Unihertz
| File:Unihertz logo.png | |
| Unihertz | |
| Industry | Consumer electronics |
| Founded | 2016[1] |
| Founder | Stephen Xu |
| Headquarters | , China |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Stephen Xu (CEO)[2] |
| Products | Smartphones |
| Website | unihertz |
Unihertz is a Chinese firm that makes smartphones and has its headquarters in Shanghai, China. The company makes niche mobile devices running Android OS, and developed its brand through Kickstarter crowdfunding. The company's first release was the small-sized 4G smartphone named Jelly in 2017, which raised over 1.2 million dollars on the platform.
Company
Unihertz was founded by Stephen Xu. Unihertz was granted a United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) trademark on October 4, 2016,[3] and a US patent on December 25, 2018. [4]
Crowdfunding Smartphones
Unihertz gained attention in 2017 with the launch of a crowdfunding project for a tiny credit card sized Android smartphone named Unihertz Jelly, with the Kickstarter project achieving its goal of $30,000 in under an hour, reaching $1.25 million USD in the end.[5][6] The next year funds were raised for the Atom, a similarly tiny sized but rugged device.[7] In 2019 Unihertz launched the Titan, which has a QWERTY keyboard.[8]
Since then, Unihertz have launched or released the Atom XL with a 4-inch display, the Jelly 2 with a 3-inch display, and then the Titan Pocket in 2021.[9]
| Model | Main Features | Crowdfunding Achievement | Release Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jelly/ Jelly Pro | Unihertz's first Kickstarter project on Kickstarter. It was then the smallest 4G smartphone (2.45-inch screen display). It runs Android 7.0, which was later upgraded to Android 8.1 Oreo. The smartphone was also released on Indiegogo.[10] | US$1.25 million; 10,964 backers. | 2017 |
| Atom | The rugged version of Jelly, which is called the world's smallest 4G rugged smartphone. Atom is a rugged smartphone with an IP68 rating and the same screen size as Jelly. It runs Android 8.1 Oreo and has a better battery capability (2,000mAh).[11] | US$1.29 million; 5,310 backers. | 2018 |
| Titan | Titan was Unihertz's first try on the QWERTY smartphone of Android version. It is also an IP67-rated rugged smartphone with a large battery capacity (6,000mAh). The smartphone was originally Android 9 and can be upgraded to Android 10. | US$776,947; 3,085 backers. | 2019 |
| Atom XL/L | Atom XL and Atom L are the upgraded version of Atom, with a larger 4-inch screen size, which is still small and can be held in one hand, and a 4,300mAh battery. The only difference between XL and L lies in the presence of the walkie-talkie function. The smartphone runs Android 10, and according to the firm, is soon to be upgraded to Android 11.[12] | US$568,596; 2,341 backers. | 2020 |
| Jelly 2 | Jelly 2 is the successor of the first generation Jelly, the small-sized Android smartphone that shook the industry. It runs Android 10 and has a 2,000mAh battery capacity.[13] According to the company, it will soon be upgraded to Android 11 by the end of 2021. | US$0.97 million; 5,343 backers. | 2020 |
| Titan Pocket | Titan Pocket was released in May 2021 and was Unihertz's latest Kickstarter campaign. It is smaller than the company's previous QWERTY model and is equipped with Android 11 OS.[14] | US$0.8 million; 3,425 backers. | 2021 |
| TickTock | Runs the red velvet cake version, has a smart watch on the back. |
Controversies
There have been accusations of poor battery performance of the Unihertz Jelly, and network traffic possibly sending personal data to China. Responses claim the network traffic is to speed up apps, and the company has been updating the phone software to improve performance. It is not known whether this is connected to similar widespread problems, but the predecessor Posh Micro X was also criticized for running suspect software fotaprovider by adups, and the Jelly Pro does as well.[15][16]
References
- ^ https://cn.linkedin.com/in/stephen-xu-2796b8152 [self-published source]
- ^ Mini phone maker admits performance shortcomings. BBC. October 23, 2017.
- ^ "Uspto Issues Trademark: Unihertz". Highbeam Research. Archived from the original on November 18, 2018.
- ^ "United States Patent, Mobile Terminal". US Patent and Trademark Office. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
- ^ Jelly, the world’s smallest LTE and Nougat smartphone, reaches Kickstarter goal in under an hour. pocketnow.com
- ^ Cervantes, Edgar (June 3, 2017) Unihertz Jelly review: a tiny phone with huge aspirations. androidauthority.com
- ^ Cervantes, Edgar (December 27, 2018) Unihertz Atom review: You won't want to use it, and that's the point. androidauthority.com
- ^ Unihertz Announces Launch of Titan – Unbreakable Smartphone With QWERTY Keyboard. PR Newswire. July 30, 2019
- ^ O'Donnell, Deirdre (May 20, 2021) Unihertz puts its smallest physical-keyboard phone yet up for crowdfunding. notebookcheck.net
- ^ "Unihertz Jelly Pro Review". PCMag. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Miller, Mathew (June 5, 2018). "Unihertz Atom hands-on: Rugged tiny 4G smartphone keeps you connected in the field for less than $300". ZDNET.
- ^ Bernath, Chase (July 24, 2021). "Unihertz Atom XL review: Walkie-talkie meets smartphone". Android Authority.
- ^ Hager, Ryne (August 22, 2020). "Unihertz Jelly 2 review: Size matters". Android Police.
- ^ Wedel, Chris (August 24, 2021). "Unihertz Titan Pocket review: A phone that's trying to do so much in too little space". Android Central.
- ^ "Frequent network accesses by DuraSpeed". unihertz.com.
- ^ "Secret Back Door in Some U.S. Phones Sent Data to China, Analysts Say". The New York Times.