The ultimate mini phone? Life in the slow lane

The Unihertz Jelly Star is a 3 inch Android 13 smartphone that has:

• 3’ screen (480×854 pixels)
• 8Gb RAM
• 2000mAh battery
• Helio G99 Octa-Core 2.0-2.2GHz
• 48MP Back Camera (8MP Front Camera)

The Jelly Star is a notable upgrade to the Jelly 2 and Jelly and Jelly 2E from China’s Unihertz company. Unihertz devices typically begin with a Kickstarter campaign, but after manufacturing, they are available for sale on Unihertz’s website and other platforms, such as Amazon.

The Jelly Star runs a mostly stock Android 13 Operating System, with some additional apps baked in that mostly cater to the Chinese market, including:

Student Mode – this app let’s you control which apps can be accessed, and whether they are allowed internet access.

Toolbox – It contains a noise test, compass, flashlight, bubble level, pedometer & speedometer apps.

ZaZa remote – IR blaster remote.

Does the Jelly Star work reliably in Australia?

Yes, I’ve been using the device on Vodafone and Optus in Sydney for almost two years, without issue. The device supports Band 28 A/B and VoLTE and as such meets the requirements to be registered on Australian networks.

Jelly Star Battery Life

The Jelly Star has a 2000 mAh Lithium Ion battery and is paired with a Helio G99 Octa-Core processor, providing decent battery life. After using the device for two years, I get 5-6 hours of screen time and around two days of standby. It’s worth noting that the device charges relatively fast, with a full charge taking around 40 minutes.

Jelly Star performance

With the on board 8Gb RAM, Adequate CPU and mostly stock Android 13, the phone peforms well. I haven’t had any issues running apps and there is no stuttering or lag that I’ve experienced.

Jelly Star as a DumbPhone / Minimalist Phone

As the screen is small, it will likely help reduce screen time for those users who want to reduce their usage on the phone. There’s also a certain reluctance to take it out of my pocket, as people ask what it is, and I can be self-conscious at times!

Having said that, for those users who have more of an issue with constantly checking their phone for notifications, the Jelly Star probably isn’t as useful. The Jelly Star is a full blown, relatively powerful Android device. It can run any app that a flagship Android device can run, so it’s still mostly down to self control to reduce usage.

How I use my Jelly Star as a minimalist device

1. Installed a minimalist launcher – I use Niagara launcher for this, as it provides the ability to show only the important applications I need on my home screen:

Niagara also includes the useful feature to batch notification delivery for every ~4 hours, which I find extremely useful for non urgent application notifications to review them in bulk, to minimise the constant distractions that notifications provide

2. Enabled Greyscale – Using Android’s color correction, I’ve enabled Greyscale permanently. Removing colors, decreases dopamine and makes the phone less exciting to use/fidget with. Studies have demonstrated a reduction in screen time by almost 50%.

3. Remove or disable apps with ADB – Using Android Debug Bridge you can disable, or uninstall apps on the Jelly Star. For me, I uninstall many Google apps, such as Google Chrome, Google Location History and often the Google Play Store, to remove the ability to install apps on the device.