A dumbphone is an easy idea to like until I start thinking about everything I would miss. Sidephone tries to make that trade feel a little more interesting, starting with the removable section beneath its screen.
The small pins underneath are the clue. This phone lets me swap its lower keypad instead of sticking with one set of buttons.
Choosing What Goes on the Phone
The catch is still the software. This is a simpler phone, and I cannot treat it like a smartphone with an endless supply of familiar apps.
There is no Google Play Store. Sidephone’s App Library works through App Packs: I find the pack on its website, scan its QR code, then choose what to install. It takes more thought than casually downloading another app.
That is the adjustment I would have to make. The essentials I actually need matter more here than filling the phone with everything I might use someday.
The Swappable Part Is the Fun Part
Then I get back to the hardware, and this is where Sidephone wins my attention. The lower section can change with the way I want to use it.
A classic keypad, a circular control layout and a small controller give the same phone noticeably different personalities. Even the ordinary bits, like dialing or opening the camera to scan a code, feel different from doing them on my usual slab of glass.
Final Thoughts
I like that Sidephone makes a simpler phone feel like something to play with. The real decision would come after the novelty wears off: would I miss fewer distractions more than I miss smartphone convenience?
See you in the next article!
