stopped reading there
pretty bad signal
I have my iphone 13 mini for 4 years, having a Punkt MC03 for the same amount of time would cost me €1058. Thanks, but no thanks.
based on how they welcome new customers to their site, I can only assume this is the general vibe of the company also. (aggressively pushing crap)
> You can cancel at any time. Without an active subscription, certain core services and privacy features will be limited. To keep your MC03 fully functional, secure, and up to date, an active subscription is required.
Out of curiosity (I'm definitely NOT going to buy a Phone-as-a-Service), what exactly happens when you cancel your subscription? Does the smartphone brick itself? Does it let you flash a sane operating system that doesn't treat you as a cash cow?
Really put off by this though:
> If you don’t pay for a product, you are the product. With MC03, you pay to retain your data rather than paying with it.
So you have to pay >$100/year to maintain access to your device? Why do I need to pay to retain data that is on my own device?
This really nerfs the whole dumbphone movement for Europeans, which should be a key market.
I went on holiday with someone a few weeks ago who is toughing it out with a no-Whatsapp dumbphone. He missed the train home because he got locked out of the holiday cottage and couldn't get in touch with anyone.
Now a company offers it and every 2nd comment has the vibe of 'Why would someone pay a subscription for their "own" phone'. I guess that means the former vibe is not something most people actually want?
or how being locked in to a black box vpn instills a sense of having gained reliable true privacy?
Why? What is so important that they need me to notify about?
> They have a fork of an old version of GrapheneOS merged with LineageOS. They heavily marketed it as being based on GrapheneOS, but it's a very outdated version. Their devices don't have remotely comparable privacy, security, usability or app compatibility to official GrapheneOS.
Can someone please release a nice Sidekick like device with physical keyboard that supports Signal.
Most phones have them.
I'm building a portable pbx on a raspberry pi with some power banks I stick in a backpack and a dual sim 5g unlimited internet hotspot, and switch over to starlink 5g when that happens. I'll throw a media server in there (pirate everything), and use a small portable wireless streaming touchscreen. There are all sorts of useful UI and linux tools that can make it a far better experience than android or phones. If I need a camera, I'll buy a camera. I've got earbuds and bluetooth for peripherals.
2026 is the year I leave "phones" behind - not playing the subscription device game anymore. I left Windows last year. I'll get better service, real control, and no enshittification treadmill.
It's too bad it takes an inordinate amount of tech savvy to break out - Linux is well beyond good enough for grandma or the average user at this point. There's no reason beyond exploitation for profit for the kafkaesque intrusion into people's lives and data. If you've got the capability, break out.
This product is not breaking free. Same walls, different garden.
Besides that, the software that they expect you to pay rent for is a fork of LineageOS/AOSP, but it doesn't seem to mention anywhere on the site whether they donate any of the rent to their upstreams.
This phone requires a subscription in perpetuity, on top of the full purchase price.
Claim not found in article. If it was so heavily marketed, that would be in the announcement since they're mentioning other partners (Threema, Proton, the extra app store it ships...), and definitely on the product page (no mention of /graph.*/ there either)
Edit: found the specs button. It says the OS is based on AOSP (Android open source project)
My experience of not having a Whatsapp account and being in Europe is that I don't miss it.
I'm not in a few group chats with people that won't use Signal but that's it. I've never had an issue contacting any business or any indivdual.
Charge a subscription or sell the phone outright but don't do both.
I feel the same way about cars where you pay for the engine or the heated seats but can't use them without paying rent.
I don't have a cell phone subscription either. I use prepaid which actually is cheaper.
> They repeatedly said they forked it from GrapheneOS in their media interviews and marketing. They didn't keep following along with our improvements and have shifted away from presenting it that way, partly because we requested it.
And that also matches what is claimed here, they used to market based on this, they don't anymore.
On a holiday of 10 people, everybody exchanging numbers means 10x9/2 = 45 actions, with many of those edges between strangers (higher cost edge)
Each person adding their friend to the Whatsapp group is 9 actions, with all edges between friends (low-cost edge)
So in practice, only the second one happens. He had one other person's number, but that particular person didn't check their phone.
The "iffy" status reflects temporary development hurdles rather than a shift in Google’s openness to custom operating systems.
(Google delayed releasing the necessary source code to AOSP).
