The quirky square phone I hoped to adore

The Ikko MindOne Pro is surprisingly compact. I keep referring to it as a square phone, which isn’t entirely accurate; while the screen is square, the device itself has a slightly rectangular shape. The camera flips up for selfies, and you can even prop it up partially, giving it a PopSocket-like functionality. There’s a Clicks-style keyboard accessory that adds a magnetic ring and a headphone jack. I really wanted to enjoy this phone, but it ultimately falls short in several areas.

I tried using it like a regular phone, even downloading a minimalist launcher to see if I could turn it into a sort of dumb phone. I experimented with the keyboard case on and off, but nothing felt quite right.

I first encountered the MindOne Pro at CES earlier this year. Made by Ikko, a Shenzhen-based company known for earbuds and audio gear, this device aims to be a small smartphone or an AI gadget—or perhaps a mix of both. It’s available globally for $499, though it’s currently discounted to $429 on the company’s site.

Despite its appealing design, I noticed some concerning signs right away, particularly when it heated up significantly during the initial setup. While it’s normal for a phone to warm up during setup, the MindOne got noticeably hotter than most devices I’ve used. A week later, it has cooled down a bit, but it doesn’t take much to heat it up again.

Battery life is another major drawback. I watched the battery percentage plummet from the mid-90s to the 60s in just an hour and a half, and I wasn’t even pushing it hard. Simple tasks like scrolling through reels, browsing Google Maps, and streaming music over Wi-Fi drained a third of the battery in under two hours. That’s not ideal.

The issues keep piling up. The innovative camera design is promising, but the actual camera performance is disappointing. Color processing is inconsistent; it handles daylight decently, but indoor shots in low light often come out with a greenish tint.

The phone’s square screen sounds good in theory, but it quickly becomes a hassle since most mobile web content is designed for vertical rectangles. The default setting fills the entire screen, which leads to cropping in vertical videos and websites. This isn’t great, and the on-screen keyboard takes up more than half the display.

Fortunately, Ikko has included some quick settings to help with this. There’s a resolution toggle that allows for more content on the screen, and an option to switch to a vertical aspect ratio with black bars on the sides. This is useful for text boxes and date pickers that don’t work well on the square display, but it results in a smaller usable area on an already compact screen.

Perhaps that’s the intention. I can see the MindOne as a minimalist phone or a secondary device for weekends. The idea of a phone that avoids the mind-numbing apps like Instagram is appealing. However, when you need an app like Uber, the limitations of a minimalist phone become frustrating. The MindOne allows you to open Instagram, but the experience is so poor that it might discourage usage. I found myself scrolling just as often, but with a less enjoyable experience. The best minimalist phone might just be a cellular smartwatch.

I also struggled to recommend the keyboard case. While it seems like a great idea, the keys felt more cumbersome than using the on-screen keyboard. Maybe I’m just out of practice, but I found it slower and more finicky than virtual keys. The inclusion of a headphone jack is a nice touch, though.

There’s a separate launcher on the MindOne Pro for AI apps that I’m not entirely sure about. It features a chatbot that lets you switch between LLMs and a notes app. Given Ikko’s Chinese roots, I was curious about how it would handle sensitive questions. When I asked if Hong Kong is part of China, it surprisingly responded in Spanish and said it couldn’t assist with my question. The device also includes a global eSIM that’s free to use with the AI launcher, but you’ll need to pay for messaging and similar services. The connection speed was slow in my area.

While the MindOne Pro has an appealing design, I think a phone with this shape was always going to face challenges. Trying to navigate websites and apps designed for rectangles through a square screen is a tough battle. Instead of a square phone, what we really need is a small, rectangular device with modern features. I’m hoping any manufacturer will consider reviving the iPhone Mini with a USB-C port and a battery that lasts all day. The MindOne isn’t that phone for me, but it might suit someone who doesn’t mind battery limitations and is less concerned about camera quality. For the rest of us, the search continues.