Unihertz titan 2 elite: a $389 smartphone with physical qwerty keyboard raises $3 million on kickstarter in 11 minutes
Unihertz, a small Shanghai-based company, has sparked a revolution in the smartphone industry with its latest offering, the Titan 2 Elite, a $389 device featuring a full physical QWERTY keyboard.
Unihertz titan 2 elite surpasses $3 million funding goal in record 11 minutes
The phone, launched on Kickstarter just a week ago, has already garnered over 6,000 backers, with a staggering $3 million in pledges. This incredible feat was achieved in a mere 11 minutes, leaving major smartphone manufacturers like Samsung and Motorola in awe.
The Titan 2 Elite boasts a 4.03-inch AMOLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, 5G connectivity, and runs on Android 16, with promised updates up to Android 20. The standard model packs a MediaTek Dimensity 7400 chipset, 12GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage, priced at $389. The Pro variant upgrades to a Dimensity 8400 processor and doubles the storage to 512GB, costing $479.
Unihertz sidesteps the usual argument that keyboard phones are too niche a product to invest in, by offering a mid-range device at a mid-range price, without the hefty marketing budgets and carrier deals that often come with flagship devices.
BlackBerry's failed attempts to revive the keyboard phone market serve as a cautionary tale for bigger brands. The brand tried to compete with flagship devices while charging premium prices for aging hardware. In contrast, Unihertz has committed to software support through Android 20 and security patches until 2031, a commitment that even some bigger brands struggle to match.
Clicks, another company venturing into the keyboard phone space, is set to launch its Communicator device later this year at $499. PhoneArena got hands-on with the Communicator at MWC and was impressed with its capabilities.
While the Clicks Communicator leans more towards being a companion device, the Unihertz Titan 2 Elite aims to be a user's primary phone. Both companies are betting on the demand for keyboard phones that the big brands seem to be ignoring.
What's next for samsung and motorola?
As Unihertz and Clicks prove that there's a market for keyboard phones, it's high time for Samsung and Motorola to take note. With the Titan 2 Elite and Communicator garnering significant attention and funds, it's clear that people still crave the tactile typing experience that a physical keyboard provides.
Perhaps the success of these smaller companies will prompt the industry giants to rethink their stance on keyboard phones. After all, Unihertz managed to pull in $3 million in just 11 minutes without the resources of the big brands.