Unihertz Jelly 2, World’s Smallest Android 11 4G Unlocked Smartphone 6GB + 128GB NFC Dark Green (Support T-Mobile & Verizon only)

7 reviews for Unihertz Jelly 2, World’s Smallest Android 11 4G Unlocked Smartphone 6GB + 128GB NFC Dark Green (Support T-Mobile & Verizon only)

1. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   M. Parker – December 31, 2022

   I’ve had it for a few days and spent several hours trying to make it usable as my sole daily phone. Everybody has different uses and lifestyles, so it’s good to have options in the market for phones, which are pocket computers and the subset of computers they fit into is tablets, just a touchscreen interface. So a phone is just the small size range of tablets. They are general purpose computers that could be used for endless purposes in endless styles.

   For my own personal purposes, I prefer to use a laptop/tablet as much as possible and I have very little use for voice calls or texting on a phone. I avoid voice calls as much as possible and I found some good options to handle SMS/texting on my laptop/tablet instead of my phone–the best one seems to be Google Messages, but I’ve also had good results with Pushbullet and there are others.

   So here’s what I want a phone to do primarily:
   –camera, taking photos/videos, mostly for practical documentation, not to win NatGeo contests
   –voice recording for voice memos
   –voice input for typing
   –timers, alarms, stopwatch, clock
   –music/audio playback, battery info for earbuds

   And here’s what I don’t need a phone to do usually, maybe once in a while at most:
   –phone calls
   –texting, emailing, messaging in general, text input in general
   –video playback or editing
   –web browsing
   –social media

   So basically I’m in an extreme minority of people who don’t want to use phones the way they’re commonly used, but I don’t want a dumbphone and I’m not trying to reduce my phone usage; I’m trying to actually increase my phone usage by making a phone a more useful tool based on its portability and convenience. Amazingly, people are still buying tiny clip-on mp3 players these days, which are a huge advantage over phones for audio playback while exercising. Before I started using smartphones about 6 years ago, I was an avid user of Sansa Clip. But it really doesn’t make any sense to have a single-purpose device like that with huge compromises on screens, firmware, software, etc. It makes way more sense to have a regular smartphone that’s shrunk into the smallest usable form factor.

   So Jelly 2 is pretty close to that, although the Palm phone is actually much closer because it’s half the size and weight of Jelly 2. I had a hard time choosing between Palm and Jelly 2. I got the Jelly 2 because of the more up-to-date software, better specs on the processor and memory, and because the customizable side button seemed like a killer feature. But I’m not happy to have a device that’s twice the size and weight as it could be just for the sake of longer battery life. That doesn’t make any sense, because there are lots of great tiny powerbanks available to recharge as needed. You can buy a tiny powerbank and a Palm phone and have the same battery life and convenience as a larger built-in battery, but in many usage scenarios it’s a big advantage to not have that extra size and weight on the phone itself. People who complain about the Palm battery life are missing the point and maybe don’t realize how many tiny powerbanks are easy and cheap to buy and easy to carry and use. Charging twice a day instead of once using a tiny powerbank that takes up hardly any space in a bag? Perfect solution instead of making the phone twice as big and heavy. So I might even switch to Palm in the future, but I’m testing the Jelly 2 for now and I love it.

   The elephant in the room is text input. It’s almost impossible to use this phone for typing with fingers. Part of that is a software problem because all the OSKs I’ve found so far use screen space inefficiently. There’s a bunch of “large button” and alternative keyboard apps, but so far I haven’t found one that solves the software problem nicely. Part of the problem is the inherent physical limitations of the device and the user’s fingers. I have very large hands. I wear XL gloves. My fingers are not fat, but they’re larger than average, so that’s a big variable for different people. Tiny people with thin fingers have the best life. Food costs are lower and they can use smaller phones, among so many other advantages, not to go off-topic.

   So typing with fingers is only a last-resort emergency operation with this phone. The other typing option is a capacitive stylus. I’ve found that to be dramatically better than fingers with Jelly 2, but still pretty bad. Once again, part of the problem is the software design of the OSK.

