Unihertz Atom - The World's Smallest 4G Rugged Smartphone with Android 9.0 Pie, Unlocked, 4GB RAM, and 64GB ROM (T-Mobile & Verizon Support)

So, I like to support things I love, and things that are different. I have to say, I've really fallen for this little phone. It's called the Atom, as in the smallest unit of matter. And it's made by a strange-phone-producing company called Unihertz. I just want to endorse this phone because it's so dang cool, feels great, and it just plain gets out of my way.For people who don't want to stare at screens when they leave the office, people who would rather spend time with family instead of social networks, and for people who don't want to carry around an enormous wafer of glass in their pocket, this little thing fits the bill. Great for phone calls, calendar, the occasional note or photo. You can even search things on the web, if you really want to. It's just as fast as a giant rectangle and can do the same stuff. But with a screen just over 2", not wanting to spend a beautiful, sunny day on your phone is kind of the point here. As it should be.For my phone wish list, while the Atom doesn't quite check all of the boxes I would like, it does check a lot of them. I didn't realize a phone's form factor would be so important, but that's become my favorite thing about this phone. It's hilariously fun to make calls on this little thing, and it feels GREAT in the hand.So HOW could the Atom be improved? Here are a few things...On Cloud AvoidanceFor those weird ones among us who want to avoid cloud services, the Atom needs much better USB sync with the Mac. Once you get the hang of USB settings on the phone, third party SyncMate sort of works, but it's slow and cumbersome and sometimes only works if the phone is kept active through the sync. And if you have an old calendar, a lot of contacts, and a few photos, SyncMate will time out every time. You have to rely on manually exporting photos using Android File Transfer. Seriously? This is all a royal pain in 2022 that ought not exist.On Ditching GoogleLike most Android phones, Google has its tentacles wrapped around the Atom phone. Want to download an app? You have to sign into Google, or find some alternative. Directions? Google. Not to mention Google tracks everything. I realize that escaping Google for syncing, directions, etc. is quite the feat unless you're a Librem 5, a PinePhone or a ClearPHONE. But I wish more companies would try to do it. Seems like Unihertz, with their Apple-like "think different" approach is in a good place to put the "hertz" on Google. I wish they would.On Beefing Up the BatteryThe battery on the Atom is decent. It will last about a day. Maybe a day and a half with low use. And it might be better still than the tiny Palm Phone. But it could be better. If it would last 3-4 days like my old BlackBerry Classic, you'd really have something.On Right to RepairLastly, right to repair. Unihertz, please take a cue from companies like FairPhone. Make your phones user upgradable and repairable! List parts and prices on your website and provide instructions to users. At least make the battery easily replaceable. Sustainability is fine, but it's mostly about convenience and long product life for me.On Carrier and Purchase AvailabilityAs of this writing, AT&T has booted me, a customer for over a decade, off of their network citing that they would no longer support the Atom. Unihertz says that Verizon will support this phone so long as the SIM card is activated in another phone and the IMEI numbers on the phone are updated (instructions for which are available through Unihertz customer care). Verizon will neither confirm nor deny this, though I have briefly used their prepaid plan with the Atom following this method and the Atom's convenient dual-SIM feature.Enter T-Mobile. To my surprise and glee, T-Mobile openly still supports the Atom, per their customer care AND as reflected through their website's "bring your own phone" IMEI search. So far, the phone works great on T-Mobile, and I'm happy with the service.In short, there needs to be more support for the Atom in the U.S. And there should be more places to buy it and other unique phones like this. You can forget finding the Atom locally, and that's a crying shame. Personally, I blame Americans, with our tendency to buy whatever top corporations sell in the phone stores. We need to work on that.In Summary...I wouldn't say these were cons to me purchasing the phone, so much as they are a "wish list" of things I might like to see next in future iterations of the phone, and upgrades to be made.For me, though the Unihertz Atom doesn't have a perfect score for my wishlist, I would say its most endearing feature, being size, outshines every other phone I've looked at. And that's why I got it. This tiny thing is still such a novelty to me that I can't seem to get over. In terms of form factor and general function, I think Unihertz hit this one out of the park. Looking forward to seeing what comes next for the Atom.

Ive had this phone for 5 months now and have no plans of going back to a bigger phone. This does fit in your watch pocket in your pants! And surprisingly the rope it comes with is very handy. I was driving and the phone slipped inbetween the seats. I thought I would have to pull over and dig, but when I reached down, the string was sticking out and out came my phone!I get asked about it all the time. Is that a phone? I thought it was a gps or ipod... Nope, Its my phone, see I got spotify, Audible, facebook, instagram, (edit) Snap Chat now works.Can you type on it? Yea, but it takes getting use too. I often just use voice to text if I have a lot to write.USB-c is the bomb.Finger print reader and face recognition are so so, but one or the other is usually working.When I was looking for my next phone, I wanted to spend less time on it. But I still probably spend to much time scrolling... So the screen is small, but it works for even watching short videos. And something I didn't initially perceive, that its too small for my parents to read. They quit looking over my shoulder because they can't even see what on it. :)-Ive tossed it in full beers a few times, and even ran it over without a scratch. Unfortuntly, if you hit the screen correctly (like I just did two hours ago by running it over with the side by side 4x4 while the glass was facing down on rocks) You can break it. But I don't see any phone screen making it through every impact. So here I am buying my second one.This is the coolest phone I have ever had.

UPDATE 25May2021: I used the Atom for a month but became increasingly frustrated with the tiny keyboard and frequent errors made while texting even very short messages. I've now been using Jelly 2 for almost 2 months and the difference is amazing. I much prefer Jelly 2 in almost every way. Jelly 2 has more RAM and storage, plus the option to use a micro SD card in the second SIM slot, and, most importantly, the slightly larger screen is enough of an improvement that typing is worlds easier.I'd recommend Atom for folks who want a tiny, rugged phone to use as a temporary alternate to a larger or more fragile device, or something that will really discourage screen use. Those who want a small phone to use as a daily main smart phone replacement would probably do better with Jelly 2. Those who watch a lot of videos or play games on a smart phone and need to prioritize screen and battery size should probably skip both.-----I was recently forced to give up my beloved LG enV2 when I switched to a different Verizon plan. After 13 years of using a circa 2008 qwerty feature phone, I had trouble adjusting to the size and function of the Alcatel Flip phone that Verizon recommended, and I knew I didn't want anything as large as an iPhone or similar smart phone. I only need a phone for talk and text and decided to take a chance with something that was the right size for my needs.I've had the Unihertz Atom for almost a month and I quite like it. First, I did the SIM card switch and so far it's working fine with my Verizon plan. If it stops working for any reason, I'll be switching to AT&T. Second, although I'd like it to be maybe a quarter or half inch wider (ideally to allow for MicroSD card use), I don't find the small size problematic. It's more narrow than the LG enV2 that I'm used to, but still feels substantial and sturdy in hand. Texting can be a bit tricky, but it's not nearly as bad as I feared and is worlds easier than using a flip phone number keypad for texting. A tiny bluetooth keyboard is a huge help when I need more accuracy.I haven't had a problem with battery life, either; since I mostly just use talk and text and the occasional email, my screen time is low and I can usually go 3 days between charges.Photos attached show the size of the Unihertz Atom, the texture on the back, the mini bluetooth keyboard that I slip into a pocket of my purse, and a size comparison with a few other phones that I had available.For folks who need a phone mostly for talk and text and prioritize size over features and battery power, the Unihertz Atom is a great option.