What Happens When A Toaster Company Makes A Smartphone?
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- čas přidán 9. 07. 2024
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[BALMUDA PHONE REVIEW]
It’s not just a weird phone; it’s a small phone - and today, both are tough to come by. So when a company best known for designer tea kettles and a $300 toaster oven said it was building a compact Android smartphone for the Japanese market, I knew I had to go hands-on. I'm Michael Fisher and this is MrMobile's Balmuda Phone Review.
[ABOUT MRMOBILE’S BALMUDA PHONE REVIEW]
MrMobile’s Balmuda Phone Review was produced following six days with a Balmuda Phone review sample purchased by publisher Future PLC. MrMobile does not accept compensation from the manufacturers of the products he reviews in exchange for producing content. No payment was provided and no manufacturer or carrier was afforded a preview, editorial input or copy approval rights concerning this review. The lone sponsor of this video is HelloFresh.
[PRODUCTS IN THIS VIDEO]
BALMUDA Phone:
tech.balmuda.com/jp/phone/har...
Selected Wallpapers by L Macro Miranda:
/ lmarcomiranda
[LINKS]
compact. and elegant. announcing 4.9-inch 5G smartphone "BALMUDA Phone" [Balmuda]:
tech.balmuda.com/jp/news/1117
Balmuda Phone development story [Balmuda]:
tech.balmuda.com/jp/phone/story/
Request and notification of software update for BALMUDA Phone [Balmuda]:
tech.balmuda.com/jp/support/p...
Japan toaster startup smartphone foray craters stock price [Reuters]:
www.reuters.com/article/balmu...
Balmuda discontinues sales of its compact phone after several poor reviews [Gizmochina]:
www.gizmochina.com/2022/01/12...
A compact smartphone from a toaster maker turned out to be of no use to anyone [droid.news]:
droid.news/a-compact-smartpho...
The Great Japanese Toaster Problem [Financial Review]:
www.afr.com/world/asia/the-gr...
[MUSIC]
"Cloud" by Matt Wigton [Soundstripe]:
app.soundstripe.com/songs/11086
“Ok Ok” by Neon Beach [Soundstripe]:
app.soundstripe.com/songs/11023
“What You Got” by Luciano Music Co., available at Premium Beat:
www.premiumbeat.com/royalty-f...
[CHAPTERS]
00:00 Little Toaster
00:37 No Straight Lines
02:49 Soft
04:22 Flagship In Spirit …
05:41 Camera In Name Only
6:44 Cookin’ With MrMobile
08:04 … Mid-Ranger In Reality
[SOCIALIZE]
/ themrmobile
/ themrmobile
/ themrmobile
/ captain2phones
mrmobile.tech
[DISCLOSURES]
This post may contain affiliate links, which afford Future plc a commission should you make a purchase. This does not affect MrMobile’s editorial content. See Future's disclosure policy for more details:
www.futureplc.com/terms-condi...
Additional information concerning MrMobile’s ethics policy can be found here:
mrmobile.tech/ethics
#balmuda #balmudaphone #weirdphones #smartphones #tech #japan #smallphone - Věda a technologie
Saw this phone previewed on a website and I thought it looks class. Been seeing some old Nokia Lumia phones and only now am I appreciating their designs. Today's phones are all same, same. Keep reviewing these unique phones please! Great work.
Thanks for watching. Will do!
I AGREE! Atleast he reviews unique stuff. My absolute favorite tech youtuber!
Lumia phones were so good looking.
Lumia 925 is the most Beautiful smartphone design ever. It's both simple concept but complex organic curves that are perfectly proportioned. The camera bump is the Design Feature.
@@Neojhun I remember a friend of mine had the 925 some years ago and I loved it's design to the near point of buying myself one,I wish there was a phone today looking as good as that,it would mean an instant buy from me.
For this price, it better come with the 300 dollar toaster for free
This is the way.
Fr tho
Got confused, thought the toaster was a wireless charger for the phone. The firemen laughed at me.
@@samulai At least you got your toast.
It should come with a free PS5 and a few AAA games
Man regardless of the downsides why do I still want this? 😭 Let’s team up and make a Balmuda Pro.
probably going to cost $1299 🙄
It reminds one of a Motorola Pebl clamshell phone.
maybe some kind of neurological disorder? :P
how pro is it? Pro like the Xperia, or Realme, iphone etc?
@@woundedsanity 😂😂😂
After all the compromises you mentioned I kept telling myself "who cares, that thing is beautiful" until that 900 dollars price tag.
