⭐3 Balance Phone
3 min read - The phone for conscious humans 📱
😩 Tired of endless scrolling? Meet Balance Phone, a Barcelona-based startup creating a smartphone that blocks distractions and helps users take back control of their day.
🔍 The Problem
We’re living in the golden age of tech—and the age of smartphone addiction. The average person checks their phone 96 times a day, and teens? They’re spending over 4 hours daily glued to their screens. This isn’t just about wasted time—it’s fueling anxiety, sleep problems, and even stunted social development.
🔬 The Solution
Here’s the idea: a smartphone that eliminates addictive apps like social media and games while retaining essential tools like messaging and maps, ensuring it remains functional for everyday use.
There are multiple players entering the minimalist smartphone space, but Balance Phone stands out. Its capped software prevents users from bypassing restrictions, unlike app-based solutions. Combined with its minimalist phone design and a growing brand presence, Balance Phone is carving a unique position in the market.
📈 Market Potential & Scalability
The global digital well-being market is on a steep growth trajectory, projected to expand from $50 billion in 2024 to $85 billion by 2030, as evidenced by the success of apps like Calm and Freedom.
Minimalist phones are gaining traction, appealing to parents, digital minimalists, professionals, and individuals struggling with phone addiction. These audiences can be reached through direct B2C sales and flexible B2B partnerships, such as with schools, workplaces, or wellness programs.
The timing is ideal. Growing awareness of tech addiction—seen in search trends, research, and media—has turned this from a niche issue into a broad, underserved market ready for innovation.
🚀 Stage
Balance Phone started as a software solution to block distractions but soon evolved into a plan to create a dedicated phone.
A Kickstarter campaign raised over €100,000, confirming excitement for the idea and setting the price at €279. However, the campaign was canceled to pursue a partnership with Samsung, enabling Balance Phone’s software to be integrated into one of Samsung’s devices. This collaboration will allow the company to scale production and bring the phone to market.
Right now, parents of teenagers are the company’s primary focus 👨👩👦—one of the most underserved markets, with the clearest demand for distraction-free devices, and with a huge positive impact on society. But as Balance Phone grows, it aims to expand beyond families, reaching digital minimalists, professionals, and anyone looking to take back control of their screen time.
👥 Founder Team
Founded by Albert Beltrán (ex-Amazon Ads) and Carlos Fontclara (a former product development engineer), Balance Phone is backed by a young, driven team that has spent the past year deeply understanding the market.
