Unihertz Atom, the world's smallest 4G rugged Smartphone, is now on Kickstarter

[Guest PaulOBrien]

Unihertz, purveyors of the small but actually rather cool 'Jelly Pro' Android phone are back with a new and improved model on Kickstarter. The Atom takes the core concept of the Jelly (it's tiny) and adds a much larger battery (fixing the core complaint of its predecessor) and a degree of ruggedness that makes it perfect for the outdoors pursuits where the Jelly was so useful.

Billed as 'the world's smallest rugged 4G Smartphone', the Atom can be purchased in a $219 basic package or a $249 'All in One' set which adds a clip, armband and bike mount.

So the Atom is small, but how small? 96mm x 45mm x 18mm. Properly petite. Despite this, it doesn't skimp on features. The processor is TBC (expect an octa-core Mediatek), but the diminutive case does cram in 4GB RAM, 64GB storage, dual nano-Sim cards, a 2.45" 240x432 screen, a host of sensors including GPS, gyro and a fingerprint this time round, USB-C connectivity, dual band Wi-Fi, a FM radio and that 2000mAh battery, more than double the size of the battery in the Jelly, where stamina was the primarily complaint.

Everything runs on Android 8.1 Oreo and surprisingly, Unihertz have a fairly good record on updates (the Jelly is currently on Nougat with an Oreo 8.1 build incoming).

The device's ruggedness is courtesy of its IP68 rating and rubberised shell. I think it's a nice looking little thing, with a bright red programmable key on the side and red accents on each corner.

The pessimistic £37,000 target of the crowdfunding campaign has been smashed with the fundraising currently at £660,000!

Want in? Head on over to Kickstarter to sign up (I have!).

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