The Ikko MindOne Pro is delightfully small. I keep calling it a square phone, which isn’t quite right; the screen is square, but the phone itself is slightly rectangular. The camera flips up so you can use it for selfies — you can even open it partway to use as a stand or a kind of PopSocket. There’s a Clicks-style keyboard accessory that also adds a magnetic ring and a headphone jack. I tried so hard to like it, but this phone is a miss no matter how you look at it.

I used it like a normal phone. I downloaded a minimalist launcher and tried using it as kind of a dumb phone. I put the keyboard case on. I took the keyboard case off. Nothing feels quite right.

The Premise and the Promise

The MindOne Pro is made by Ikko, a company based in Shenzhen that has mainly produced earbuds and audio accessories until now. This is their first smartphone, and they aimed to create a small, minimalist device that could also function as an AI gadget. Priced at $499, it ships globally and offers a unique form factor that immediately draws attention. The idea of a square screen phone is not entirely new — we’ve seen smartwatches and niche devices with similar shapes — but bringing it to a full smartphone is ambitious.

Small phones have a dedicated fanbase. Ever since the iPhone Mini was discontinued, many have longed for a compact device with modern features. The MindOne Pro could have been that savior, but it stumbles in almost every practical aspect.

Hardware and Design

The phone feels good in the hand. Its small size and matte finish are appealing, and the flip-up camera mechanism is genuinely clever. It acts as a kickstand, which is surprisingly useful for watching videos or video calls. The keyboard case adds a physical keyboard reminiscent of BlackBerry devices, and the inclusion of a headphone jack is a thoughtful touch. However, the hardware has significant downsides.

During initial setup, the phone got noticeably warm — much warmer than most phones I use. This overheating issue lingered even after the first day. Battery life is also dismal. I watched it drop from the mid-90s to the 60s over an hour and a half of light use like scrolling reels, using Google Maps, and streaming music over Wi-Fi. That’s about a third of the battery gone in less than two hours. For a device that’s supposed to be a minimalist companion, such poor endurance is a dealbreaker.

Camera Quality

The flip-up main camera is a good idea, but the camera itself just stinks. Color processing is all over the place. Daylight shots are acceptable, but under dim indoor lighting, photos look too green. The camera’s inconsistency makes it unreliable for capturing important moments. In an era where even budget phones produce decent photos, the MindOne Pro’s camera feels like a step back.

Software and Display Woes

The square screen is the phone’s most distinctive feature, and its biggest liability. The mobile web is built for vertical rectangles, and most apps are designed for standard aspect ratios. The phone’s default behavior is to fill the entire screen, cropping into vertical videos and websites. The onscreen keyboard takes up more than half the display area, making typing a chore.

Thankfully, Ikko includes some controls in the quick settings shade to help mitigate this. There’s a toggle for resolution, which fits more content onto the screen, and a toggle to change the display to a vertical aspect ratio with black bars on the sides. It’s helpful for text boxes and date pickers that just don’t work on the square screen, but it means you’re dealing with a smaller display area inside an already small device.

The software also includes a separate AI launcher with a chatbot that switches between LLMs, and a notes app. As a device from a Chinese company, I tested the chatbot’s handling of sensitive topics. When I asked if Hong Kong is part of China, it responded in Spanish and said it couldn’t help. The global eSIM included with the AI launcher is free for AI features but requires payment for messaging. The connection was slow, at least in Seattle.

The Keyboard Case

The optional keyboard case adds bulk and battery to the phone. You can flip a switch to have it charge the phone while you type. But the keys are more fiddly than typing on the onscreen keyboard. I was pretty fast on my BlackBerry Curve back in the day, but I actually found the MindOne’s physical keyboard slower and fussier than virtual keys. The headphone jack is a nice addition, but it doesn’t redeem the overall experience.

Minimalist Phone or Missed Opportunity?

Maybe the MindOne Pro is meant to be a minimalist phone — an alternative to the Light Phone or a dumb phone that still allows essential apps like Uber or Instagram. The square screen makes using Instagram a terrible experience, which might encourage you to use it less. But that logic assumes willpower; in practice, I found myself scrolling Instagram just as often, except having a worse time. The best minimalist phone is a cellular smartwatch, not a compromised smartphone.

There’s also the broader context of small phones. The iPhone Mini was discontinued despite a passionate following, mainly due to sales. But companies like Unihertz and now Ikko are trying to fill the gap. The MindOne Pro could have been a worthy contender if it weren’t for the battery, overheating, camera, and software issues. The square screen itself is a fundamental design flaw that fights against the entire mobile ecosystem.

Who Is This Phone For?

Perhaps this phone is for someone who is extremely easy on battery and doesn’t care about camera quality. Someone who is willing to navigate the quirks of the square screen and who values the unique design over usability. But for the vast majority, the MindOne Pro is a frustrating experience. The overheating, poor battery life, mediocre camera, and awkward software make it hard to recommend, even at the discounted price of $429.

As charming as the concept is, I think a phone this shape was always going to have a tough time. Fighting to look at webpages and apps built for rectangles through a square-shaped window is just a losing battle. Maybe instead of a square-ish phone, what the world really needs is a small, rectangular phone with modern bells and whistles. You hear that, phone makers? I am begging literally any company to make the iPhone Mini again with a USB-C charging port and a battery that doesn’t die halfway through the day. The MindOne isn’t that phone, at least for me. Maybe it is for someone who’s easy on the battery and isn’t picky about camera quality. The rest of us will just have to keep looking.

Photography by Allison Johnson / The Verge

Source: The Verge News