   There is are 2 other ways to input text though: handwriting and voice. I’ve tested handwriting input with a capacitive stylus on Jelly 2 using Google Keep and Nebo. Basically it was a failure. No need to go into the details. It doesn’t work. It works perfectly fine on any standard large phone even with a capacitive stylus, but the combo of small screen and coarse input of capacitive stylus makes this method unusable. Nebo is a very good app in general for drawing and handwriting input. I’ve had good impressions using it on my Windows laptop/tablet, which has an active stylus. And it seems great on a standard large phone, but it was basically useless when I tested it on Jelly 2.

   So obviously the solution is an active stylus. I have always owned stylus phones, Samsung Note models and LG Stylo models. Active styluses are amazing, a total game-changer. They are incredibly precise and useful. The difference in usability between active and capacitive styluses is the difference between a sports car and a bicycle with flat tires. If Unihertz would make a Jelly model with active stylus, it would be worth any price they ask. I would happily pay double the price for that feature. It would completely transform the functionality of this phone. It would be a totally legitimate tool for text input.

   The same applies to Palm. If they released a model with active stylus, I would switch to that in a heartbeat. Given the niche status of phones like these, it’s not likely these companies can profit from an even more niche product, but I think once people start to discover that these types of phones even exist at all, they could become very popular. I just learned that tiny phones exist last week. I literally had never heard of them before and never even thought about the topic, and I’m a gadget-loving tech-geek type person who pays attention to a lot of things in the world. I really had no idea these phones existed. I suddenly had the idea one day that a tiny phone would be better because I really just want to do… the things I listed above. So then I went on the internet to look for tiny phones and discovered a whole new world, including all the cute, hilarious, cheap “2G only” micro-phones.

   ACTIVE STYLUS PLEASE!

   But there’s another huge topic, which is voice typing. I never even tried that before, but I found it works great, like shockingly great. So for example, in Google Keep I can speak and see almost immediate transcriptions that are about 95% accurate in general, and the mistakes are pretty small and easy to ignore in most usage scenarios. It’s a moderately mature technology. Unfortunately I don’t think the technology is mature enough to handle the full variation in dialects that exist in the world. Just English alone has dozens of dialects with significant differences in pronunciation, so the voice recognition tech probably fails for a lot of people. I’m lucky because I speak a common dialect of English, although I don’t have cot-caught merger but Keep seems to, and I’ve noticed some other failures on vowel recognition already in my brief testing of voice typing the past few days. I’m sure I have a lot to learn about that topic, but the bottom line is that voice typing is a viable solution for text input on Jelly 2, which basically rescues this device. Without that or an active stylus, I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to justify using this instead of a standard larger phone. While text input is a low priority in my usage goals, it’s still moderately important.

   Congratulations to Unihertz for making an amazing product. The build quality is incredible. It feels like a premium device. It’s beautiful and magnificent. I have high hopes for this as I find solutions on the software side–the whole experience of looking for apps and testing them is quite a nightmare and something I didn’t really dabble in for my past phones. The phone did come with default built-in junk apps that can’t be uninstalled, but a pretty small number and not a big deal. I found the solution is to use a third-party launcher/homescreen/icon customization app and then the icons can basically disappear.

   But given my usage, the inferior specs of the Palm phone are probably more than adequate and so I’m still considering trying that in the future and switching. A major issue is actually the comfort in the hand, because if it’s too thin it might be harder to hold. I’m mostly holding the Jelly in between my 1st and 4th fingers (if you indexed them without the thumb). I’m posting a photo of that there. I’ve found that by far the most comfortable, and it doesn’t block the microphone, but holding it in landscape mode has also been very comfortable and despite blocking the mic it would be better for typing if I could find suitable keyboard software. Hopefully this paradigm of tiny phones will catch on and then companies will offer more choices to suit different people with all their different preferences and hand sizes.

   ACTIVE STYLUS PLEASE!

   By the way, I’m in the USA and already had a T-Mobile account. I simply swapped the SIM into Jelly 2 and it worked right away with no issues.

