Stripped down BoringPhone saves you from smartphone addiction

Stuff doesn’t write about boring phones, but we’re going to make an exception for the BoringPhone. Currently pleading for your cash on Kickstarter, presumably in a dull, monotonous voice, the BoringPhone is actually a Xiaomi Mi A1 – a 5.5in, Snapdragon 625 handset that has 4GB of RAM, a 3080mAh battery, and normally runs regular Android. In this instance, though, it comes with a custom minimalist OS that allows you to send messages, make voice and video calls, listen to music and podcasts and use GPS, but omits the browser, email inbox and app store, so you can’t spend all your time on social media. You still get a 12MP camera and 32GB of storage to fill, but you’ll have to approach random strangers in the street and show them your carefully curated collection of photos instead of uploading them to Instagram. You know, just like our ancestors used to do in the old days…

Tom Wiggins Contributor

About

Stuff's second Tom has been writing for the magazine and website since 2006, when smartphones were only for massive nerds and you could say “Alexa” out loud without a robot answering. Over the years he’s written about everything from MP3s to NFTs, played FIFA with Trent Alexander-Arnold, and amassed a really quite impressive collection of USB sticks.

Areas of expertise

A bit of everything but definitely not cameras.