BALMUDA Phone review. Unnecessary in your life, the flawed design of the president 'self-satisfaction'

　I bought a smartphone "BALMUDA Phone" from home appliance maker BALMUDA, so I will review it. The SoftBank version is $1,035, and the direct sales open market version (SIM-free model) is $780.

　This machine appeared with a lot of fanfare with the brand name of Balmuda on its back. There are pros and cons on the Internet, and I think there were a lot of negative opinions.

　Commentary is free, but the only thing I can't accept is the extremely easy discourse that the Snapdragon 765 is over $722, so it's garbage.

　The SoC is not the only thing that makes up a smartphone. There are various parts, software, and form factors, and there are products that are high quality and differentiated in other parts even if they lack processing performance. For easy examples, the LG Wing and razr 5G, which break through with overwhelming gimmicks, are equipped with Snapdragon 765/G and cost $722 to $1,228, and the GRANBEAT, which penetrates with sound quality, is Snapdragon 650 and costs $650. My favorite BlackBerry Key2 is the Snapdragon 660, which costs between $578 and $650, but I still feel that it is a divine machine and there is no substitute, so I recently purchased a fourth Key2.

　Also, even with the Snapdragon 800 series, there are Galaxy FE series, Xiaomi T series, etc. as cost performance high-end that are trying to reduce costs in various parts, and $867 without all the specifications that should be equipped as a high-end machine There is also an example of arrows 5G that was sold and dumped at a disproportionate price.

　I think you can see how ridiculous the discourse that Snapdragon 765 is over $722 is useless. You are entering too little information to output that this is garbage.

　So how about actually buying and using the BALMUDA Phone? Separately, even if this machine is equipped with a Snapdragon 888, I would not recommend this machine. It's a tasteful result that makes you feel even "disgusted" anymore.

Index 

• 1 too hard to use
• 2 Did you notice the excellent design concept of BALMUDA Phone?
• 3 Why not explain?
• 4Because I don't think about it
• 5 The president's self-satisfaction, then patchwork
• 6 cameras are at the level of 5 years ago, all low levels
• 7 There are some personalities that I think are good, but I can't recover at all
• 8 You can't detox. you should never buy
• 9 What if a BALMUDA Phone like this

too hard to use

　The most notable feature of this machine is its design. I really like the size and design that makes it easy to hold. Ten years ago, there were some models with rounded, organic designs. Sony Ericsson and iPhone 3G/3GS were also round. Personally, I just remembered the Palm Pre. There are many opinions on SNS that it is similar to the iPhone 3G/3GS, is a copycat, and is reminiscent of.

　I really like the round back itself. It's certainly nice to have. The embossed BALMUDA logo is an annoyance for me personally, but it may be a pleasure for fans. At the moment, the back is made of plastic, but it has a leather-like embossed finish, so I think it feels very good to the touch, but I think it's generally vulnerable to scratches and dirt.

　President Terao insisted that the longer you use it, the better it will taste. According to a certain manufacturer official, the scratches are "possible if the paint is devised." However, on Twitter , there are voices saying that if you put it in your denim pants pocket, it will turn blue immediately and you will regret it. I'm nervous, so I'm using my nerves, such as keeping the BALMUDA Phone away. I don't wear a protective case because I'm a "naked group", but so far there are no noticeable scratches or stains.　I don't think it's as wonderful as the official website calls it "art". The fingerprint authentication and camera on the back are also asymmetrical.

　Moreover, I accidentally touch my finger on the camera and fingerprint authentication. When you hold it with your left hand, your index finger naturally comes to the fingerprint authentication position, but it doesn't work that way with your right hand. You need to move your finger for fingerprint authentication. Although it can be operated with one hand, it is inconvenient with the right hand.

　Flat front. The in-camera is placed in the punch hole. In the midst of narrowing the frame of smartphones, we had no choice but to incorporate the front camera into the screen as a punch hole/notch. However, I felt a strong sense of incongruity with this machine, which has frames on the top and bottom but has punch holes .

　Moreover, because the front camera is too large for a small screen, the status bar is doubled .　A 16:9 ratio screen with no holes or notches could be an advantage when watching videos, but punch holes tend to get in the way. There are holes in the video, and the display area of ​​the video is greatly narrowed.

