Minimalism without Google and AI: The Mudita Kompakt is the ideal "anti-smartphone"

With an E-Ink display and a limited number of features, the Mudita Compact is the perfect phone for those who don't want a smartphone with AI and lots of extras, but lack privacy, or simply want some peace and quiet. This "digital detox" doesn't come cheap, though.

Some people can hardly put their smartphone down and have it almost always at hand. According to a Bitkom survey, the average daily usage time in Germany is 2.5 hours, and among 16- to 29-year-olds, it's almost 3.5 hours. 72 percent already use at least one AI function, 58 percent a voice assistant. 48 percent use a chatbot, and 38 percent use AI tools for photo editing.

However, there are also users for whom all this is too much. They either don't want a smartphone at all, or at least want to switch off occasionally, spend less time online, or go offline completely. The Polish Mudita Kompakt, priced at around €440, is aimed at this target group. It's a small, minimalist phone with an E-Ink display that offers only the essentials and allows you to switch off completely. If necessary, it also offers a backdoor for "essential" apps.

Functional design

The Miduta Kompakt isn't exactly a head-turner—you certainly won't take it out of your pocket to admire its design. Measuring approximately 12.7 x 6.8 x 1.2 cm, the device has a plastic casing, with a 4.3-inch E-Ink display with a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels, framed by thick black bezels.

The device, which weighs just under 170 g, is well-built and has an IP54 rating for dust and splash protection. On the right side are the power button with an integrated fingerprint sensor and a volume rocker. On the left are a SIM card slot and a microSD card slot, with the offline button below. A headphone jack is located at the top, and the speaker and USB-C port are located at the bottom. On the back, there's a small 8-megapixel camera.

The battery has a capacity of 3300 milliampere hours (mAh), and the phone is powered by a quad-core MediaTek MT6761V/WBA processor, which is paired with 3 gigabytes (GB) of RAM. The flash storage is 32 GB and can be expanded by up to 2 terabytes (TB).

Uncomplicated and fast enough

The operating system is based on the open-source Android and is extremely lightweight. The home screen provides access to your phone, SMS messages, and your app collection. Below the display are three touch buttons: Back, Home, and Quick Settings. What you can't see: The Mudita Compact supports eSIMs and can be charged wirelessly.

You hardly need a manual for the device, and that's exactly how it was intended. The phone is designed to be as straightforward and unobtrusive as possible. This includes being quite smooth to use despite the weak processor. Apps open without any significant lag, the fingerprint sensor works quite quickly, and the touchscreen responds relatively quickly to inputs.

Display and phone calls good

The display is sufficiently sharp, its brightness reliably adjusts to the surroundings as desired, and the illumination is even. It does have a slight tendency toward ghosting, which means you see slight shadows of previously displayed elements when you change views. However, this isn't distracting; it's barely noticeable.

The phone reception is good; if you have Wi-Fi, you can even make calls over it. The sound is a bit tinny, but you can hear and be heard well. The device connects to the internet via LTE. This is more than sufficient, as you're usually using the Mudita Kompakt offline.

The essentials on board

This is also evident in the pre-installed apps: e-reader, camera, maps, music, notes, calculator, recorder, weather, and chess. There's also a meditation app, but it's really little more than a timer.

An internet connection is required, among other things, to access weather data or download content for e-readers and music players. Mudita provides the free Mudita Center management software for this purpose.

Easy sideloading

The program also lets you create and restore backups or add contacts. It's also a convenient way to install additional apps if you don't want to go quite so minimalistic. Typical examples include WhatsApp and other messaging apps.

To install an application, you need its APK file. As with WhatsApp, this is often provided by the manufacturer themselves. You should be cautious with other sources. The alternative app store F-Droid is considered very reliable and secure, as it relies exclusively on free and open source software (FOSS), which is reviewed by volunteers before being hosted.

You can download APKs to your PC from there and then install them easily via drag and drop via the Mudita Center. Alternatively, you can also install F-Droid on your device to access the store directly.

Applications installed via sideloading can be identified in the app collection by their black icons. For the test, ntv.de installed WhatsApp, the email program Thunderbird, the browser DuckDuckGo, and F-Droid.

Not made for photos

All three apps work, especially when displaying only text and simple graphics. However, Thunderbird only allows you to receive and reply to emails. The option to compose a new email isn't visible.

The E-Ink display does display photos, but they're not very attractive. Likewise, using the camera for photos makes little sense. While you can export them via the file explorer of a connected Windows PC or via SMS to view them in color, they're still not a feast for the eyes. The camera is more for scanning QR codes, for example, to use the Mudita Kompakt as a linked device for WhatsApp.

Practical offline switch, high endurance

If you want to be completely offline, the device offers the option of activating the corresponding switch, which prevents all wireless contact and deactivates the camera. Even if the switch isn't activated, you often have trouble navigating, as the simple map app only uses GPS. An internet connection, however, isn't required; you can download regions for offline use.

If you stay offline, the device lasts for two days, or even more with infrequent use. In standby mode, one battery charge lasts up to six days.

Conclusion

If you're up for it and willing to commit, the Mudita Kompakt is the ideal phone for shifting down a bit of a digital gear. Spending €440 is only worthwhile if you need the option to use apps like WhatsApp and/or want an E-Ink display of this size. If you just want to make calls and send and receive text messages, there are much cheaper "dumbphones."