Titan Pocket: One Year On. It’s not a dumb brick, but it will reduce your screentime.
What led me back to Blackberry (almost) after two dead Google Pixels in a row. And why it feels so right to type.
Blackberry to Google — and back again
I was using a Blackberry Key2 in 2020 (and loving it), which is frankly the best looking and most practical smart phone ever produced, until I got a cute new kitten. At which point I realised the camera (dated, even in 2018) wasn’t up to the job. It made my beautiful cat Bear look like a featureless blob.
Therefore, with urgent memories to capture, I needed a phone that performed in low light. I was encouraged by a Google-loving pal to hop on the Pixel bandwagon.
When I got a Pixel 4 one thing was for sure: the camera was better. But something else irked me. Like every other smart phone these days, it was designed to capture as much of my attention as possible. Read: “scrollin’ scrollin’ scrollin’” to that tune by Limp Biskit.
So, when I dropped it 2cm from the floor, killing it instantly, I felt sweet relief (I also felt like it was a bloody rip-off, but hey). Nonetheless, I got another Pixel — from 4 to 5 (blame the cat). And the exact same thing happened again! They are made of porcelain.
If, like me, you hate appalling customer service, don’t even bother reaching out to Google for help. It’ll only add to the headache (abhorrent — they suggested throwing mine in the bin and getting a discount on the next).
Is that a Titan in your pocket or…?
I was adrift, yearning for simpler times, so I tapped at my Blackberry — but their devices are stuck forever on Android 8 (Oreo). I considered dumber phones too, like The Light Phone, but I’d rather not be stripped of simple pleasures like Spotify. Not yet.
But before long, I landed on Unihertz, who’ve had a stab at bringing the classic Blackberry design into the 20s.
The Titan Pocket is a titchy version of their Passport-sized Titan, for which you need enormous builder’s fingers. The Pocket, however, feels much more like a Blackberry Bold (snug in the palm). The keyboard spacing is not exactly the same, probably due to rights issues, but it’s close enough.
It’s built rugged, sturdy, and can be thrown across a gym floor unscathed. It’s not expensive either, at roughly 250 EUR. And surprisingly, it’s quite capable of running a much more recent version of Android.
Small phone, big differences
On the Pocket, I can listen to music, take a quick photo, log a film on Letterboxd, open maps, and even watch something on YouTube.
Not that I’d want to with the incessant ads — but also, because it has a teeny tiny screen. Which is its saving grace! Every time I whip it out, it serves as a no nonsense reminder that our phones should really be tools. Not everything-machines, miniature arcades, or political rabbit holes.
We shouldn’t ask them what to do or think. We should tell them what we want and need. And think for ourselves.
Typing! On a keyboard! It feels slower than on a touch screen, naturally. Predictive text can be disruptive, but touching buttons feels much more like a process. A reminder that choosing to message my friends, or sending an email, should not feel like a chore — my words matter — and I better make what I say worthwhile. Or at least amusing.
The keyboard gives me time to consider my thoughts. It encourages me to be more succinct. And, if I can’t be bothered, I’ll do what it says on the tin: phone.
Helping make the small stuff matter
You can install Instagram on a Titan Pocket, but you’ll look an absolute fool for doing so. There’ll be a lot more scrolling involved, obviously. And when you end up with one third of a pal’s semi-nude gym selfie occupying the screen, you’ll remember: that’s not what this phone’s for.
Hoorah! Through its very form it breaks the spell of social media. It’s great for quick phone calls, messaging, Google calendar, radio, looking up books on Goodreads, finding podcasts, even QR codes — the tidbits.
But what about my cat? What about the camera? Well — I got some amazing photos of Bear across his three years of life, on the Pixels and my compact camera too. But I do consider myself most fortunate for using a Titan Pocket during his last 6 months (despite its horrendous picture quality).
I was much more present, simply because my head was not in my phone. There aren’t so many photos to prove it, but the ones I do have — out of focus and blurry — remind me how special it felt to be with Bear.
Wherever there’s a modern keyboard phone at just 250 EUR, indestructible, with a headphone jack— that’s a no brainer. But if it also gives you back some time, it’s invaluable.
I took these photos using the Titan Pocket: just some of the fleeting moments I may have missed if I was hunched, scrolling away on a slightly smarter phone.
They are my “Titan Moments”.