　However, since the height is not so high, it is easy for fingers to reach the top, making it easy to operate with one hand. On the other hand, one of the reasons modern smartphones have become vertically long is the increase in the amount of information displayed on scrolling SNS, so SNS screens are narrow and not necessarily easy to use.

　Recent apps do not support narrow screens, and various apps display strange parts. You need to review your app settings. Even the standard status bar can go crazy. Various problems are less likely to occur if you reduce the character size and display size from the OS settings.

　Fingerprint authentication sensor that doubles as a power button. This is the worst. I can't unlock it with one shot . After pressing the power once, turn on the screen and the fingerprint authentication sensor will work from there. Such a troublesome model does not exist so often. Fingerprint authentication on most models can be unlocked immediately with a quick touch while the screen is off.

　Especially, "I have to push the power button on the back" is tough anyway. It's still good if it's on the side. Put your hand on the other side and it will be sandwiched, so it's natural. It's on the back, so you'll have to use a lot of force. If I try to force the pad of my index finger to unlock it with just my right hand, I think it's partly because I don't have enough flesh on my fingers, but my fingers other than my index finger dig into the edges of the screen, and my fingers hurt.
Although it was designed by President Terao himself and claims to be organic and natural, it is easy to understand when viewed from the side, but you will notice that the contact point between the curve of the back side and the flat front part is an unnaturally sharp angle.

　For this reason, it is easiest to turn on the screen by pressing the power button with the tip of your index finger, then change the position of your index finger and unlock it with the pad of your index finger. This is inconvenient and can't be helped. It may be that "look at it on the lock screen".　This unit does not support face recognition. There is no choice but to use fingerprint authentication, which is difficult to use.

　Battery consumption increases, but the screen can be turned on by shaking/lifting. It will be detected by the sensor all the time, but I don't want to enable it because the battery life is already bad. I can only think, "Since it's a high-end machine, you should load decent hardware around biometric authentication." It is in a state of being activated.

　And even with it enabled, it's still frustrating to push the power button before putting it in your pants pocket. Whether it's a high-end device or a low-end device, I don't think a smartphone that doesn't have a power button and biometric authentication, which are the basis of everything, is useless.

　The back is rounded like an egg, making it unstable when placed on a desk from the back. It even rotates round and round. It is not very suitable for playing videos on a desk. By the way, it is impossible to attach it to a tripod or car mount.

　The speaker is monaural, and while the sound is playing, the surroundings vibrate and ring, and the sound quality feels bad. The position is also strange, so it tends to be blocked when playing videos or music. I think that there are cases where the already subtle sound quality gives a strange and muffled impression. Not bad considering the price range.

　In the first place, I rarely watched videos, and while opening Twitter, I listened to some music, took a walk while using Google Map navigation, and enjoyed my daily life with this machine, such as going to ramen and coffee shops. But what do you think? Less, less. The battery will be depleted rapidly. 10% for 1 hour. It doesn't decrease excessively during standby, but it decreases dramatically during use, so it's difficult for me to use it as a main machine for a day. That should be it, the battery capacity of this unit is only 2500mAh.　At first, I thought I could understand this from the theme of " digital detox ".

Did you notice the excellent design concept of BALMUDA Phone?

　President Terao speaks. The center of life has become a smartphone, and more and more people are looking at the screen. So, surely the theme of this machine is digital detox, and is this machine a model that is used with the "screen side" down, that is, face down　, rather than placing it from the rounded back? I presumed.

　In fact, the edge of the flat screen side is surrounded by protrusions to keep the screen from touching the ground when you lay it down.　And you can see the notification LED light on the back, so you'll know when a notification comes. This way your speakers won't be blocked.

　Pick it up and press the power button to see the lock screen. If there is no particular notification on the lock screen, just put the smartphone on the desk without messing with it. Isn't the inconvenient specification that screen lighting and fingerprint authentication are not performed at the same time reflect such a detox concept and made it inconvenient?

　Yes, isn't this what it means to say that "daily life is happening off-screen"? If this is the case, you will know that this is what you wanted to do with the BALMUDA Phone.　Let's put aside the questions such as "No, then it's strange to have Qi on the back, isn't it?"

why don't you explain?

　If so, in the presentation at the presentation, I would say, "I used to be poor. I read a book about IT companies in Silicon Valley and admired it. I wanted to build a PC for many years. I started a company. Management was hard." It's not the time to keep talking about irrelevant things such as "I'm sorry," and to post a superficial reference to Jobs in the message on the official website. Because it is such a digital detox product concept, you should talk about the product as much as possible, saying that it was made like this over there and here like this.

