$148 Square Phone Puts Ikko’s $429 Gamble on Trial

Coolpad is not just launching a strange little phone; it is testing how quickly a distinctive smartphone idea can be turned into a cheaper commodity. The Coolpad Small Square has arrived in China with the same broad visual hook as the Ikko MindOne Pro — a compact square body, square display, and flip camera — but at a much lower price.

The device costs CNY 1099 (~$162/€139), with a launch discount cutting it to CNY 999 ($148/€127), according to Notebookcheck. The Ikko MindOne Pro, by contrast, is listed at $499 and currently discounted to $429. That gap is the whole story. Coolpad is asking whether buyers want the square-phone concept enough to accept a cheaper screen, weaker camera, less storage, and unknown software details.

Coolpad Small Square Turns a Niche Square Phone Into a Price Fight

The strongest read is that Coolpad Small Square makes the Ikko MindOne Pro look less like an isolated novelty and more like the first visible target in a new micro-category. Ikko announced the compact square-shaped MindOne last July, with a Pro model built around an AMOLED display, flip camera, and optional QWERTY keyboard case. Coolpad’s version follows the same broad silhouette but strips the concept down to a lower-cost package.

That similarity matters more than any single spec. In smartphones, unusual hardware is often the only thing that cuts through sameness. A square compact phone does that instantly. But if the shape can be replicated at less than half the price, the premium version has to defend itself with more than charm.

The counterpoint is obvious: Coolpad’s phone is not a clone on paper. It uses a 3.95-inch LCD rather than Ikko’s 4.02-inch AMOLED, has 128GB of storage rather than 256GB, and carries a 13MP flip camera instead of the MindOne Pro’s 50MP sensor. That makes the Small Square less a direct replacement than a cheaper interpretation of the same idea.

MLXIO analysis: the useful question is not whether Coolpad beats Ikko spec-for-spec. It does not. The question is whether the square-phone idea becomes more interesting once the entry price drops to CNY 999.

The Square Shape Is the Feature — and the Compromise

The Small Square lands as an argument against the default smartphone rectangle. Its appeal is easy to understand: pocketability, visual novelty, and the possibility of acting as a secondary device rather than a full flagship replacement. A phone this small does not need to win a camera shootout to earn attention. It needs to feel different enough to justify existing.

That same shape creates risk. A 720 x 720 display is distinctive, but Android apps are not typically designed around square phones. MLXIO analysis: users should expect the experience to depend heavily on software tuning. Messaging, short-form social posting, voice commands, and quick utility tasks may suit the format better than video, long typing sessions, or dense productivity apps.

Coolpad appears to lean into that lighter-use case with an AI companion and a dedicated AI button. Notebookcheck reports that the assistant can carry out tasks including ordering a cab, shopping online, and posting to WeChat through voice commands. The company has not said which Android version the phone ships with, and that omission matters because the software stack may decide whether the hardware feels clever or cramped.

For readers tracking phone design as a differentiator, this sits beside other recent MLXIO coverage of unusual device positioning, including IP69 Moto G87 Ditches the Ugly Rugged Phone Look for Good and Dark Cherry Steals the iPhone 18 Pro Color Fight. The common thread is not identical hardware. It is the hunt for something that does not look interchangeable.

The Spec Sheet Shows Exactly Where Coolpad Cut

The price gap between Coolpad Small Square and Ikko MindOne Pro is large enough that buyers will not judge them the same way. Coolpad’s launch price makes the phone feel experimental. Ikko’s pricing asks for more confidence.

Coolpad’s advantages are price and battery capacity. Ikko’s advantages are display quality, camera hardware, storage, software disclosure, and accessory support. Its own product page also describes the MindOne Pro as having Android 15 + iKKO AI OS, 90Hz AMOLED, Sapphire Glass (9H), and a 50MP 180° rotating Sony camera.

“No contracts, no SIM card needed, just power it on, and it works,” Ikko says of the MindOne Pro’s built-in global internet feature on its product page.

Coolpad has not announced anything equivalent. That leaves the Small Square looking more like a low-cost compact Android experiment than a full travel-and-AI device platform.

Coolpad’s Comeback Play Depends on More Than Nostalgia

Coolpad is not a random label. Coolpad Group Limited is a Chinese telecommunications equipment company headquartered in Shenzhen, incorporated in the Cayman Islands, and listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange as SEHK: 2369. The company was once more visible in smartphones than it is now, and the source description itself frames Coolpad as a brand that “may no longer be as popular as it once was.”

That context makes the Small Square more interesting. A faded smartphone brand does not need to beat Samsung or Apple to regain attention. It needs a device people notice. A square phone with a flip camera does that job immediately.

The risk is that attention built on similarity can cut both ways. Notebookcheck says Coolpad’s phone “looks like the MindOne/MindOne Pro,” while also stressing that the specifications are different. That is a careful distinction. There are no sourced accusations here from Ikko, users, regulators, or reviewers. Still, the public comparison is unavoidable because the square display, compact body, and flip-camera idea are the first things people will see.

MLXIO analysis: Coolpad’s best defense is execution. If the Small Square feels polished at CNY 999, similarity becomes less damaging. If it feels cheap, the phone reinforces the view that Coolpad is following rather than leading.

Buyers and Ikko Face Different Risks From the Same Device

For buyers, the Coolpad Small Square is tempting because the downside is capped by price. At launch discount, it costs far less than the MindOne Pro, yet still offers the core visual idea: compact square screen, rotating camera, AI button, and a pocketable form factor. The colors — Obsidian Black, Radiant Purple, Pink, and Frosty White — also suggest Coolpad wants the phone to be seen, not hidden.

But the unknowns are not small. Coolpad has not specified the Android version. It has not announced a keyboard accessory. It has not said whether the display has protective glass. Regional availability, warranty terms, software updates, and app behavior on the square screen remain critical practical questions.

For Ikko, the risk is dilution. The MindOne Pro can still claim stronger hardware and a richer software-accessory story. Yet a cheaper device with a similar first impression may force Ikko to explain why its premium costs are justified.

For developers and app makers, the issue is narrower: square displays are not the default canvas. MLXIO analysis: if more devices follow this format, app compatibility could become part of the category’s credibility. If they do not, square phones may stay fun in photos and frustrating in daily use.

The Next Compact Android Test Is Software, Not Shape

The Coolpad Small Square will likely be judged first as a quirky object and second as a phone. That is fine for launch buzz, but not enough for staying power. The real test is whether its AI companion, compact display, flip camera, and battery life form a coherent daily experience.

Evidence that would strengthen the thesis: confirmed Android version, clear update policy, broader availability, usable app scaling, and proof that the voice-command features work reliably in normal use. Evidence that would weaken it: poor software support, weak durability, awkward app layouts, or a launch that stays limited and quickly fades.

Coolpad’s move matters because it shows that even a lower-profile smartphone brand can drag attention away from another black rectangle. Whether that becomes a category or just a curiosity depends on the part Coolpad has not fully shown yet: the experience after the novelty wears off.

The Bottom Line

• Coolpad is turning a niche square-phone concept into a much cheaper option.
• Ikko’s premium model now has to justify its higher price with better specs and software.
• The launch shows how quickly distinctive smartphone designs can be copied into lower-cost products.