Motorola, or OnePlus. But this is not any of those, and it is not a true smartphone. Running Android 12 is just about all you need. Unless you’re looking to sideload apps, there you might run into issues.

Otherwise, the software on the Mudita Kompakt is simple, this is the list of preinstalled apps to expect.

• Phone
• SMS
• Alarm
• Calculator
• Calendar
• Camera
• Chess Game
• E-Reader
• Maps
• Meditation App
• Music App
• Notes App
• Recording App
• Weather App

The only real things worth mentioning here are the Maps app, Weather app, and Music app. The Maps app isn’t like Google Maps. When you enter a location, you will have to download the area you’re looking up, it is not preinstalled. It’s almost like a local maps app. So the data is being put on the device and not being pulled from an app or network. It’s a basic app and is challenging to navigate.

The Weather app is basic and seems to work well, but don’t expect all that you get from other smartphone weather apps. The Music app is also basic and isn’t a streaming music app, you can sideload Spotify, though. So you will have to plug your Mudita Kompakt to your computer and install MP3s to it, so you can use the app. They do have a few things preinstalled for you to listen to.

There is also a Meditation app, which helps you to take a moment and focus and breathe. Nice, if you’re into that. Overall, the software here is basic. No big bells, whistles or apps. Just basic, and that’s what you buy this for.

Performance

The quad-core MediaTek processor and 3GB of RAM seem to move right along with the base operating system and no additional apps. I didn’t install any third-party apps and chose to just use the Mudita Kompakt as naked as it comes.

The touch responsiveness is good, it’s like any other e-ink display, so don’t expect OLED performance. The fingerprint sensor is responsive and fast and is located on the power button. Maps are fine, not as quick as a smartphone but fine. They move with a stutter, but again, this is the life of this device.

Listening to music and reading documents is also quick and simple. Overall, the performance is fine. The Android version is older, but I really don’t see this as a problem, unless you’re sideloading apps that are most likely the reason you’re trying to get away from a smartphone.

One area of performance to be aware of is network connectivity. The Mudita Kompakt works well on AT&T and T-Mobile, but with some limitations (at least according to the carriers). Most of those limitations have to do with data and not text and talk, so I don’t feel it’s a huge deal. I tried this with my Verizon SIM and that didn’t work so well. So check your carrier before buying. T-Mobile, Metro, Mint, and Tello seem to do well with it. But phone calls and texts work perfectly fine.

Internal storage is 32GB, which can be expanded with a microSD card. It would be nice to have 64GB or more for those who do want to use this to hold a large catalog of music and books. Overall, the performance is what I would expect from something like this. If you’re expecting anything more, then you have set the bar too high, and you’re not really ready for a minimal phone like the Mudita Kompakt.

Camera

So yeah, the camera. I can only assume that most users looking to go this minimal are going to know that the camera experience is most-likely not going to be what you’d get from Samsung or Apple. This is really a very basic camera, and the images are comparable to a smartphone from ten years ago (maybe worse).

I don’t really want to sit here and bash on the camera, mostly because the Mudita Kompakt isn’t promising stellar camera performance and high-end specs. This is a minimal phone and does minimal things, it delivers on those promises, so the camera isn’t really something I think matters as much as on other devices.

Overall, the camera isn’t great, no. It produces potato-like photos, but it works. You can snag the photos off the Mudita Kompakt using your PC, but really, if you want good photos, buy a compact Sony a-series mirrorless camera for that. These example photos are what you can expect, for the most part, and these were taken in excellent lighting.

Battery Life

The battery life on the Mudita Kompakt is insane. Fully charged, I went over five days with it not needing charging. Part of this is due to its e-ink colorless display that saps much less battery, and the other part is, I just didn’t use it like I would my regular smartphone. I didn’t sideload any apps, no extra e-readers, no music apps, no games, nothing. I just used this device like it was out of the box. So, because I didn’t have any extras installed, the battery lasted a long time.

If you decide to sideload apps with the Aurora Store or other methods, and you are installing apps that make you use the phone more often, then your battery life will be different. Even if you do choose to still add other apps, I think the battery life will be solid. Overall, if you’re looking for a big change in disconnection from the smartphone world, this will do it and your battery will last for those calls and texts.

Price/Value

The price to get out of the smartphone life and into the limited connectivity life is just over four-hundred dollars. I don’t have much to say about the value here because this one will be ultra-subjective. I feel like, for those who desire this sort of device and lifestyle change, it will be well worth it. For those who are on the fence or who might not feel they are ready for such a significant change. Well, they probably should hold off until they’re certain.

Wrap Up

There’s a lot to like about the Mudita Kompakt, but it also has its fair of shortcomings. Though, I think those shortcomings come from the fact that I am used to a certain experience from a phone. It was really difficult to separate myself from those expectations, but that will not be the same for everyone.

The Mudita Kompakt is so stripped back from connectivity that I found I could not function. I did find it useful in the small moments. Times when I needed to just spend time with kids and family and only needed calls and texts. That was helpful to not be reaching into my pocket every few minutes. But for me and the work that I do, I need that connection. OK, maybe I don’t NEED IT….but I found it difficult to get out of that mentality.

The Mudita Kompakt does what it does very well. The camera isn’t great, so you won’t be constantly feeling the need to snap pics. The operating system is bare bones, so you won’t be constantly playing games and checking the web. The bottom line is, this phone isn’t for everyone. But for those, it is for, it’s a pretty outstanding choice. This review was a bit harder because a lot of what the Kompakt does poorly, is what users of this device want to avoid anyway.

Yeah, it doesn’t do well in many of the categories smartphones excel in, but that’s the point. The less bells and whistles, the less time you spend holding it, and it then becomes the tool it is supposed to be. A phone that can text and talk with a few little extras like an e-reader and music player.