Enough phone made by and for people fed up with big screens

Developing a new smartphone is currently a difficult task, yet it may also be an ideal moment to enter the market. Brennan Jordan and Austin Boer are two of the three people behind the Enough Phone, a compact device that will offer users a choice between stock Android or the minimalist OdysseyOS. The project is currently seeking funding on Kickstarter and has already secured over half of its $250,000 goal just one day after the launch.

The planned specifications for the Enough Phone include a 5.3-inch screen, a 3,500mAh battery that users can replace, a MediaTek Dimensity 7500 chipset, 8GB of RAM, and a 50-megapixel Sony rear camera sensor. The device dimensions listed on the Kickstarter page suggest a size similar to the iPhone Mini, which is notable as both Jordan and Boer are former users of that model.

The pair cofounded a software startup named Sleke, which sells refurbished handsets equipped with OdysseyOS, a minimalist version of Android designed to reduce distractions. Boer stated that installing their software on existing phones benefits sustainability and allows them to bring their product to the market more quickly. While they currently sell small batches of Pixel 8 and 9 phones via the Sleke website, Boer noted that some customers felt these devices were too large for a minimalist operating system.

“One of the biggest things that we get is, ‘I don’t want this large of a phone for a minimal operating system,’” says Boer. The duo wanted to build a small phone and the chance arose when Will Stults, who runs an online store for non-smartphones called Dumbwireless, approached them. Stults also contributes his experience with the smartphone manufacturing process, gained through previous work with a major phone brand.

Developing hardware is challenging, and 2026 has been a difficult year for both large and small phone manufacturers. A chip shortage has increased costs and created a scarcity of RAM. Jordan and Boer are feeling these pressures, particularly regarding retail prices. While the Kickstarter campaign provides discounts for early backers, the Enough Phone will eventually retail for $599. “We don’t want to be charging as much as we are,” says Boer, “but as a startup you can only do so much.”

The company is self-funded and intends to remain that way to maintain control over their own priorities, he explained. Boer suggested that outside funding could alter their approach and potentially force them to reduce their promised five years of software support or cut costs elsewhere. As it stands, the project remains on schedule and is currently in the production tooling phase, according to the Kickstarter page.

Plans are in place to ship the phones to customers in May 2027, although a footnote warns that the “ripple effects across the entire electronics manufacturing industry” caused by the RAM shortage could still cause delays. Prospects for fans of small phones were already difficult before the chip crisis. Apple released its final Mini five years ago, and there is no sign of a successor. Asus previously offered the Zenfone as a compact Android option before increasing its size and withdrawing it from the US market.

Pebble founder Eric Migicovsky previously discussed launching a small phone but has since changed his focus. Meanwhile, the Unihertz Jelly Max is small but features specifications that fall behind modern midrange handsets. Boer views this market gap as an opportunity, even during a global RAM crisis. “Nobody was doing it, and we’re kind of seeing why — because it’s not the ideal time to start. But that also kind of makes it the ideal time to start, because no one else is doing it,” he says. “Let’s just do it ourselves.”