　By the way, in the job's presentation round ripoff style, Terao said, ``Through trial and error, I came up with the best size for the 4.8 inch!'' When the president said it, the author burst out. You really came here to get a laugh, didn't you? If you really want to bring your product to the world with confidence, you should simply explain that "4.9 inch is the best", and that is the sincerity to customers who pay $1,011 for their product.

　If it's really for digital detox, I think it would be good to consider checking notifications with electronic paper or the rear sub-display and eliminating the in-camera. I think it would be interesting if we did that much.

　The little bit of explanation that hints at a digital detox is really bad. You should make a fair presentation that you made a model that can be used face down for the concept. I thought it was incomprehensible that the explanation was too short.

because I don't think about it

　However, according to IT writer Satoshi Nakayama , the development staff said, "(Putting the round back on the desk) is unstable and all the sound goes behind. Is it basic to listen with the screen side down? ?", the answer was, ``It's made to make a good sound by making it reverberate on the surface you put it on.'' What, in other words, it is not a model to be used face down. At least it doesn't seem like an important subject.

　In this case, is n't the detox-like claim that President Terao talked about a little, not a product theme, but an "aftermarket" ...? Doubt crosses my mind.

As I said in my presentation, the president simply wanted to make a round and small smartphone,　as shown on the official website . Is it really nothing more and nothing less?

The president's self-satisfaction, then patchwork

　Here's the idea. "Round back". This is the only non-negotiable subject. President Terao writes a design sketch saying that this is good anyway.

　Well, what do we do? Technology and cost are required to cover batteries in a round shape, so let's compromise on battery capacity. The upper and lower bezels of the screen, which are the edges of the round, are thin and have parts such as speakers and cameras that are difficult to place. So let's put both the speaker and the notification LED on the back. The in-camera can't be helped, so it's on the screen...　However, due to the round back, battery life and sound quality are sacrificed, and the screen is narrow with a large hole. how can it be justified?  ..that's where the magic word, the digital detox, comes in. If you are a conscious BALMUDA fan, you can smell the horizontal letters that can be deceived. This gives you an excuse not to put in the effort to cram more battery capacity. Don't look at your phone, focus on life! Perhaps they are using convenient words as an excuse to impose an unreasonable design and affirm their inability to overcome the burden.　There is another reason to assert that this machine will not be a digital detox. This will be explained later.

　In other words, this is really, exactly as presented, the model that President Terao wanted to make , and not the model that he wanted to use at all.

　In fact, President Terao is tweeting on Twitter for iPhone. If it's a model you wanted to use, you should be happy to use it from the prototype. I'm sure he liked the smaller iPhone 3G/3GS with a rounded back. I love Jobs' iPhone and wanted to build one, nothing more and nothing less.

　There is no line of sight for the user. I feel like it's a really crappy, self-satisfying product. We don't spend the cost to see if the consignment manufacturer has the technical ability to guarantee the quality that matches the selling price through that self-satisfaction.

　Kyocera should also turn back if they can't drop this design. The iPhone 3GS should already be ripped off and the sides should be rounded as it is. This is because this allows placement of components on the upper and lower bezels .

　Both the front camera and the LED should be able to be placed on the upper bezel. No need for stupid punch holes. There is no problem of hurting your finger on the side edge when pushing in the power supply fingerprint authentication sensor on the back. You can solve various problems.

　I want to rip off the iPhone 3GS, but I want to design it myself. Unbelievably, Kyocera, a professional, couldn't stop the self-satisfied sketch of such an amateur. I fell into a design that doesn't work.

The camera is at the level of 5 years ago, everything is at a low level

　Although the author is quite impressed with sharp and peaky models and unique models, when it comes to this, there is simply no choice but to compare it with other models.　The screen has a huge hole, the liquid crystal is driven at 60Hz, and the sound quality is bad, but the camera is also bad.

　Monocular, angle of view is a little narrow impression. You can shoot reasonably well outdoors in the daytime, but AF is slow, and there were scenes where you got lost especially when shooting a close subject. Below is an example.　Low-end model, low-end ability that is easily affected by Moro even if the conditions are a little bad. Not suitable for backlighting, strong light sources, night scenes/low illumination, etc.