   UPDATE: I found that the red side button meant for customization is extremely valuable. It’s absolutely perfect for screenshots and for the camera. It has 3 modes: short press, long press, double press. I haven’t found a use for the 3rd one yet, but for screenshots and camera, a separate “physical” button is ideal. With the camera now, I can hold it very securely with one hand and take photos with the same hand very comfortably, 100% one-handed, which is difficult, almost impossible, for me to do with a regular sized phone and the touchscreen button on the camera app. I don’t know to what extent physical side buttons like power and volume can be custom programmed to take photos on typical phones, but when it’s a combo press of some kind it can be pretty awkward to use. With this single side button on the middle of the side, it’s simply perfect ergonomics with one hand. For screenshots, it’s a big advantage to have a button that isn’t on the screen, and my past experience has been bad with a screenshot button on the bottom row as a 4th dedicated touch button alongside home, back and window navigation. It was bad because I often accidentally pressed the button, which was very close to its neighbor. Not a huge deal, just lots of accidental screenshots.

   But the red button doesn’t work unless the phone is already on, so it’s not especially useful for most purposes. If you have to press the power button first, then you can do almost anything just as easily with a normal touchscreen button. If you press the red button while the phone is off, nothing happens, so it’s not a pure “one button” operation, but it’s still extremely valuable for screenshots and photos.

2. 

   Rated 3 out of 5

   Daphne – January 14, 2023

   Ich habe mir das Jelly 2 bestellt, weil ich als Zweitgerät ein kleines Smartphone haben wollte, das man auch mal einstecken kann, wenn man nicht unbedingt ein Gerät von 6 Zoll oder mehr mitnehmen möchte.

   Auf den ersten Blick ist dieses Smartphone wirklich schön.

   Geliefert wird es mit einer Silokonhülle und mit bereits aufgebrachter Display-Schutz-Folie. Lade-Stecker, USB-C-Kabel und eine Handschlaufe, die an der Hülle befestigt werden kann, sind ebenfalls enthalten.

   Das Gerät ist etwas dicker als die gängigen Geräte jenseits der 5 Zoll, liegt aber trotzdem (oder gerade deshalb) sehr gut in der Hand.

   Das Display ist gestochen scharf und schön hell. Die Bedienung ist flüssig, und ich war angenehm überrascht, dass die ziemlich kleine Bildschirmtastatur (GBoard ist vorinstalliert) sehr präzise zu bedienen ist.

   Leider sind mir aber ein paar Punkte aufgefallen, die für mich persönlich nicht passen (für andere sind diese Punkte ggf. nicht schlimm):

   Der ab Werk installierte Launcher hat auf dem Homescreen ein Raster von 3×3, es können also maximal 9 Apps dort abgelegt werden. Zusätzlich gibt es darunter noch ein Dock für 3 Apps. Das Dock ist auf allen Seiten des Homescreens sichtbar.
   ABER: der vorinstallierte Launcher hat (so wie die Geräte von der Obstfirma) keinen App-Drawer. Es liegen also alle Apps auf den einzelnen Seiten des Homescreens. Man kann die Apps zwar gruppieren und frei platzieren, aber richtig aufräumen kann man nicht.

   Im Gegensatz zu den Apfel-Geräten kann man bei Android – und somit auch beim Jelly 2 – einen eigenen Launcher installieren, der diesen Mangel behebt. Ich habe hier den „Nova Launcher“ installiert.
   ABER: Wenn man das Smartphone nach einiger Zeit einschaltet, erscheint nicht der nachinstallierte Launcher (obwohl dieser als Standard-Launcher eingestellt ist), sondern der werksseitig installierte Launcher. Um meinen nachinstallierten Launcher zu sehen, musste ich nach dem Einschalten nochmal die Home-Taste betätigen.

   Die Firma Unihertz hat anscheinend auch die Rückmeldungen zum ersten Jelly in Bezug auf die Laufzeit des Akkus sehr ernst genommen und einen gefühlt sehr restriktiven Akku-Spar-Modus implementiert, der nicht wirklich zu deaktivieren ist (zumindest habe ich keine Einstallung gefunden, die gegriffen hat).

