Cosmo Communicator is a fresh throwback to ages past

I am a fan of the Communicator form factor in mobile phones, and the Cosmo Communicator takes me down memory lane. It is a clamshell smartphone with a 2-inch display outside that opens up to reveal a 6-inch display and a backlit hardware QWERTY keyboard like a small laptop. Its design is a throwback to the days of the Psion palm tops and Nokia Communicators.

On the inside, however, this is a very up-to-date piece of work. For one, it runs Android Pie, with the option to also boot into Sailfish OS and Linux. There is a Mediatek Helio P70 chipset coupled with 6GB of RAM. Internal storage is 128GB. And for photography, there is a 24 megapixel camera.

The outer 2-inch display is for viewing your notifications. Open the Cosmo up to get productive. There is a fingerprint sensor too for security.

Planet Computers, the manufacturers, tout it as “a pocket computer, mobile phone and camera” rolled together in one.

Cosmo Communicator Specs

Networks: GSM, CDMA, WCDMA, 4G LTE

SIM: Dual-SIM  (second SIM is an eSIM)

Dimensions: 171.4 x 78.3 x 16 mm

Weight: 320g

Colours: Space Grey Metal, Gold-plated (limited edition)

Software/OS: Android 9 OS (Pie), Linux OS compatible

External Display: 2 inches, 570 x 240 pixels, Scratch resistant glass.

Internal Display: 5.99 inches, 2160 x 1080 pixels, AMOLED display.

Sensors: Accelerometer, compass, light sensor, gyro, magneto-sensor

Processor: Mediatek P70 Octa-core 2.0 GHz Cortex-A73

GPU: ARM Mali G72 MP3 @800MHz

RAM: 6GB

Internal Memory: 128GB

External memory: micro SD card

External Camera: 24 megapixels

Internal Camera: 5 megapixels

USB: 2x USB Type C, OTG support, HDMI out (via adapter cable)

Battery: Li-Ion 4220

Others: NFC, 3.5mm audio jack.

Communicators once ruled the mobile world. Will Cosmo Communicator live up to that legacy in today’s world?

Cosmo Communicator Price

The Cosmo’s regular retail price is $799, but if you support the project, you can cop one for just $549. Supporters/backers get their units in Amy 2019. Head over to the Indeigogo page for details