Okay, that's not for me
Haha. Yeah I was even thinking of buying it for my son. Until mr.m said "price tag is $900". I was like " the hell" 😂
You can buy 2 and a half Playstations in that price
900 lmao
It should cost half that much.
Trust me too!
It should be at $300 lol
I'll be honest, well done software is not something I expected to hear when going over a company's first phone.
good software only needs common sense. research and marketing can only go so far without common sense
@DeltaTeam10 Gaming *cough* Surface Duo 2 *cough*
Especially a company that doesn’t really do software
The software impressed me. They put some unique details that way more experienced brands don't. You can tell it was a priority for the project.
Because the past 10 years was all about by all phone makers: Let's copy the iphone. Both good and bad ideas. Let's not be unique, but a copycat and a clone.
It bothers me to no end, even though I own iphones.
software details usually mean "say bye to timely OS updates", aka: a liability
It’s still Android. Doesn’t matter what’s on top of the creaky rusty bodywork, paint can only hide so much.
How is the charge if you keep data on all day and just receive calls ?
Great video as always. Really like the design of the Balmuda phone.
Also see the Motorola Razr 5G is still going strong.
@@DunoCZ ?
@@DunoCZ how? Can you explain?
@@DunoCZ lol ok? why?
@@DunoCZ dont agree but thats a funny statement
This phone reminds me of the old Xperia phones. Beautiful design, beautiful and sensible widgets, apps and system UI, notification light, the curved back, the ergonomic fingerprint sensor placement, small form factor, cool ringtones, and a bit overpriced. I might just be the target demographic.
1s look pretty much the same as Zs tho, flat slab with glass/sometimes metal, back. which was literally the thing that made them beautiful and diffrent from all others that had curved plastic at that time. curved plastics were even before that but that was way before fingerprint sensors were a thing so what the fuck are you talking about
A bit? It needs a 60% price reduction. They won't sell.
Shall we book the church and limo now? You sound like you’re falling hard for the wrong girl
Agreed! This phone should’ve been marketed as a mid-range phone at around $300. It would have been a huge success.
Yeah, man! Wish there were more companies trying to do something different like this. Maybe we’d get a lot phones with a low price. A phone for every personality. Haina bhana ta?
Unfortunately, Japan is allergic to value oriented products in general. Everything costs a premium over there, likely due to the severe amount of importing that an island nation starved of natural resources has to do.
Well...having options like poco 3x pro for less, maybe for 150 in that form factor considering the atrocious camera u could say it's decent, but not for 300
Have you ever heard of realme before? it's cheap and powerful 300$
Should be less than $300
Pretty interesting design and I love the smaller form factor but at that price no way
If it only costs half of what they are asking I would actually consider it
Bet you’ll get it much cheaper in a few months lol
More like a Motorola Pebl.
Even at $450 it's too expensive for what it is.
I was thinking it was a $300 phone and when he said the price I almost choked. Before that, I was thinking it would not be bad to have this as a burner phone for camping and hiking excursions since it looks rugged and comfortable, but when I saw the battery life and the giant hole punch, I then thought I wouldn't own it for $300.
Right now on USA ebay it's 200
Funny enough that this phone is being roasted so hard in Japan for the exact reason. The company had temporarily suspend orders. Even with carrier plan it's still hella expensive.
Sucks. I really like it. It looks so cozy.
I didn't realise this was a two year old phone until you mentioned the price.
Apart from Andriod 11, this still looks amazing for 2024.
Yeah the size is awesome
The software is amazing. I really hope it is open-source and some talented developers turn it into a custom rom.
They really did an incredible job on the UI.
There is a link to download the launcher on the website but it doesn't function... It's very sad because the ui is beautiful and incredibly smart
It is very difficult for niche phones to have custom roms. Also depends on if bootloader is unlockable
@@travisbickle4360 I'm talking about porting Balmuda's OS over to other phones.
@@comicsanz97 That would be cool
This is what I love so much about Android. It allows so many companies to create these wild unique devices and yet they get the support of through millions of App developers making Software for them.
Yeah!! All these great niche phones and tablets, and I'm somehow also reminded of BOOX e-readers and paper tablets too! 😄
@@WhiteStripesStripiestFan This minor league obscure thingy isn’t even on their radar.
Man this thing gives me nostalgia for my Palm Pre and Pixi. I love when there is actually something interesting about phones!
My favorite thing about this video is your relentless pursuit to appreciate any goodness in this unsuccessful attempt, and to provide a "balanced review". Zoomable calendars and notes are a very neat idea!