   Das führt dazu, dass die Apps anscheinend nach kurzer Zeit der Nichtbenutzung in einen Schlafmodus versetzt werden.

   In meinem Fall war das die Wecker-App „Timely“, die mich nicht geweckt hat. Das Uhr-Widget von Timely wird auf dem Homescreen (sowohl beim Werks-Launcher als auch beim Nova-Launcher) nicht aktualisiert, sodass morgens um 9 Uhr noch „20:48 Uhr“ vom Vortag angezeigt wurde.

   Gleiches betrifft die App „Tasker“, die im Hintergrund laufen MUSS, aber vom System dennoch gestoppt wird, obwohl ich die Akku-Optimierung deaktiviert habe. Zusätzlich waren die Tasker-Widgets auf dem Homescreen immer wieder mal weg.

   Wie oben erwähnt sind diese Punkte für andere Anwender vielleicht nicht schlimm. Für mich ist es jedoch essenziell, dass ein Smartphone das macht, was ich erwarte. Vielleicht reicht Unihertz hier irgendwann ein Update nach, das hier Abhilfe schafft, aber solange möchte ich nicht warten.

   Deshalb habe ich das Gerät zurückgeschickt.

3. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Geoff Minto – January 16, 2023

   Since nobody else makes a phone that’s a sensible size any more, as far as I’m concerned this pretty much ranks as the best phone available. Really happy with how good it is though; more than enough power/memory for smooth everyday use and every app I’ve tried scales well to the screen. It’s maybe just slightly too small, but better that than far, far too big like every other phone.

   Contrary to reports, the finger print reader is functionally fine, it’s just small so you either need to be really accurate with how you place your finger or enter it loads of times in the settings.

   Other than the infrequent software updates you’d expect from a tiny company, the only real down-side is the battery, which is smaller than it really necessary for the hardware. But it easily lasts a day if I don’t sit browsing the web, watching videos or playing games on it. Charges pretty quickly too, so topping up isn’t a hassle.

4. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Karl Terz – January 19, 2023

   Let me elaborate on the statement above. This device is £159 ( at the time of purchase) and at such a tiny size of 3inch, you’d expect a slow and barely useable handset with probably a cut down version of Android Go instead of the full version Android. You’ll be sorely mistaken!

   This device comes with an Octa-core (8x) processor equipped with 6GB of RAM and comes with a full version of Android 10 out of the box with an already available Android 11 update once you set up your phone.

   Because of this, the screen is quite responsive and scrolling is quite snappy. This device is NOT slow. It’s essentially a Mid-range Android handset that normally cost £500 but in a small package. One thing to note is that a lot of the mid range Android device tend to come with 3GB to 4GB RAM and rarely come with 6GB. The processor in this device might be about 1 or 2 years old but because it was a mid/high end processor back then, still makes it more than adequate for this device.

   If you’re sick and tired of carrying 6.5+ inch devices then this might be your secondary phone or even a primary phone for you. You’ll not miss out on your every day apps including banking apps etc plus you have NFC for contactless payments.

   Pros:
   – Dual SIM or 1 SIM and 1 expandable memory card but it already comes with 128GB internal memory.

   – Headphone jack!! (What did Samsung & Apple say about their big phones? Not enough space for a headphone jack?)

   – NFC, Bluetooth 4.2, IR Blaster (InfraRed so you can use your device as a remote control for TV etc)

   – Full Android 10 (to 11 after update) instead of Android Go so most of your standard apps are supported

   – 6GB RAM & 128GB internal memory giving it plenty of memory to even game!!

   – Mobile hot spotting, if I travel or go somewhere for a few days then I tend to carry my tablet so mobile tethering is perfect so If I need the big screen experience then I can always tether my Jelly 2 to my tablet.

   – The size of the device is just perfect. Although I think a 3.5inch might be the sweet spot with a slightly better resolution.

