Punkt Has a New Smartphone for People Who Hate Smartphones

If you’ve ever looked into trading in your smartphone 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. The point of owning one of these Punkt devices isn’t to sit scrolling on your smartphone for hours on end; it’s to use your phone when you need to—privately, at that.

The MC03 looks like any other smartphone 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. Aside from the large “Punkt” logo in the bottom right, this really 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. Instead, you see a list of app and function names, without icons or colors. This is just about as simple an interface as you can expect from a device with a modern smartphone display, which may appeal to those who are looking for a minimalist experience.

That’s because the MC03 isn’t running Android. Like previous Punkt phones, this device runs AphyOS, an operating system built by Apostrophe. 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. The OS can also reportedly fight against spying with “hardened code” to block attacks.

The company says this new phone separates data and functions in two key “repositories:” First, there’s the “Vault,” which includes Punkt-approved apps and that minimalist UI. Proton is a trusted company here, so you can expect to find Proton Mail, Proton Calendar, Proton Drive, Proton VPN, and Proton Pass in the Vault. Second, there’s “Wild Web,” which lets you install any app you want, against a strict system of safeguards and privacy settings. You can choose to download apps from either Punkt’s privacy-focused app store, featuring programs approved by both AphyOS and Punkt, as well as a store with “widely available apps.”