Thank you Michael. I hope you always remain kind and honest in your reviews.
In feedback, I think the video had a few awkward absences of smooth transitions when your voice-over started, like at 4:34 and 8:14.
I love it how much emotion about the design etc you can create. I Love it when reviews go a bit deeper then just the specs ^^
So nice to see companies still trying out new design stuff!
Apart from always being mesmerized by the videos on this channel, I have to thank MrMobile for expanding the horizons of our awareness. Its videos like these that reinforce the fact that he doesn't restrict himself to the US market but goes beyond borders if there is something to learn.
Kudos to you good sir.
Great job Michael! Small phones need to keep coming back. Your Jelly phone review was great too, but a little too small, this one seems like it hits the sweet spot.
For real, I loved my Moto X devices (had one of each generation). They felt, well, good in my hands. And while I've since switched to Sony Xperia devices, which are frankly much better in most ways, having something that's easy to hold/handle is underrated nowadays. This phone could've been a cool mid-ranger with a few tweaks and half the price tag.
Honestly, even though it has a ridiculous price, I still love the phone. It just reminds me that phones are becoming fun again. Great Job, Michael!
Hey Michael, I started following you from your days at Phone Arena with Jaime and have always followed you ever since, thank you for starting the phones were fun series so awesome. Thank you for still giving us some of the best unique, and we'll written reviews ever.
Thank you for always going out your way to review the niche products i would have never known exist
Wish more phones were small again!
Balmuda toasters are the best I’ve ever used. They really make perfect toast. Sounds crazy, but until you’ve used one it’s hard to imagine. As far as the phone I think they were, as stated in the review, focusing on ergonomics over performance, which for an average user is probably perfectly fine, but I think they pushed performance too far into the background. Great review as usual, glad I got to see one of these in action.
“Balmuda toasters are the best I’ve ever used. They really make perfect toast. Sounds crazy, but until you’ve used one it’s hard to imagine. ”
Even better than the crazy expensive Mitsubishi toaster?
@@OneKnifeYeHand oooohh got one of those I can try. I’ve seen videos on them.
It’s a good job that Qualcomm will more than happily (and easily) toast your bread then. And not by design, but amusing irony b
Your videos are so great you even make the sponsors seem great. I usually skip the sponsorship but your presentation is so great i watched it anyways. Thanks for your honest review as always !!!!
I was hoping you’d review this! Thank you!!!
That is a gorgeous looking phone! Reminded me of the 2nd gen iPhone with the rounded sides. I currently have a Microsoft Surface Duo (and contrary to reviews) that has been superb, though I know that in 2-3 years it will be deemed EOSL and I will be forced to upgrade. I rely on these reviews for future product consideration.
Looks are only skin deep. Learn that
I like the design of this phone. Reminds of the good old Moto X days. It’s price really scares me away. It should of been priced around $350.
@MrMobile reviews are if not the only reviews that stop me in my tracks on what I was doing to watch. Ever since your review of the Blackberry Z30, which made me buy it and looooved, your reviews are always the best. Your reviews are some of the most genuine around, and can feel the love and heart to the cellphone industry.
Working like charm !!!! thanks for sharing and keep up !!!
I remember watching your HTC Desire X review and buying that phone (My first smartphone. Still works btw). This phone reminds me of that 😊
I used to say I never cared about the camera on my phone. Then I went from the S20 ultra to the z flip 3. As it turns out, I kind of actually care about the camera. And the z flip is really middle of the road. Glad you used it as a reference. Still love the phone, I dont think I'll ever go back to a slab again. But the compromises are very much real.
Love the looks!
I'm excited about the software! Reminds me of the custom HTC ui that made android usable.
😅Suggestion, Next time you cook, ascot tie, preferable navy blue.. Awesome video by the way!
lol - well, seeing as how you're upping the style game on Instagram these days, I have no choice but to take your advice Colonel!
This takes "playing on a toaster" to a whole new level
Is it possible to share the homescreen wallpaper? I love the "stitching" around the edges of it!
Great videos my guy! Don’t miss a single one!
I wish 5 inch phones make a comeback, it'll be so nice to have a powerful smartphone in a compact package
Yeah, I agree. I'm stuck using almost 4 years old XZ2 Compact because there's no alternative nowadays. Yes, iPhone Mini series do exist, but I only use Android.
Yeah, this was part of why I'm not buying new, current devices. Just too tall to use comfortably with one hand.
