As companies race toward ever-thinner phones with massive displays, I’m thrilled for a chunky 16mm-thick pocket computer concept shown off at CES 2025 with a small 3.4-inch display. Let me show you why I want this DIY Linux handset as a phone.

Your Smartphone Is 3.4″ When You Work or Emulate Games

Yes, modern smartphones come with, on average, a 6.5-inch display. You can use all that screen real estate to watch TikTok or YouTube videos, scroll social media, and even read this article. But what happens when you type on your phone? Or use it to emulate games, for that matter? You get a virtual keyboard or gamepad blocking half of the screen.

And, let’s be honest—virtual keyboards or gamepads are just terrible for heavy use. It’s impossible to type fast without missing a keystroke. Swipe typing might help improve your overall speed, but it’s not a solution if you’re writing code and need to enter special characters. Likewise, using the virtual gamepad can be a massive headache. You often end up missing key presses because you were concentrating on the game and didn’t hit the right key, because there’s no way to feel for the right key—there’s nothing to feel!

This is where the Mecha Comet comes in. Displayed at CES 2025 but yet to be funded for manufacturing, it’s essentially a pocket computer running Linux sporting a smartphone-like form factor with double the thickness—justifiably so for its excellent I/O (Input/Output) options. The front half of the device is expected to have a 3.4″ LED touch-screen display, while the bottom half is completely modular with a magnetic snap to connect a physical QWERTY keyboard, a gamepad, or even a GPIO (General-Purpose Input/Output).

As such, if and when you want to type a long essay or do some scripting in the terminal, you can slap on the keyboard accessory. Once you’re done working, you can take it off and snap on the gamepad to emulate your favorite NES or Gameboy titles. This gives you the necessary and satisfactory tactile feedback as you work and play!

It Can Also Work as a Portable Linux Phone

It’s also worth noting that the modularity of the Mecha Comet is planned to far exceed that of what you can add to the magnetic snap. According to the creator, you can connect a 4G modem to the device and use it to make phone calls.

Furthermore, they also mentioned that the specs of the extensions are open-sourced, which means people can create their own snap-on extensions. This means, theoretically, you can snap on a screen extension on the bottom and have an almost full-screen smartphone experience—minus the divider between the two screens.

So, while we have a lot of options in the Linux phone segment, nothing seems to have really caught on. It might be because all the Linux phones are presenting themselves as alternatives to Android or iPhone, saying we can also do what those devices can! But the Mecha Comet would come at it from a completely different angle, delivering a breath of fresh air that the Linux smartphone segment needs, at least for us geeks.

Just look at it—the retro appeal with the bulky build, removable battery and back cover, headphone jack along with tons of I/O ports, insane repairability, an allen key behind the back cover to open up the device, and hardware-level customization with the magnetic snap accessories. If you ask me, that’s the hardware equivalent of the Linux software experience.

It Won’t Be Replacing Everyone’s Smartphone, Though

While I’m extremely hyped for the Mecha Comet, I don’t see it revolutionizing smartphones. There’s a reason virtual keyboards and touch controls have become the standard—it’s versatile and convenient. If you were to daily-drive the Mecha Comet, and actually take advantage of different input methods for different scenarios, you’d need to carry the accessories with you. This immediately makes it less portable than a smartphone.

That said, the Mecha Comet isn’t trying to replace your smartphone. The creators are looking at it as a platform, something people will build on to create unique stuff. However, if released as-is, I would still use it as a functional portable computer for in-home use. You can keep it on your desk and use it for certain specialized tasks. I’m particularly excited to use it as a home automation hub. It can also function as a portable home server that you can carry from room to room. You can also keep it in your living room as a family device, something the kids can game on, or use to control smart home gadgets.

I’m Optimistic, But Cautious

As you can see, I’m excited about the Mecha Comet, and if you’re a tech enthusiast and a bit of a tinkerer, like me, you’re probably excited as well! Unfortunately, here’s where I need to pump the brakes for a bit. At the time of writing, the Mecha Comet is just a prototype that was demoed at CES. It’s heading to Kickstarter soon, and we’ll have to see how that goes.

But I have to say, as far as concept products go, I find this really fascinating and something that can potentially come to fruition. They’re not trying to build some grand sci-fi product. It’s essentially a specialized tool that captures the retro sensibilities of the 90s and 2000s where repairable and portable pocket computers were the norm, with hardware-level customization and user choice. They also have a professional website and the technical details seem thorough. Almost everything is open-sourced. The design and form factor look retro enough that it should be doable.

So I do see potential. But will it live up to this potential? Only time will tell. I have seen one too many Kickstarters fail and disappoint! As such, this is not a recommendation for you to invest in the Mecha Comet—only do so if, and only if, you have done your research. The reason I spotlight this device is to show the power of modularity, the different use cases it can unlock, and how the uniformity in smartphone design is potentially stifling innovation.