Punkt Has a New phone for People Who Hate Smartphones

What’s Happening

Here’s the thing: The MC03 appears geared towards users who prioritize privacy and minimalism.

If you’ve ever looked into trading in your phone for a dumbphone, you might have stumbled across Punkt . The German-based company’s MP01 and MP02 phone were purposely not “smart;” rather, they were minimalist slabs of plastic, sporting a tiny display and an array of large, physical buttons. (it feels like chaos)

The point of owning one of these Punkt devices isn’t to sit scrolling on your phone for hours on end; it’s to use your phone when you need to privately, at that.

The Details

The MC03 looks like any other phone at first The company’s MC0 line flips the script a bit, and that doesn’t change with the latest: MC03. While there’s still a focus on privacy and minimalism, this newest device is virtually indistinguishable from other Android smartphones on the market at least, in outward appearance.

Gone are the physical buttons and tiny display; now, you have a large 120Hz OLED display, complete with a selfie camera at the top. Flip the MC03 around, and you’ll find a set of four rear cameras, corralled in the top-left corner of the back.

Why This Matters

Aside from the large “Punkt” logo in the bottom right, this fr could be any other phone. What separates the MC03 from phones from Samsung or Motorola is what’s on the inside, including, namely, the OS. When you open the phone, you aren’t greeted by a grid of app icons and widgets.

Tech companies have been making moves like this as competition heats up.

Key Takeaways

• Instead, you see a list of app and function names, without icons or colors.
• That’s because the MC03 isn’t running Android.
• Like previous Punkt phones, this device runs AphyOS, an operating system built by Apostrophe .

The Bottom Line

This custom OS is advertised as a privacy-focused operating system, something Punkt runs with for the MC03. According to the company, AphysOS can block tracking and profiling tools, and keeps out bloatware, hidden apps, and background services.

What do you think about all this?