The world’s lightest phone is put through its paces
The Modu 1 is the lightest phone in the world and was obviously going to lack the majority of functions that have now become common. This could have been forgiven if the phone was any good, but this device is just too basic.
Firstly, inserting and removing the SIM card is very tricky as the cover is sealed tightly shut. Once you do get the SIM inside the device, most users will find that the only way to remove it is with a pair of tweezers.
The fact that Modu cannot get such a basic part of the design right is not a good start, and it doesn’t get any better.
With dimensions of 72.1 x 37.6 x 7.8mm, the Modu 1’s height and width is less than that of a normal credit card, but this is without one of the Modu jackets that slip around the device to make it comfortable to use.
Sliding the Modu into one of the numerous jackets makes it look like a normal phone and mercifully adds a regular keypad, improving navigation greatly. However, this excitement fades quickly as there is simply a lack of functions.
When not using one of the jackets, all navigational and alphanumeric input comes courtesy of four arrows, and the 1.3in screen sports a disappointing 128 x 96 resolution. The display is dull with basic menus, and the interface resembles those from the last century.
A 3.2-megapixel camera with 3.2x zoom is added when the Modu is slipped into a ’night jacket’, but unfortunately V3.co.uk was not provided with this particular case.
The phone feels like an MP3 player that can make calls and send texts. Music playback is decent, and battery life is an estimated eight hours, while talk time is a paltry 2.25 hours.
However, there is no 3.5mm jack for normal headphones, so the special Modu headphones have to be used, and they’re not particularly comfortable.
Writing even the simplest text messages or dialling numbers becomes very time consuming. Texting should be avoided at all costs when the Modu is not in a jacket. Even with a keypad, entering letters one at a time feels outdated.
