The Chinese gadget maker Unihertz has unveiled a tiny Jelly Star smartphone that visually nods to the Nothing Phone style with a transparent back and a luminous underlay. This design cue places a spotlight on the device’s under-panel illumination, giving it a distinctive glow that catches the eye in everyday use.
By today’s standards the Jelly Star is compact, packing a 3.03-inch IPS display with a modest resolution of 854 by 480 pixels. The company has not released a full breakdown of the panel’s specific characteristics, but the overall effect is a compact, pocket-friendly screen meant for basic tasks, casual media viewing, and quick app access. The trade-off for the tiny footprint is a display that prioritizes portability over high-resolution detail, a choice that will appeal to fans of ultra-compact devices and those who value one-handed usability.
Performance is driven by a budget-friendly MediaTek Helio G99 chip paired with 8GB of RAM. This combination is designed to handle everyday duties, such as messaging, light gaming, web browsing, and smooth multitasking across several apps. Users should expect solid, if not flagship-class, responsiveness for daily use. Storage comes in at 256GB, offering ample room for apps, photos, and music, with room to expand through microSD options if available in this model family.
On the rear is a 48-megapixel main camera featuring a Samsung GM2 sensor, a practical choice for casual photography that should deliver usable shots in favorable lighting. The front-facing camera is an 8-megapixel sensor, suitable for video calls and quick selfies. While this setup won’t rival high-end devices, it provides reliable performance for everyday photography and social sharing, especially in good lighting conditions.
Power for the Jelly Star comes from a 2000mAh battery, supporting 7.5W charging. This capacity aligns with its emphasis on portability and light daily use, offering a light but manageable endurance profile. The charging speed is modest, making overnight or longer charging sessions the most practical approach to ensuring a full day of use for most users who don’t push the device hard with power-intensive tasks.
The Jelly Star runs Android 13, equipped with a physical fingerprint scanner for quick and secure access. The combination of Android 13 and a conventional biometric unlock method makes the device intuitive to operate while maintaining broad app compatibility and ongoing security updates with support typical for mid-tier hardware lanes.
In terms of build and silhouette, the Jelly Star measures 95.13 by 49.52 by 19.37 millimeters and weighs about 121 grams. The standout feature remains its transparent back panel, which exposes the internal layout in a way that echoes the aesthetic of modern glass-backed designs while incorporating two backlight elements beneath the clear surface. This lighting effect is designed to enhance the device’s visual appeal without compromising practicality, giving the Jelly Star its own signature look in the crowded budget segment.
Pricing details and the official launch date for the Unihertz Jelly Star have not been disclosed yet. The company has signaled that information will follow closer to availability, leaving potential buyers awaiting confirmation on the final cost and where to purchase the device. In the meantime, the Jelly Star stands as an intriguing option for enthusiasts who appreciate pocketable form factors and bold design cues in the budget smartphone category.
As a point of contrast, the Nothing Phone (2) is referenced here only to highlight the broader trend of transparent back designs and distinctive lighting accents in contemporary midrange handsets. The Nothing Phone (2) is anticipated to feature flagship-grade hardware and a higher price point, illustrating how manufacturers position devices along the spectrum from ultra-compact, budget-friendly options to premium flagships within the same design language family.