   – You get a silicone case plus screen protector (1 already applied on the screen and a replacement in the box). The silicon case also has a lanyard hole and box containts a wrist lanyard so you can easily tie it to your wrist.

   – Comes with a charging brick plus USB Type C cable! (Looking at you Samsung & Apple!)

   Cons:
   – Bluetooth 4.2 is good but should’ve had 5.0 & above which allows for multicast so you can connect 2 bluetooth headphones to 1 device so 2 people can listen to music on the same device (this feature is rare and not all Bluetooth 5+ devices support it).

   – The volume on bluetooth headphones or even when connected to your car is just too low. Connected this Jelly 2 to my Sennheiser HD 450 BT noice cancelling headphones and even at max volume on both the phone and the headphones, it still feels really low. It’s equivalent of 50% volume on a Samsung handset. The same happens when connected to your car, you’d not only have volume at max on your phone but you’ll potentially need to have it on max on your car too.

   – The fingerprint scanner rarely works. It rarely recognises my finger prints. I’ve tried numerous times to re-scan my finger print but it rarely recognises it so I rely on pin code but because the screen is so small, you can easily key the pin code with just your thumb and just as fast.

   – No IP rating so there’s no splash or water resistance on this device so please be aware. Unihertz however does offer another device which is the Atom and Atom XL with IP68 that are built for rugged use but they’re more bulky.

   Conclusion:

   If you’re tired of the ever growing in size smartphones that we currently have or you’re looking for a secondary phone without losing app functionality then this device might be for you. If you like going on night outs or travelling alot and don’t want to carry oversized expensive phones that can potentially be lost or stolen then this might be for you. Phones are getting bigger these days but pockets are not! Funny enough, the smallest screen size that’s offered by Samsung in their latest line up of phones (2021) is currently 6.4inch. This phone is 3inch!!!

5. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   M. Parker – January 31, 2023

   ***Updated at 9 months: My opinion hasn’t changed at all; in fact, I only feel more strongly that this phone is AMAZING and WONDERFUL and a RELIEF from the heavy, big phones. It hasn’t let me down once. No regrets. I would buy this phone again in a heart-beat if something ever happened to this one. I cannot see myself ever going back to larger phones. There would be no reason to.

   SUMMARY: AMAZING. LITTLE. PHONE. So handy, functional, fast, high-quality, discreet, and attractive. Truly, no sacrifices have to be made. Why don’t more people know about this?

   PROS:

   -Great size: Easy to throw in purse or pocket or fanny pack
   -Nice resolution: Pictures look sharp and quality; easy to read screen for typing
   -Works with Verizon (YES IT DOES! Just follow the tips below; don’t believe Verizon)
   -Lanyard: Makes carrying the phone so carefree
   -Customizable in every way
   -Fast, functional, intuitive: You don’t have to sacrifice any of the things you’re used to having on a larger smartphone
   -Battery life: I use it heavily every day and it has a wonderful battery life. I do not stream videos or music, except for sometimes, but I do tons of texting, calling, reminder app-ing, and some internet searching. ***I get at least two whole days – sometimes almost three days – of battery life before needing to charge. That is holding true to this day – I have had this phone for 9 months now.
   -Customer service: Very responsive
   -Typing: Multiple ways to type; keyboard can rotate; I make fewer mistakes on this phone than my previous big smartphone
   -Dictation! Works perfectly! If you don’t like typing, then problem solved. I do this a lot!
   -Hotspot: Works great – I use it for my laptop at home and the speed is perfectly quick and reliable
   -Camera: Works great; pictures are crisp, sharp, and high-quality looking; camera is easy to use
   -Google Maps: Unbelievably convenient to have this great, popular GPS app on such a small device

   CONS:

