Keyphone is a feature phone with swappable keyboard and camera modules (crowdfunding)

Over the past few years we've seen a number of efforts to bring physical keyboards back to smartphones. But we've also seen a growing number of efforts to make smartphones… less smart, as a way to ensure they're less distracting and addictive.

The Keyphone falls into both categories. It's a relatively simple feature phone that runs a stripped down version of Android 15 that only comes with a small number of applications. And it's a compact phone with a small touchscreen display and room for a physical keyboard. But it's also a modular phone: you can remove the QWERTY keyboard and replace it with a T9 keyboard, for example. And the rear camera can also be popped out and replaced.

You can't actually buy the Keyphone yet – the developers have produced working prototypes, but they're raising money to complete the design and manufacturing processor through an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign.

The Keyphone is expected to have a retail price of $399, but Indiegogo backers can reserve one for $319 or less (Early Bird rewards start as low as $259). The phone won't ship until October at the earliest though.

While the crowdfunding page doesn't mention details about trivial things like the processor, screen size, or display resolution, we do know that the phone has 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, a 13MP rear camera with an LED flash, and an 8MP front-facing camera.

There's a USB-C port for charging and data, a mono speaker and 3.5mm jack for audio, and a SIM card reader that also houses a microSD card slot. Unlike most modern smartphones, the Keyphone has a 2400 mAh removable battery.

Other features include an ambient light sensor, dual-band WiFi and Bluetooth 5.0, dual SIM support, and NFC for tap-to-pay functionality. The Keyphone supports 4G LTE cellular networks, and it already works with T-Mobile in the US, but Verizon and AT&T certification are still works in progress.

The phone measures 129.5 x 61 x 12.7mm (5.1″ x 2.4″ x 0.5″) and in addition to power and volume buttons, there are three programmable keys on the side that you can use to perform custom actions.

Pre-installed applications include apps for phone calls and text messaging, as well as contacts, calendar, notes, camera, gallery, music, clock, and alarm applications.

The developers are also seeking community input to decide on additional features that may be added, such as Android Auto or eSIM support.

One thing to keep in mind is that while the phone's modular features are a key selling point, they're also a little untested at the moment. Sure, it's nice to think that you could be able to upgrade the camera in the future if the company offers a module with a higher-quality image sensor in the future. But so far the only options seem to be cosmetic: you can choose a custom color or add an image to the camera module.

It's also unclear how many keyboard options will be offered.

That said, modularity isn't just about upgradeability: it also makes a device easier to repair. So it's nice to know that if the keyboard or camera break, you might be able to replace them in the future. And if battery life starts to degrade over time, you can swap out the old battery for a new one without visiting a repair shop.

Still, this is a crowdfunding campaign for a product that only exists as a prototype right now. So proceed with caution – a pledge in support of this campaign might help make it possible for the folks behind the Keyphone to produce and ship the device to backers… but there's no guarantee that it'll perform exactly as promised if and when it arrives.

Liliputing's primary sources of revenue are advertising and affiliate links (if you click the "Shop" button at the top of the page and buy something on Amazon, for example, we'll get a small commission).

But there are several ways you can support the site directly even if you're using an ad blocker* and hate online shopping.

Contribute to our Patreon campaign

or...

Contribute via PayPal * If you are using an ad blocker like uBlock Origin and seeing a pop-up message at the bottom of the screen, we have a guide that may help you disable it. Join 9,498 other subscribers