Balmuda, a Japanese brand has entered the smartphone market with the announcement of its first handset – the Balmuda Phone. Balmuda CEO, Gen Terao said the idea behind the company’s first phone comes from the need of a compact Android smartphone as most new devices on the market are just too big and hard to use single handedly.
Balmuda Phone is built around a 4.9-inch screen with FHD+ resolution and a 16:9 aspect ratio. There’s some noticeable bezel around the screen and a punch-hole cutout in the top right corner for the 8MP selfie cam.
The phone is 123mm tall, 69mm wide and 13.7mm at its thickest point. It weighs 138 grams and is made from plastic with a noticeable curvature to the back.
The phone is powered by a Snapdragon 765 chipset paired with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage. A single 48MP camera sits around the back next to an LED flash and fingerprint scanner. The battery comes in at 2,500mAh and charges over USB-C or wirelessly via any Qi charger.
It runs a custom Android 11 interface with Balmuda developed camera, calendar, notes and calculator apps as well as a swipe interface with plenty of gesture-based quick toggles.
Balmuda Phone Specifications
Chipset: Snapdragon 765 SM7250-AA
CPU: 2.3GHz Octa-Core
GPU: Adreno 620
Display: 4.9, FHD, 1920 × 1080, 16:9
RAM: 6GB
Storage: 128GB
Main Camera: Single 48 MP, f/1.8
Front camera: 8 MP, f/2.0
OS: Android 11
Dimensity: 123.0 x 69.0 x 13.7 mm
Weight: 138g
Battery: 2500mAh (USB PD 3.0 for fast charging, wireless charging compatible)
WLAN: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 2.4/5GHz
Bluetooth: v5.2
Waterproof and dustproof: Waterproof and dustproof (IPX4)
USB: Type-C
Earphone jack: No
Fingerprint Sensor: Yes (Rear)
Colors: White, Black
SIM: NanoSIM
Others: VoLTE, NFC, FeliCa /Ssaifu Keitai
Network
- 2G bands: GSM bands: 850/900/1,800/1,900MHz
- 3G bands: 1/2/4/5/8
- 4G bands: 1/2/3/4/8/12/17/18/19/28/41/42
- 5G bands: n3/n28/n77/n78
Balmuda Phone Price and Availability
Balmuda Phone is available in black and white colors and will retail for JPY 104,800 ($916). Pre-orders in Japan start tomorrow, November 17 while official sales are scheduled for November 26.