   -Phone case: I really like the concept of the skin case (and it’s lightweight and lets you see the pretty green phone) but the only issue is that the case is not protective of screen side of the phone; the case stops below the edge of the screen side of the phone and so if you drop the phone on its screen side, the glass will be slap against the ground with no buffer.
   -Speakerphone might be a little quirky sometimes: Before I figured this out, the person I was speaking to (if I have them on speakerphone) would hear an echo of their own voice – I soon figured out that if you turn down the speaker volume to maybe just above the halfway, and not too high, then the echo for them goes away.
   -Vibration when calls connect: It’s not a big deal and I got used to it, but it seems unnecessary.
   -Messages app that came on the phone didn’t send/receive clear pictures; they were grainy pictures. I fixed this by changing to a different messaging app (Textra). Not sure why that helped!
   -Ejector tray for SIM card may be difficult to open. Obviously, you have to use the ejection tool but still I struggled to get the tray open. I almost couldn’t and I worried I was breaking something in the process.
   -Limited ringtones/sounds, but of course you can always download others.

   GENERAL:

   I’ve had such an incredibly positive experience with this phone. I’ve had it for 9 months so far and haven’t changed my mind yet. I’m almost 30 years old and so I’m in the group of people who have had small cell phones in the past and really miss them for their less-intrusive size/presence.
   I always preferred the qwerty keyboard from the slider phones I used to have, but alas you can’t find that anymore (I typed so much faster on those). But, this Jelly 2 phone does have essentially a qwerty keyboard (on the screen) that feels much closer to the size and ease of use as those old sliders; this is because the Jelly 2 screen is smaller so it makes the keyboard (when you rotate the phone longways left-right) feel just the right size for your thumbs. The Jelly 2 phone does the swipe texting/typing, which I really like. It saves a lot of time. I no longer rotate the phone and type with my thumbs because I’ve gotten used to the smaller keyboard when the phone is standing upright, but the option is always there. Also, there’s always the option of dictation! It’s so easy!

   The Jelly 2 phone can do everything a “normal,” larger smartphone can do. You can add any apps, you can remove many apps that came already on the phone. You can customize everything just like on a regular-sized smartphone. It was very easy to get used to the smaller screen size – after all, that was the size of screen we all had for a long time. Trust me, it isn’t hard to get used to the screen size or see/read the writing. Most/all webpages I’ve used have been friendly to this screen size and I’ve had no problems accessing web content or scrolling around pages; also, the zoom abilities are very convenient (with pinching the fingers, etc.). The phone is super-fast and functional (absolutely as good as the best larger smartphones out there); I have never felt that anything was sacrificed for the size/system.
   It has made me so incredibly pleased and happy to be able to throw this phone in my purse, my pocket, my fanny pack. It’s so lightweight and small. I can whip this little phone out and can do anything I need to; then just throw it back in my purse/pocket/fanny pack/whatever, and you’d never know it was there. That means so much to me.

   The Jelly 2 phone came with all the Google apps including Google Photos. I personally prefer to use standard gallery apps, rather than Google Photos, so I simply downloaded one. I also chose a new reminder app (SimplestReminderPro) and it has been absolutely wonderful.

   There is a feature on this phone called App Blocker and it is I think the main place you can go for customizing the app running restrictions. You should experiment with restricting/limiting app running time so that you can conserve battery. I also disabled or uninstalled any apps that I wouldn’t use.

   It was important to me that Google Maps was on this phone – it works great! It shows you plenty enough (all you need to see), gives you heads up, and works beautifully. It works just like what you’re used to. How extremely convenient and useful to be able to have Google Maps on such a small device.

   I like the programmable button on the side (the red one). You can program a short press, two short presses, and a long press to do something automatically (like turn on the flash light, turn on the camera, take a screen shot, and the plenty of other things).

   My Jelly 2 phone kit came with a phone case, a lanyard, and two screen protectors. I LOVE the lanyard. It is the perfect companion to this phone. I just loop the lanyard around my wrist while I’m using the phone, and it is like a safety net in case I drop the phone. Also, it looks super cute to carry it on the wrist.