I get that this could indicate that they are dropping support in the future. But it seems to be fine for the Pixel 10?
Do they actually host anything at all? All I could find was their F-Droid repository with six (6) applications: https://store.aphy.app/fdroid/repo/. The rest must come from elsewhere (F-Droid's main archive?), but they don't indicate if they actually use the rent you pay to fund the third parties they depend on.
For comparison, the F-Droid archive consists of 4061 applications reviewed, built, and hosted by the F-Droid team for free.
Sure you will get a bit socially disconnected at times but that's about it.
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/PETI-CM-580731...
Most whatsapp groups ended up being muted by almost anyone because they are an annoyance so they are hardly the place where you would ask for help anyway because virtually nobody would get notified.

Made in Europe, the MC03 has an updated and more sustainable design and evolved features, with security and privacy at its heart.
2 January 2026, Lugano, Switzerland / CES, Las Vegas. Punkt. , the Swiss-based pioneer of beautifully designed, minimalist smartphones that give users privacy without friction, will be present at CES with its latest model, the MC03. This unique device, powered by AphyOS and housed within a German-built precision handset, follows through on Punkt.’s well known commitment to intentional tech use and data ownership.
Like its forerunner, the MC02, the new model is a subscription-based smartphone that offers users the tools and apps that are most important to them in an environment where they control access to their data and usage.
Using the Punkt. MC03, users can put privacy first with two defined repositories for depositing data. The first is named Vault, a protected enclave containing only trusted, Punkt.-approved apps and offering maximum privacy by default with a calm, design-focused user interface. The second, termed Wild Web, provides the freedom to install any app, but with strict, visible safeguards that allow easy privacy controls and can prevent data triangulation and unauthorized data flows.
“Privacy is being sought by people more than ever before, particularly as we enter the age of AI,” said Petter Neby, Founder and CEO at Punkt. “They are stressed and overwhelmed by the determination of Big Tech to track and monetise their every online movement. Punkt. offers them a solution – a modern, premium device without the need to compromise on their privacy.”
The MC03 features a new look and feel to its operating system allowing users to stay laser-focused on getting the best experience. AphyOS cuts out tracking and profiling technology, bloatware, hidden apps and unwieldy background services. It eliminates spying and runs hardened code to block attacks, assisted by a bank-grade Secure Element.
With the MC03, Punkt. is building a secure smartphone ecosystem where privacy is not an add-on, but the default. Supported by trusted partners such as Threema and, new for MC03, Proton, these services feature in the device’s Vault space.
Trusted services including Proton Mail, Proton Calendar, Proton Drive, Proton VPN and Proton Pass are available in an environment designed to minimize data exposure and tracking.
Punkt. and Proton are ideal partners, both leading within the Swiss Tech movement (with Swiss Tech you pay to retain your data, with Big Tech you pay with your data), operating independently and built around the principle that users, not platforms, control their own data.
Andy Yen, Founder and CEO of Proton said, “People deserve choice. Choice over the phone they use, the software they rely on and who they share their data with. By working with likeminded companies like Punkt., we can give users more ways to regain control of their privacy.”
The App Hub
Two app stores are available:
Premium Hardware
Manufactured at the Gigaset facility in Germany, the device delivers cutting-edge engineering for quality, security, repairability and sustainability, including:
Digital Nomad
The MC03 retains its built-in VPN, Digital Nomad, protecting connectivity and privacy wherever users are.
Ledger
Users control app-specific privacy, from full access to full restriction. Ledger also includes a Carbon Reduction feature, giving insights into the energy impact of installed apps and control over background activity.
“The MC03 builds on the success of the MC02 in privacy, control and security,” continued Petter Neby. “It delivers modern features with simplicity and minimal distraction.”
The Punkt. MC03 is priced at CHF / $ / €699.
If you don’t pay for a product, you are the product. With MC03, you pay to retain your data rather than paying with it.
A 12-month subscription to AphyOS from Apostrophy is included. After that, continuation requires a paid subscription:
Monthly at CHF / $ / €9.99
Subscription bundles are available, including a 3-year subscription at 45% discount and a 5-year subscription at 60% discount.
The MC03 is available to pre-order now, with deliveries in Europe at the end of January and North America from Spring 2026.
Images available for download here.