The Minimal Company’s Minimal Phone has a 4.3-inch touch E Ink screen with a backlit black and white display. It’s a device meant for text over graphics, though it can handle those, too. A full QWERTY keyboard embedded harkens back to the carefree Bush Jr.

When the Minimal Phone was first announced this time last year, you might have been forgiven for thinking it was vaporware. But one year — and many delays — later, the world’s first Android phone with both an E Ink display and a physical QWERTY keyboard has begun shipping to backers.

The Minimal Phone is a crowdfunded smartphone featuring an E-Ink display and a physical QWERTY keyboard, kind of like a modernized BlackBerry—minus the color. Originally announced in 2024, the Minimal Phone experienced several delays but is now being shipped to backers.

That said, unlike some other phones for distraction-free, basic usage, the Minimal Phone does ship with an Android 14-based operating system and access to Google apps and services, including the Google Play Store. So you should be able to install third-party apps. Just keep in mind that some will work better than others on this device.