   ***Here are the tips for making this phone work seamlessly with Verizon:

   I’m on a big family plan with Verizon. My SIM card was underneath my battery in my old phone, so I couldn’t leave the phone on while I took out the SIM card (as some other reviews have stated that you need to). So, I turned off my old phone, took the battery out, took the SIM card out; then put the SIM card into the little tray in the Jelly 2 phone (which was also turned off). Once you get your SIM card into the Jelly 2 phone, turn the Jelly 2 phone on and go through all the setup questions/settings. You will need a wireless internet source in order to complete the setup; I used my husband’s phone’s hotspot. Once you get everything up and running, go in the Setting menu, choose the Network and Internet folder, click Mobile Network, and make sure that your 4G Calling is turned on. Right below the 4G Calling is the “Preferred Network Type” – make sure you set that to LTE. Also, it was easiest to retrieve all my old contacts from Google where they had always been backed-up while I was using my old phone.

   SUMMARY:

   I am blown away by this phone and am really grateful/relieved to have it – even still after 9 months I feel the same. It’s incredibly convenient and quick/easy to use. I get so many compliments on it; people, especially young people (which is a little surprising), really seem to want something small and handy like this and want to make the switch. Who wouldn’t?? This phone makes me feel like I’m back in the “old” days when the phones were pocket-sized and they didn’t visually dominate your purse or your life. It’s nice to have something that does what you need it to do and more (i.e. doesn’t sacrifice any modern speed, quality, or capabilities) and yet doesn’t seem like such a heavy symbol of importance – both physically and metaphorically speaking. Sorry, but phones are not truly important in life, even though they are very useful. Phones do not equal happiness, self-esteem, or the only answer to boredom. It’s unfortunate that cell phones have evolved to be the large, dominating objects that they are. That’s where this Jelly 2 phone comes in. It’s discreet, handy, functional, and attractive. It can do everything you want and more. It has turned out to be a high-quality product. I wanted a phone that would match my minimalist lifestyle. The Jelly 2 phone is it, and I’m still so happy with it.

6. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Jarwan – February 11, 2023

   I’ve used this phone as my main handset for work and as a personal phone for two years. It has dual SIM so I don’t have to carry two large phones with me. I wear it on a lanyard at work and commuting on my bike. All apps works as a ‘normal’ phone. I use a clone app so have two instances of WhatsApp for each SIM which great for keeping things separate. Before every text or call it gives me the choice of which SIM to use, you can turn this feature off. I have my train and bus etickets on the phone and use Google Pay with 3 credit cards on the account. The camera is not great but good enough for my purposes. Sound quality is good, I use my Bluetooth earbuds with it and have watched a whole movie on it. The keyboard is tiny, might be an issue if you have large fingers, I keep predictive txt on for speed. I can go 8 hours without charging it if I’m not using it constantly but I keep a charger with me all the time. I use it as a satnav too using Google maps, that can drain the battery after about 4/5 hours. My job is quite busy, there are times when I’m on the road organising logistics of people and performances, I use email, text and WhatsApp all the time, it’s never let me down. The biggest thing is people’s reaction to it, there isn’t a day goes by that someone doesn’t comment on it, people think it’s a toy. It’s very discreet and can be use in meetings hiding behind a cup 🙂 After a full pitch from me on the train once my local train conductor bought one! I dropped it from a great height after about 2 months, there was a tiny crack on the screen which I could have lived with but wanted it repaired, that’s not an option on this phone. It took 3 weeks in total to return it and get a new on at a reduced price. I only paid £100 for it so it didn’t seem too much at the time. I love this phone.

7. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   René W. – February 20, 2023

   Vorab: Ich verwende seit Jahrzehnten ausschliesslich “kleine” Mobiltelefone, darunter Motorola v3688, Elephone Q, und zuletzt das “Jelly Pro” (also das Vorgängermodell des Jelly 2, um das es hier geht).
   Alle diese Telefone wurden für den alleinigen täglichen Gebrauch verwendet.

