New Balance Phone and Balance Phone Pro Minimalist Smartphone

It never ceases to surprise us the ways in which lifestyle choices can be subverted into consumer products, with the minimalist phone 'market' being an exceptional example of this.  What began from some individuals deciding to use simpler phones that lack the trappings of fully-fledged devices has now morphed into a complete industry.   We have the Light Phone, Punkt phones, Brick device for limiting phone functionality, and the less creatively named Minimal Phone.  Now from a Catalan based company comes the Balance Phone and Balance Phone Pro.

This device, in the same way as all others in this space, promises to help you "avoid distractions" and "reclaim your time".  Along with hyperbolic statements about living "intentionally".  It offers these as a solution for children, lacking addictive apps, and the ability to access harmful sites.  Along with bold promises that "finally you have a distraction free phone".

Our view of this is; if you want to avoid distraction, buy an old candy-bar type phone.  They still make them, so there's no need to buy one from a brand with a website featuring Sans Serif and stylish design cues.  Furthermore, the idea a child would be satisfied with anything less than the latest and most advanced iPhone, or that you can simply prevent them from contacting their peers through apps, is ludicrous, and demonstrates unfailingly the creators of this phone have no children.  As with all the devices in this rapidly growing marketplace, they are merely vacuous aesthetic luxury choices.  The only one that's sort of acceptable is the Punkt MC02, as it it has big bold keys for old people, and no screen, and therefore no apps.  To reiterate, these minimal smartphones are oxymoron's, which is fitting as they will likely be used by morons.  

If you disagree, the Balance Phone is £269.00, and the Pro for £609.00, both from their website, and available now.