Introduction
A compact device the size of a credit card is a new product by Elari from Russia. This, so called nano device isn’t exciting features-wise, but peoples’ reactions when they see it are priceless. Elari still has its own set of capabilities and it is a perfect backup device once your main phone runs out of battery life.
Inside the factory box of this device you can find: user manuals, pogo pin unique charger, a microUSB cable as well as a little silicon case that will even further protect the phone.
What it is really capable for, let’s take a look together.
Video review
Unboxing
Display
CardPhone is a very small device, and as such it has a small display which doesn’t really fit the thin bezel trend. Here we have a 1.1” display, and it looks and feels very minimalistic.
The display works well in indoor environments, but as soon as you step outside the visibility comes down to nearly zero – you’ll be able to see almost nothing unless you cover the display with your hand. Another bad thing might be that the display is very prone to micro scratches. They are not as easily visible until you bring the device near the light source, but still, check out what happened in the images – and this is just from carrying the device in the pocket.
Hardware and OS
The system as well as other specifications of this device are listed as “classified” so we won’t talk about any phone specifications but rather its capabilities. Of course, we couldn’t start the AnTuTu benchmark on this device, so don’t even expect any benchmark results.
ELARI CardPhone on its top side has a little slider for auto screen lock. This phone supports Bluetooth, which means that you’ll be able to sync your contacts, and even place your calls through Bluetooth hands-free sets. ELARI CardPhone has just about enough memory to store around 500 contact details.
Due to its Bluetooth support it may serve as a remote control device. When you connect it to a Bluetooth speaker, there are options to fast forward and stop music. Another option that this little guy provides is sound recording which you can access through the main menu. Sounds are very nicely registered and reproduced through the factory speaker built into the device.
Of course, this is a phone, so you can also make and receive calls as well send and receive text messages. Calculator can be very useful as well, and it is also here.
Sadly, the CardPhone doesn’t have the hotspot mode which would be an incredible addition to this mini device, but there’s nothing we can do about it. Menu navigation, and the whole interface for that matter, can be quite confusing once you first get to use it, but after several days you get used to it.
Camera
ELARI CardPhone is mostly thought to be a backup device, and as such it unfortunately doesn’t even have a primary camera.
Connectivity
As we’ve already mentioned in the software segment, when it comes to wireless connections the phone only supports GSM networks and Bluetooth version 3.0. Call quality is really very good and it can be compared to any new phone.
On the back of the device there are 4 pogo pins that serve to charge up the device. It can store only one micro SIM card at the time.
Supported network frequencies are:
- 2G GSM: 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz
Battery
The CardPhone only has a single battery with the capacity of 200 mAh, but it also doesn’t have 4K display that would deplete the battery quickly.
On the standby mode, the battery can hold up to 7 days, and talking time with a full charge can be as long as 3 hours. Full charge takes only around 25 minutes which is great news. There is one small issue though in the battery section – the charger is uniquely built for this device only, so if anything happens you’ll probably have certain problems finding a new one.
Final words
Once again, we must say that the SIM card slot can be hard to open, and somehow it’s even more difficult to close. Still, ELARI CardPhone is, as we’ve already said, a perfect backup device which will not take too much room in your pocket. It only weighs 42 grams, but due to its size it does draw quite a lot of attention. This phone can be picked up in stores for around 40 euros which is more than reasonable price. On sales though they can go for as low as 27 euros – another reason why you should get this miniature phone.
ELARI CardPhone Full Specifications
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