GoKawiilJoe Maring / Android Authority
One of the more interesting smartphone trends of the last year or two has been the rise of minimalist phones; phones that are designed to be less addictive than “regular” smartphones while still keeping you connected to phone calls, texts, etc.
I saw one such device at CES 2026 last week. It’s called the Mudita Kompakt, and compared to other minimalist phones on the market today, it’s the first one I’m actually tempted to buy.
As you’d expect from a phone of this caliber, the Mudita Kompakt is a pretty simple device. It has a 4.3-inch e-ink touchscreen display, a 3.5mm headphone jack, IP54 dust/water resistance, 32GB of storage (expandable up to 2TB), and a 3,300mAh battery rated to last up to six days.
From a hardware perspective, the Kompakt immediately made a strong first impression. The plastic body feels comfortable yet sturdy, and the 4.3-inch screen is easy to use with one hand.
One of my favorite hardware features is the physical switch on the left side of the phone. When enabled, it kills the Kompakt’s GSM and microphones at a hardware level; at the software level, it also disables Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and the cameras. Mudita calls this “Offline+ Mode,” and it’s a genius feature for this type of smartphone.
Joe Maring / Android Authority
Equally impressive to me during my hands-on session was the Mudita Kompakt’s software. The phone runs Mudita’s custom MuditaOS operating system, which is based on a de-Googled version of Android.
The Kompakt’s main home screen shows the time and date at the top, while the bottom has shortcuts to the phone and texting apps, plus a button to view all installed applications. These additional apps include things like an alarm, calculator, calendar, e-reader mode, music player, and maps with turn-by-turn navigation.
Joe Maring / Android Authority
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