　This machine does not even have automatic switching by AI or auto, and it seems that it is necessary to manually switch between cooking / portrait / night view mode. Tedious. Anyway, if you can get a big effect as much as you put in your hands, the various modes are honestly subtle. The cooking mode, which simply raises the saturation and fills in, is at the level of 5 years ago. No manual mode. Normal on the left, manual night mode on the right. The sky is noisy, the shadows are crushed and the details are bad.

　In terms of price range, it's a huge difference compared to competing high-end machines in the early $722 range, so the $145 model would be a reasonable comparison target. Even the model of $145 has about auto. It's still good compared to OPPO A55s (AQUOS sense3 basic positive), a super-discount bulk 0-yen barrage machine for weak pole-and-line fishing that even cuts fingerprint authentication.　Even though I'm using the open market version, the camera shutter sound cannot be turned off.

　The amazing thing about this unit is that the shutter sounds even when taking screenshots . It makes no sense to force this to ring. In the past, there were many such manufacturers, but the only major manufacturer that doesn't do this basic thing is Google's Pixel, which is sloppily slacking on localization. iPhone, Galaxy, Xperia, AQUOS, Xiaomi, as a matter of course, screenshots do not make sounds. Even the arrows no longer ring. Even if it rings, it is natural that it will disappear in conjunction with silent mode.

　When I'm playing a game on the train and taking a screenshot of the game screen, when I'm reading a book in a library or a quiet coffee shop and I'm taking notes of the internet search results with a screenshot, the screenshot sounds like a shutter sound. I don't think it's worth using as a main machine even if the price is 0 yen.

　The Snapdragon 765 5G is not a bad SoC. It has decent power.

　No matter how powerful it is, there are holes in the screen that interfere with games and videos. Normally, the screen ratio is like 20:9, so there are punch holes in the black band at the edge of the screen, so I think there are many people who can compromise and not get in the way, but this machine is 16:9, so you can play games. Punch holes are likely to overlap with images and videos.

There is a personality that I think is good, but I can not recover at all

　There are some parts that I think are fine. sound, for example. The charging sound "queen" is cute.　Also, the various toggle switches on the notification bar have a good sense, such as "sound/vibration" for sound/vibration, lantern for the LED light icon, and tailless delta for airplane mode.　If you swipe the label on the home screen, the application launch is not appealing because it is enough to launch it by tapping the placed icon.

　The original app is a clock, and honestly, I don't care about the calculator at all. Notepad can be backed up, but cannot be synchronized with Notepad on other devices. One thing to look at is the calendar, which allows for multi-device syncing via Google Calendar. People who have a tight schedule every day may enjoy being able to check it graphically. But for me, who doesn't have a very tight schedule, a regular calendar app is fine. Considering that the cost of developing these unused apps has increased the price of the device, it may be a negative point.

You can't detox. you should never buy

　Let's say it was a model designed exclusively for digital detox at $722 or $1,011. Let's assume it is.

　What is Digital Detox? Don't think about your smartphone and focus on other things.

　But this plane compromised on cramming battery capacity. Thanks to that, the battery doesn't last all day, so I can't help but worry about the battery level of my smartphone in the evening .

　"I don't watch videos as much as possible because the screen is small and has a hole in it, and the battery drains a lot." Isn't it? Even just checking SNS will reduce quite a bit.

　"Is the battery still there? Will it last until I get home? I have to remember the URL of the video you just sent me and watch it while connecting the charger when I get home. I suddenly got an invitation to go out for a drink. What should I do if I go in? Should I charge it at a coffee shop?

　Can I do a digital detox if I'm nervous thinking about this? Impossible, isn't it?

　With this, Sharp plans and develops, ``Let's break the situation where there is always time to charge the smartphone in the corner of the head and enjoy every day more.'' It would be much better to buy AQUOS sense3, the latest model AQUOS sense6.

　However, there is a need for a digital detox “inconvenient, small, simple terminal with a small battery capacity”. This need is for devices like Jelly2, Palm Phone, Rakuten Mini/Hand.

　However, all of these are very cheap at about $145. You can buy a digital detox terminal without buying a $722 or $1,011 terminal. It's $145, so I have the budget to buy another terminal. It is clear how to use it, such as "Please use it only for going out on holidays" and "Please use it in combination with a tablet etc.". People who are familiar with it will probably replace the SIM appropriately or use multiple units.