Over a year ago, I bought a second-hand Moto X2 to replace my Nexus 5 that I've had for 7 years, and it still works wonders, especially after installing LineageOS, and later, AICP.
@@fs10inator Yes! As a petite woman, heaven forbid I want a phone that fits in my pocket or I can comfortably use with one hand. Really considering the Flip 3, or maybe 4 when it comes out because I love the clamshell form factor but even when you flip those open you still have a gigantic screen that's challenging in one hand
@@jenkenj You could probably have it folded halfway for possibly easier one-handed use, but I never had my hands on a flip smartphone, let alone use one, so all this is beyond me.
@@fs10inator Ditto, I've only played with them in the store. I grew up with "dumb" flip phones (graduated high school in 06) and omg being able to flip your phone open and closed is soooo oddly satisfying lol. I keep saying if someone makes an updated version of the LG Lotus I am SOLD! By far my fave clamshell ever and part of me craves to have a qwerty keyboard again ha
The phone performed so poorly that it’s apparently on a 90% sale already lmao.
Michael thank you for doing what you always do! Delivering an amazing video that I enjoy watching even when I would never buy the phone!
I love that this phone exists. Some of those design and software ideas are brilliant.
Wow that thing is the perfect homage to 2012 - early 2016 era. I hope LG take up this design if they want to come back or some players like BBK brands can do wonders with this form factor and style. What a missed opportunity for an open goal in the mid range.
It's an interesting phone and certainly aimed to fulfill an important small phone niche. Not to mention it's very unique looking.
The issue is that this is the golden age of the mid ranger with Samsung, Xiaomi, One Plus, etc all releasing mid rangers that would've been flagships just a year or two ago.
When there's a Samsung Galaxy A52S 5G with a Snapdragon 778G, 120hz AMOLED, OIS, SD card slot, 3.5mm jack and IP67 for just 400-500 USD...the Balmuda is a bit of a hard sell.
Love your different angle!
Like always a very well-written and narrated review.👍 Perfect transitions, great work! As for the phone, it looks like a heavy custom skin on Android.
This is a well made and very fair review ! You gave us the good and equal amounts of the bad features with a little humor .
You're setting some very good and high standards for cellphone reviews !
Looks awesome, unique and it's finally compact, I want it even at that high price!
I wish the big companies could try make a good looking phone some time.
I'm really intrigued by the software. Looked well thought through.
Reminds me of an iPhone 3g's design. I love it. If it officially launches world wide, I would seriously consider buying one.
Reasons why I love MrMobile's videos:
- comprehensive and unique tech reviews
- visually pleasing aesthetics
- cat
The first gen Moto G was the first Android I fell in love with and loved every second of using it. To this day, no other phone has managed to match the excitement, comfort, and feel it provided to me, and this phone here mirrors it so well. I really hope this here won't be a one-off thing.
My mom's first phone was the Moto G1 and my memories of it was that it was pretty slow, even for its time. I eventually sold it to an e-boy, which I kinda regret doing (partially because he was an eboy).
Hey great review thanks ! Can you please do reviews of eink phones?
Wow amazing form factor😀💯that breathing noti light is charming
Love the look and design, I would love to have something like this if only the price wasn't so high 😅
I was literally about to close the tab in disgust. You read me like a book, Mr Mobile. $900 is simply just too much. This gives me a weird sense of nostalgia for simpler times like 2013 when android manufacturers were popping up out of nowhere with exciting new ideas!
Always a pleasure when Mr. Mobile drops a vid especially when it’s exposure to an uncommon device! Unreal how they borrowed so much aesthetically from the glorious Palm Pre line, yet it was packed with a terrible camera, below average battery life, LCD display, and no front firing speakers?… 🤨🤔… Also, good point on how it could have been marketed as a midrange device. It’s easier to tolerate shortcomings like these at a lower price point. Another fantastic review! Keep ‘em coming. Eagerly waiting on the next drop!
Nice review. Not too bad for their first try. Love the design. Hopefully they will continue to evolve and make a better product on their next phone. But that design is fresh compare to what we're getting on Android right now
I actually think this phone has a nice design, ofc not everything is perfect, but it's refreshing!
I remember hearing about this a few months ago and thought "no way a toaster company is making a phone". Well, I was wrong.
I mean, I don't see why not.
There are plenty of bare-bones reference designs that you can buy if you want and can, and build a shell and software around. Especially for mid-range devices. And a toaster/home appliance company is going to know about design, no?
