A new device combining Samsung’s Galaxy A37 hardware with Balance OS aims to reduce distraction by restricting access to social media and entertainment, offering users a more focused mobile experience without sacrificing key features.
The Balance Phone is built around a simple premise: take a mainstream Samsung handset and turn it into something far less distracting. In practice, it uses Samsung’s Galaxy A37 as the hardware base and layers on Balance OS, a stripped-back interface designed to minimise temptation. The result is not a pure dumbphone, but a deliberately restrictive device that keeps useful communication and navigation tools while cutting out most of what typically consumes time.
As a piece of hardware, the Galaxy A37 is more polished than its pricing might suggest. The phone uses a plastic frame with a ceramic-like finish, and the curved sides make it comfortable to hold. Samsung also fits a 6.7in Super AMOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate, which gives the screen a bright, fluid feel. Other reviews note Gorilla Glass Victus+ on both sides and IP68 water resistance, which helps explain why the phone feels more premium than many rivals in the same class. The downside is size: it is broad enough to feel awkward in smaller pockets, and the glossy back attracts fingerprints.
Balance OS is the defining feature. Once unlocked, the phone opens to a bare, text-only home screen with no colourful icons or animated prompts. Apps can be limited to a small set of approved tools, and the system blocks entertainment, gaming and social platforms at both app and web level. That means services such as Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Netflix and games are shut out, while messaging, maps, transport, work and fitness apps remain available. It is an uncompromising approach, but that is precisely the point.
Cameras are more conventional. The A37’s 50MP main sensor delivers sharp, balanced images with good detail and natural colour, while the ultra-wide camera is serviceable but less refined at the edges. Zoom performance is acceptable at modest levels, though digital zoom quickly exposes noise. The selfie camera is competent too, producing clear, well-exposed portraits without heavy processing. It is not flagship-grade photography, but it is more than adequate for everyday use.
Performance is brisk for normal tasks, helped by the fact that Balance OS prevents the phone from being bogged down by video, gaming and endless background activity. The 5,000mAh battery is one of the strongest arguments for the concept, with the phone lasting about two days in typical use. The lack of wireless charging is a minor omission, but not a major one for a device that is meant to be charged less often and used more intentionally.
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