Meadow is a square phone that ditches distracting apps and I absolutely want one

(Note: The article has been updated with a statement by Meadow founder, Shreyas Narlanka. The original story is as follows.)

We all know that feeling. You sit down for dinner, put your phone away, and five minutes later, you’re checking it for no particular reason. With apps like TikTok and Instagram that are designed to steal every bit of your attention, it’s hard to stay in the moment. 

To cure us of our smartphone obsessions, a new line of devices has emerged that tones down the smartphone experience, giving you access to only essential apps. However, most of those phones are too minimal in my opinion. 

Meadow is a new device that aims to change that, striking the perfect balance between usability and minimalism. It’s a secondary smartphone designed to give you the essentials: your phone number, maps, music, a camera, ride-hailing apps, and nothing else. 

What can Meadow actually do?

Setting up Meadow doesn’t take any technical knowledge. The erstwhile phone number-linking chore has now been deprecated. “We’ve since stripped that from the product. It’s now a separate number and has text messages as well,” the company’s Shreyas Narlanka tells Digital Trends. From there, you pick your apps from a curated list of essentials. It supports most of the essential apps, including Strava, Spotify, Google Maps, Uber, and a notes app.

While the specs don’t really matter for such devices, here’s what’s listed on their website. They don’t mention the processor, so I assume it will be a low-end one, which is not a surprise considering its price. 

Think of what you use your smartphone for? You use it for texting and calling, listening to music, podcasts, and audiobooks, navigation, and hailing rides. Meadow covers all these basics, so you will never feel restricted by it. I cannot say the same for other dumb smartphones I have tried in the past. 

Should you buy one?

Meadow costs $399 and is set to ship in June 2026, with free returns if it’s not for you. There’s also a $10/month subscription that gives you access to unlimited photo storage, calls, and text. 

Whether this is optional, I cannot confirm from their website. It is free for the first nine months, so you do get ample time to test the service. 

Meadow is not a replacement for your phone, but that’s exactly the point. It’s a device for the moments when you want your phone to do less. If you find yourself mindlessly scrolling when you promised yourself you wouldn’t, Meadow might be worth a look.