@@tams805 Well yeah, it was just kinda of the fact that those seem like such different markets it seems ridiculous. So it was the disbeleif. Months later, here I am hearing about a toaster company that made a phone 😄. More power to them
The design is amazing!
The curved border of the screen are perfectly symmetric with the curve borders of the case.
Nice one Michael...Always enjoy watching your different takes on new and old phones :-) Which begs a question...Do you know of any smartphones running Android 10 0r 11 that doesn't have any cameras on it ??
I must admit, I do hate modern mainstream phones, so I love it when a company does something different. However, that seems insanely expensive when the specs are largely the same as my unihertz Jelly 2, which was less than a third of the price!!
I would NEVER buy this but I really enjoyed the review! More quirky outlier phone reviews please 😄
Man, I loved the design so much. I live in Brazil, so there's many reasons I'll never get to see this device, much less have one - but I so wish there were more phones with designs as interesting as this!
I'm glad to hear someone else compare it to the Palm Pre- that was my immediate thought when I first saw it. Shame on the price, I could see this being a compelling option, but when even the Pixel 4a 5G is undercutting with the same specs...
I was watching this video thinking "oh actually this could be a pretty decent burner phone at $200-$250, I might even get it".................
$900!? $900????? LMAOOO
This cost $130 now and with that price it’s actually very tempting
It's actually improved quite a bit since launch and getting android 12, I'm getting a full days battery life from it
I'd love to see you do a video on the Essential PH-1 phone!
It's not new, expensive or foldable but it is a really unique device in a sea of giant, expensive mobiles.
I enjoy your videos, whenever you feature unique phones
9:29 The leitz phone 1 may have had issues with responsiveness & price but the screen And it's frontal design looked awesome .
I really liked the droid looking back of the phone. The bezels of the front are symmetrical enough to stand it out of the crowd.
I'm glad companies like balmuda and unihertz made compact phones and it's interesting to know that there are compact phones out there.
michael, do you happen to have a one plus 10 pro video (impressions possibly) in the works for the near future?
i see other tech reviewers have started putting them out, but would much rather get your take.
Most professional tech review channel so far
Great suit, great video! 👍
I saw that curved back and was taken back to my Galaxy Nexus that had a slightly curved form factor. I really loved that phone.
we need more phones like this i mean this looks straight out of a concept, like a concept coming to life the display and how it looks i mean im all for no bezels but this just looks beautiful id love to carry this around any day
I've not even got a minute in so far but that thing reminds me SO much of the HTC Wildfire S and similar HTC phones of that era, even moreso around the back, and I love it.
I always love watching your content.
It's fun to see new phone design like this
The home screen thing reminds me of older phones too, it was a trend to give utility to main screens
I loved that I could customize 4 apps to launch from the lockscreen by dragging them to the center circle on my HTC Rezound (2012)
This phone kinda reminds me of the white Moto E 1st gen which I and my parents LOVED it. Its super compact size, calling, whatsapp, youtube and whatsapp was all they needed, and that was excellent at the time. (Not to mention its excellent custom rom community support)
They still miss that phone. Wish something like moto e or balmuda makes a return as a midranger, and I'll buy 3 in a heartbeat.
If you told me this was a when phones were fun episode of something from around 2010ish I wouldn't even have questioned it.
It looks so wonderfully comfortable.
It looks like the perfect travel companion phone, if they leant a little more into translation and conversion stuff, I think they could have really sold it.
Love this! Reminds me of a Motorola phone I had YEARS ago!
I love the design, with some hardware updates could be a great addition to the day
The direction icon in the settings screen reminds me of MKBHD lol
bee watching Michael since the nokia lumia days and watching this feels like nostalgia
I gasped when I saw the Pre. Man, I miss those phones. Have you done a When Phones Were Fun video on the Pre and Pixie?
Japan have been innovating in mobile communications for decades.. glad to see this channel actually review this product
Michael's content is so unique!
There's something about the design of this phone I love..
My daily driver S20 FE is great and all, but really do wish we could have more phones like this these days.
I totally feel you! Some designs make us feel nice things and even give us nostalgia about things we haven't experienced.
I LOVE the 2011's aesthetic it features! Wish phones were still as comfy to hold, compact etc!
This so reminds me of my HTC my touch 3g with the round marble like physical button....I used to adore that phone back in the day
this thing is a blast from the past
I ♥ your shout out to the winged Nokia. Thanks again for an enjoyable distraction.
Hi Michael! Is there any chance you could help me get the ringtones from the phone?