   Ich verwende das “Jelly 2” nun seit etwas mehr als 2 Wochen, und hier liste ich mal meine Eindrücke über Vor- und Nachteile gegenüber dem Vorgänger “Jelly Pro” auf:

   ++ Eine Akkuladung hält bei vergleichbarer Aktivität mehr als doppelt do lang wie beim Jelly 2 durch
   ++ Das Display ist nur unwesentlich größer – und gerade noch klein genug, damit das Telefon insgesamt nicht unangenehm groß wird – die Auflösung des Displays ist signifikant besser als beim Jelly 2

   + Der Lautsprecher ist noch etwas besser als der ohnehin schon gute des Jelly Pro
   + Die Positionsbestimmung durch GPS/Glonass/Baidu ist erfreulich genau und schnell – auch ohne die widerlichen Datenschleuder-Dienste von Google zu Hilfe zu nehmen.
   + Den Einbau einer IR-LED als Fernbedienungsersatz finde ich gut, aber (–) die mitgelieferte Software dazu ist kommerzieller Schrott

   – Das Android 10 bringt nervige bloat-ware mit, die ich erstmal durch freie Software von f-droid.org ersetzen musste, um nicht ständig mit Werbung für Google-Dienste genervt zu werden. Nein Google, ich habe keinen “account” bei Euch, und ich will auch niemals einen haben!
   – Das Jelly 2 ist deutlich dicker und schwerer als das Jelly Pro – gerade noch so akzeptabel, mehr dürfte es nicht werden.
   – Preis bei insgesamt doch sehr ähnlichem Funktionsumfang deutlich höher als beim “Jelly Pro”.

   — Der Vibrator ist praktisch unbrauchbar schwach. Ich benötige den glücklicherweise nicht, aber wer sich mit Vibrationen auf Ereignisse oder Anrufe aufmerksam machen lassen möchte, sollte um das Jelly 2 wohl eher einen Bogen machen.
   — Akku nicht durch den Benutzer wechselbar – das war beim “Jelly Pro” noch problemlos möglich, und gäbe es noch andere kleine Mobiltelefone halbwegs vergleichbarer Ausstattung deren Akku wechselbar wäre, hätte ich diese sofort anstelle des Jelly 2 gekauft.
   — Das mitgelieferte USB-A auf USB-C Kabel ist von unterirdischer Qualität, der Kunststoff sondert klebrige Chemie ab. Nun kann man für sowas leicht Ersatz beschaffen, und ich habe mir mit einer aufgeschrumpften Polyethylenfolie beholfen, um das Kabel dennoch nutzen zu können, aber sowas ist echt peinlich bei dem Gesamtpreis

   Ich habe von anderen Rezensenten die Aussage gelesen, der WLAN Empfang sei schwach – das kann ich nicht bestätigen, im Gegenteil funktioniert der bei mir besser als mit anderen Mobiltelefonen zuvor.

   Nachtrag als Reaktion auf Rezensenten, die sich darüber beklagten, dass das Jelly 2 Apps im Hintergrund stoppt, um Energie zu sparen: Das ist korrekt, lässt sich aber jederzeit ändern: “Settings” / “Intelligent Assistance” / “App blocker” auswählen, dort kann diese Energiesparfunktion entweder pauschal für alle “Apps” ausgeschaltet werden (würde ich eher nicht empfehlen), oder man kann einzelne Apps auswählen, für die sich dann die Parameter “Boot blocker”, “Start Blocker”, “Background Blocker” und “Background cleanup” ein/ausschalten lassen. Wer bestimmten Apps erlauben möchte, im Hintergrund zu laufen oder automatisch zu starten, kann das in diesem Menu tun.

   Nachtrag als Reaktion auf Rezensenten, die sich über einen veralteten Stand der Android Sicherheitsupdates beklagten: Es gab inzwischen updates, zuletzt am 5. Mai 2021.

   Nachtrag: Ein Android 11 update ist inzwischen verfügbar. Habe ich allerdings nicht installiert, da mir keine wesentlichen Vorteile bekannt sind, und Erfahrungsberichte anderer von damit eingeschränkten Möglichkeiten für Signalisierung durch die farbige LED sprechen.

   Nachtrag: Falls jemand eine passende Gürtel-Halterung für dieses Telefon sucht: https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B01EX4W7IQ/ passt sehr gut.