The Banana phone – slipping into the niche fruit themed phone market next to Apple and
BlackBerry.
It's time to see if this newcomer can hold it's own during a durability test.
The box says “Talk more, smile more, and save the gorillas.”
I wasn't planning on saving any gorillas this morning, but this phone just talked me into it.
Let's get started.
[Intro]
Inside the box we get some instruction booklets, the Banana phone itself, and a micro USB charging
cable.
Pretty simple design so far.
My Banana has 3 buttons and is about the same size as a real banana, which I've included
here for scale.
Apparently by buying this phone, 1% of the sales are donated to Gearing up for Gorillas,
an organization working out of the Congo.
So that's kind of cool.
Grabbing my Mohs picks, there is no screen on this contraption, mostly because it works
exclusively through Bluetooth and acts as a wireless Bluetooth headset for your current
phone.
The whole thing appears to be made from yellow plastic - up here by the earpiece as well
as the stem is all plastic.
The yellow buttons are also made from plastic, and the rest of the shaft down here next to
the microphone is plastic.
It's literally now possible to pair a Banana with an Apple via Bluetooth – and if that's
not the future, I don't know what is.
Peeling the Banana down at the bottom near the micro UBS charging port reveals more plastic.
I can see why the box said “Do not eat”.
You'd have to be bananas to eat this Banana, because going bananas means...yeah...right.
But is the Banana structural?
That is what we've all come here to find out.
Gripping the tropical fruit with both hands and flexing the construction reveals a solid
build quality.
There is some creaking along the outer plastic peel, but the Banana remains solid and intact.
I would not worry about keeping this Banana in your pocket – unlike a real banana which
would definitely not be safe in your pants.
Here in the United States bananas are usually eaten raw, but in other parts of the world
there is a member of the banana family called Plantains that is fried and is surprisingly
delicious.
My lighter doesn't cook this Banana real good, but I'll include a recipe in the description
if you want to make some real plantains for yourself.
You're currently watching a grown man play with a banana.
Let that sink in for a second, and figure out what life decisions got you to this point
and then let's keep going.
It's time to take this Banana apart and review it from the inside.
The Banana has no visible exterior screws but does have a nice seam along the outside
that allows the Banana to peel in half, getting our first look inside.
And I'll be honest, there's quite a lot of wasted space in here.
There is plenty of room for wireless charging or even a headphone jack.
This is not an efficient Banana at all.
Curious enough though, there are 2 Phillips head screws holding down a large block of
solid metal.
People generally associate weight with quality, so adding a metal banana core, while decreasing
nutritional value, would indeed provide a false sense of quality and substance.
A nice little trick there Banana maker.
There are 4 screws holding down the motherboard to the Banana peel.
There is no water proofing inside the Banana but there is a lot of hot glue holding in
all the components.
It's a very inexpensive, yet effective construction technique.
Up top we have the largest earpiece I've ever seen inside of a phone, held in place by the
same hot glue we see everywhere else.
It's hard wired to the motherboard just like the microphone down at the bottom of the Banana.
Repairability wasn't high on the priority list during the Banana design process...no
Lego connections anywhere.
I was finally able to pop the charging port out of the device, but not before it snapped
in half rendering my Banana un-chargeable in the future.
But at least we got to see the insides.
The battery is a 450 milliamp hour, which gives this Banana about 10 hours of talk time.
Apple's usually have closer to 14 hours of talk time, and finally Apple beat another
phone at something.
Thumbs up for that.
The 3 buttons are all injection molded into one piece.
Overall I would have to say that the Banana shape is a great form factor for a cellphone.
It has a nice curve to it – way better than something round like an orange...or this carrot.
I love carrots.
Do you like carrots?
What's your favorite fruit?
Do you think Banana phones are going to be the next big thing?
Let me know in the comments.
If you want a Banana phone of your own, I'll put a link down in the video description.
And thanks a ton for watching.
I will see you around.