I finally decided to leave the iPhone cult and hop on the Android bandwagon. I got a Unihertz Jelly 2. It’s a $180 smartphone with a three-inch display and a perimeter the size of a credit card. 

There are three main reasons behind the downsize: to repurpose my phone into a practical tool, enhance its portability and to reduce my screen time. 

My Jelly can do all of the things that your iPhone 15 Pro can. I can get any app. I have mobile pay, a front and back facing camera, face and touch ID, bluetooth and a headphone jack. I listen to my tunes on Spotify and play Subway Surfers. I can respond to emails. I can post to my Instagram story and scroll through Reddit. She may be small, but she is mighty. 

Because my Jelly is so small, I’m more mindful with my phone use. There’s no point in scrolling through Instagram or wasting time on YouTube if the screen is so small. The Jelly is not to cure boredom or to be a procrastination crutch, and it’s not a security blanket in social situations. It’s a tool to communicate your whereabouts to a friend, to call your mom after class and to navigate to scenic spots like Rooks Park. 

That’s what finally led me to purchase the Jelly. I was biking back from Rooks Park, my speaker fastened to the handles. As DJ, I struggled to control the music — my iPhone X seemed to have grown in size, hogging up my entire hand. I struggled to maintain a firm grip on the bike’s handles while clutching my phone. I wondered, why must my phone require a whole hand? After all, I only have two of them. 

Over Fall Break I biked back to Rooks Park with my trusty Jelly. While on the bike I snapped some selfies and some pictures of the creek. Managing the music was seamless. It also fit perfectly in my pockets, which says a lot given how small the pockets are on women’s pants. It even fits in that tiny pocket in leggings reserved for earbuds (the girls will know). 

I’ve found myself posting more on my Instagram story with the Jelly. It feels more trivial because I know the camera quality can’t live up to the newest smartphones, so might as well have fun with it. In the past I’ve been mostly inactive on social media, dissuaded by my peers’ impeccable profiles and the idea of portraying a curated image of your life. 

To my surprise, the photos look remarkably good. There’s a slight graininess that adds a vintage charm. I’m having fun taking photos of random parts of my day and throwing it on my Instagram story. 

Repurposing the phone means changing how we use it. Phones have fundamentally changed the way we socialize — any moment of mild boredom or social anxiety is remedied with the pocket-sized computer. 

When I walk around campus or glance around a cafe, the omnipresence of phones is hard to ignore. The more you notice it, the more depressing it gets. I have started to wonder, what moments are we allowing to slip away? What are we being distracted from? Throughout our busy day, there are only a few moments when we find ourselves left alone with our thoughts: in the shower, and while cleaning. 

Beyond that, we’re distracted, often numbed, with the responsibilities of day to day life. Our smartphones end up devouring the spare pockets of time that might otherwise be spent in silent reflection, free of external stimuli. 

To be honest, my screen time has slightly increased. The novelty of the Jelly has me excited. I’ve spent time setting it up to my liking. To ease the Android transition, I downloaded a launcher to mimic an IOS interface. 

As it gets less exciting and the novelty wears off, I’m certain my screen time will waver. I’ve already noticed that I’m able to pause instead of automatically whipping out my phone in idle moments or bouts of boredom. 

The Jelly revolution is upon us. It’s not just about a smaller screen; it’s about a shift in perspective. We can reclaim our emotions, our social connections, and ultimately, a more mindful relationship with our devices. Size truly does matter, but it’s not always about being bigger.