A Different Starting Point
More than you’d expect from a smartphone this small. Now fit into something the size of a credit card. Smartphones have become more capable in almost every way, but truly compact options have become harder to find. We believed there was still a place for something smaller: a phone that was easy to carry without feeling stripped back or limited to basic tasks.
That idea became one of the starting points for MindOne.
Finding a Place for AI in Hardware
As models became easier to access, our attention started shifting toward how people would actually use AI. The model was only one part of the experience. The device, the interface, and the way people accessed it mattered too.
ActiveBuds had already brought a Smart OS into a wearable device. From there, we began looking at another, much more established form: the smartphone.
We started thinking about how AI could fit into a device people already used every day.
Why a Smartphone?
We didn’t want AI to depend on an entirely new type of device or a completely new way of using one. The smartphone was already familiar. It was where people communicated, worked, looked things up, and handled countless small tasks throughout the day. That gave us a clear starting point: keep the smartphone experience people already knew, make the device much smaller, and build a different way to use AI alongside it.
That idea became MindOne.
Two Systems, One Device
MindOne measures 86 × 72 mm and runs both Android and iKKO AI OS.
Android gives users access to regular mobile apps and services. iKKO AI OS is built around AI tasks such as translation and notes.
The two systems sit side by side because they serve different needs. Sometimes an app is still the simplest way to get something done. At other times, going directly to an AI tool makes more sense. Users can move between the two depending on what they want to do, without having to choose one experience over the other.
That choice is central to how MindOne was designed.
MindOne Meets the Public
MindOne’s Kickstarter campaign reached 3,411 backers and raised around USD $1.5 million.
People came to the project for different reasons. Some were interested in its compact size, while others were curious about the dual-system design, the AI experience, or simply a phone that approached things differently.
As MindOne reached a wider audience, we also began seeing how different people understood and used the product from their own perspective.
What We’re Thinking About Now
MindOne brought together two ideas: making a small phone that was still genuinely useful, and finding a practical place for AI within that experience.
What started as a way to bring those ideas together has also shaped how we think about AI hardware more broadly. As AI becomes part of more everyday tasks, how people access it will matter just as much as what it can do.
The goal is to make that interaction feel more natural, while giving people more choice in how they use technology.