　But BALMUDA Phone will be different. It is targeted at ordinary people who are advertised on TV and magazines and sold by SoftBank's sales power, who do not frequently replace SIMs and do not seem to have multiple handsets. Can such people use it? The battery doesn't last, and I can't do a digital detox as I want. The screen is inconvenient for normal use, the sound is bad, and the camera is useless. It is no longer damaging the BALMUDA brand.

　Fundamentally, you should stop detox by forcing inconvenience. If it is a low-priced model, it will be originality and ingenuity, and the wonder of subtraction. However, if it is a high-end machine that receives $722 or $1,011 from the customer, there should be a method suitable for a high-end machine.

　If you have a budget of $1,011, you should still buy the Galaxy Z Flip3. The battery capacity is 3300mAh, and notifications are displayed on an easy-to-read sub-screen, so you don't have to open your smartphone. When you open it, you can use it comfortably with a screen of the same quality and size as a high-end smartphone, and the SoC is Snapdragon 888, so you can quickly finish your errands with a comfortable screen and comfortable processing performance, close the screen, and wake up outside the smartphone. You will be able to focus more on life. This one is much more suitable for the subject of digital detox. If you put it on your desk, you can control the time, notifications, music during playback, etc. on the sub display. Although it is expensive at $1,011, it is an ambitious work that can realize a life without smartphones as much as possible with the latest technology.

　After using the BALMUDA Phone, I came to the conclusion that I was just using digital detox as an excuse for a poor product.

　Selling it at this price is too cruel. I can't imagine recommending this to anyone. This is not the smartphone you should buy in your life. You should consider the model names listed so far, and if you buy a smaller smartphone, you should also consider the iPhone mini and iPhone SE series.

If it was such a BALMUDA Phone

　Rakuten Mini and Jelly2 have poor battery life and small screens, which is inconvenient. If you think that this has grown, it is not a pear as an option. For such people, if the BALMUDA Phone was around $145, it would have been worth the purchase. Even if that weren't possible, if the Snapdragon 400 series was under $289, more people would support it because of its easy-to-hold housing. Even at around $433, some people might have appreciated it if it had a Kyocera-like smart sonic receiver (a function that vibrates the display panel to transmit sound and substitute it as a speaker) and a waterproof, dustproof, and shockproof MIL standard. . (BALMUDA Phone is water resistant only, not compatible with smart sonic receivers)

　Originally, BALMUDA is a popular manufacturer of stylish home appliances. Kyocera can't make high-end models that are sexy, but it's a unique manufacturer that shines when it makes evil ways such as ultra-toughness smartphones that can be used in the sea, niche Garaho, and Snapdragon 800 series Android routers for corporations. Asking Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, which can make everything from tanks to tracked vehicle recovery vehicles, to make a stylish EV sports car is an extremely difficult task.

　The partnership between Leica and SHARP gave birth to a 1-inch camera smartphone with tremendous potential, and I think it was a meaningful and happy marriage, but the opposite result was the opposite.

　If BALMUDA and Kyocera had to team up, it would have been better to make Garaho. Since Kyocera has made INFOBAR xv, electronic paper card mobile, and G'zOne TYPE-XX, it seems that they will be able to create a mobile terminal that is very BALMUDA-like rather than a self-satisfied failure.

　When you put the size of a smartphone in the shape of a smartphone, there is an understanding that "a smartphone is used in this way." No excuses will work. BALMUDA Phone is just a smartphone with bad battery life. There is an understanding that "Galaxy is used like this", so I'm sure it will be fine. If it's for Garaho, it makes sense to create your own app. Software that restricts a lot can cheat the battery even if it doesn't fill up. And since the Garaho itself is rare, I think it's acceptable to some extent even if it's ridiculously expensive.

　It's worth it because it's a manufacturer that doesn't want to make home appliances IoT and doesn't make sense to enter the smartphone market. I'd like to make Garaho in the future.

　Originally, new smartphones with such unique designs should be welcomed. With the maturity of the Android OS, it has become easier to create devices with minimal customization. Manufacturers entering the market in the future should keep in mind the following points: ``choose contractors who can realize product planning,'' and ``do not make foolish decisions that cost several times more than the cost of developing apps that you do not use.'' I hope that you will send out a wonderful product that makes the most of it. It should lead to the acquisition of new fans without lowering the brand value and stock price of the main business.