It feels a little perverse to be exploring a device designed to banish the bad habits of smartphone usage at the same time as extolling the shiny new releases from the major tech manufacturers. The Balance Phone is not about megapixels, agentic AI or deep integration with your socials. Quite the opposite.
The Balance Phone
The Catalan brand is on a different kind of mission. Set up by Carlos Fontclara and Albert Beltran, Balance Phone has lofty aims – it wants to reclaim our lives from the tyranny of screen. Data is very much on their side – as is growing political will and the increasing emphasis on ways to digital detox. It’s also a fight against a rising tide; According to Spanish statistics, 70% of those aged between 10 and 15 already have a mobile.
Unbox simplicity: The Balance Phone
With all this in mind, Beltran and Fontclara believe that a hardware solution isn’t nearly as important as a behavioural one. Their new 'Balance Starts here' campaign emphasises the benefits of being a ‘Balance person’, someone capable of staying grounded and in the moment when everyone around them is subsumed by the glowing dopamine delivery system.
Spot the 'Balance person'
Thus far, owners of the Balance Phone have reported a notable drop in screen usage, reducing their scrolling time from over five hours down to an average of 1.5 hours a day – saving practically a whole day’s worth of time for other things. All this has been achieved through simple, intentional design choices, removing the candy box-style lure of a colourful home screen to return the phone to a simpler, less intrusive state.
We spoke with Fontclara and Beltran about their approach.
Carlos Fontclara and Albert Beltran, founders of The Balance Phone
Wallpaper*: What physical design decisions did you make with the Balance Phone to reduce the unconscious act of constantly having to check your device?
Carlos Fontclara and Albert Beltran: We focused on removing temptation rather than adding friction. There’s simply no access to addictive platforms, so the reflex to “just check” disappears over time. On top of that, the UI is intentionally calm and stripped back. Nothing flashes, nothing competes for your attention. The phone stops asking for you, and that alone changes how often you reach for it.
The Balance Phone
W*: How do you create an operating system that avoids this sense of constant hyperconnection?
CF and AB: We changed how the phone feels to use. No bright colours, no stimulating notifications, no infinite feeds. And crucially, no apps designed purely for consumption. You can communicate, navigate, listen to music, do what you actually need to do – but the OS doesn’t pull you into a loop of constant updates and alerts. It’s a phone that waits for you, instead of chasing you.
The pros and cons of balance
W*: What research did you conduct into the positive aspects of having a smartphone, and how have you accommodated these?
CF and AB: The starting point wasn’t academic research, it was personal experience. We’re very pro-technology, but we realised our phones had become far too central in our lives. They were no longer tools – they were the main character.
After starting the project, we did read a lot of research, especially around young people, screen overuse and mental health, and some of it was genuinely alarming. That reinforced what we already felt. So we kept what’s genuinely useful about a smartphone - communication, safety, orientation - and removed what hijacks attention.
The pros and cons of balance
W*: Can the Balance Phone be operated in a more intensive way when required, or is there only one mode?
CF and AB: There’s only one mode, and that’s exactly why it works. We remove what’s addictive at the system level, so you don’t have to rely on willpower. As soon as you introduce personalisation, you introduce negotiation with yourself - and that’s where things usually break.
The pros and cons of balance
W*: Is this reduction in intensive phone use something that could be achieved through an app, or is having your own hardware important?
CF and AB: We actually started with an app. The problem was that it was always reversible. In moments of stress or boredom, you’d disable it – and suddenly everything was back. You end up depending on willpower, which, unfortunately, rarely works. Having our own hardware and operating system makes the change structural, not optional. And that’s the real difference.
The Balance Phone
More information at TheBalancePhone.com, @TheBalancePhone