Jelly 2 is making waves on Kickstarter, set to end its crowdfunding campaign this week with what could be $1 million over its initial goal of just $50,000. Apparently, a lot of people want a tiny little Android 10 device with a 3-inch display!
I’ve been using the Jelly 2 here and there for the past week, and while it’s unusual and neat, there’s just no way I can use it as my daily device. Yes, I agree that it looks cool, and fits great in your hands and pockets, but as soon as you open up the keyboard to type in a message, you’re reminded why having a slightly larger display can really come in handy.
People might say, “Just use voice dictation!” Sure, you can do that, but not all of us will consistently be somewhere that dictation is appropriate. Thankfully, Gboard (the preinstalled keyboard) has pretty darn good accuracy, especially when swiping out a message, so if you’ve had your eye set on this phone and don’t mind a tiny keyboard and tiny everything else, don’t let my tiny keyboard hating sway you.
For specs, the Jelly 2 packs a mighty little punch, especially when you consider its retail price of $199. The phone features the 3″ display (480 x 854 resolution), Helio octa-core processor, dual camera system (8-megapixel on front + 16-megapixel on back), rear-facing fingerprint reader, NFC, 2,000mAh battery that excels at keeping this little thing alive all day long, 6GB RAM and 128GB storage, microSD support, 3.5mm headphone jack, plus a pretty barebones version of Android 10, all packed into a device that’s no larger than a credit card. Full spec sheet can be viewed here.
Now, speaking for myself, I’d have a hard time using this phone as my only phone, but I can see it as a great secondary device. For example, if I’m going on a big hike or backpacking trip, I may not want to lug around a massive phone. That’s where something like Jelly 2 can take its place. The only downside I can think of right off would be the camera situation, because I’d probably want to take plenty of pictures on said trip and the Jelly 2 doesn’t have the best camera on its backside. I suppose that’s all part of the pros and cons when shopping for a sub-$200 phone in the 3-inch category, though.
Here are a few camera samples.
In my mind, the Jelly 2 is the ultimate little app jukebox, perfect for getting the bare minimum done, ideal for when only the bare minimum is needed. However, if you do lots of typing and media consumption, you may want to get a bigger phone.
Jelly 2 can currently be purchased for $159 via its Kickstarter page. Not a bad price at all.
Kickstarter Link