The Smartphone That Ditches the Scroll: Introducing Sage Mobile, the World’s First ‘Healthy iPhone’

In an age where digital dependence is more or less a given, and screen time is measured in guilt rather than minutes, a quiet rebellion is emerging. It’s not a movement driven by detox retreats or minimalist manifestos—it’s a smartphone. One without Instagram. One without TikTok. One, in fact, without the entire infinite-scroll circus. Enter Sage Mobile: the world’s first “healthy iPhone”, now launching in the UK.

The brainchild of US-based Techless, Inc., Sage Mobile isn’t just a tech release—it’s a counter-cultural statement. Sleek, familiar and pre-loaded with intentional simplicity, this is the iPhone reimagined for a generation that’s had enough of algorithm-driven overload. And whether you're a parent buying a first phone for your child, or a creative carving out headspace in a hyper-connected world, Sage is designed to help you tune back in—by switching off the noise.

Digital Discipline, Built In

Unlike traditional smartphones that pile on features in a race for your attention, Sage strips it all back. Out goes the browser, the app store, and every dopamine-charged distraction. In their place? Only the essentials: calls, messages, music, maps, calendar, camera.

Even the set-up has been engineered to avoid the usual back doors and digital workarounds. The interface is streamlined, clean. You won’t need to worry about a child sideloading YouTube or Snapchat. And you won’t find yourself mindlessly flicking through news feeds at 1am. This is tech with boundaries built into its bones.

“We didn’t want to build a ‘parental control’ phone,” explains Chris Kaspar, CEO and founder of Techless. “We wanted to build a device that’s safe by design, not safe by surveillance.”

Hardware You Know. Software You Don’t.

Sage is built on the bones of Apple’s iPhone 16e and 16 Pro models—yes, proper iPhones. But each comes preloaded with Sage’s custom software, bundled into a monthly subscription that includes mobile service and AppleCare support (standard on the 16e, AppleCare+ on the Pro).

The pricing is straightforward: £99.95/month for the 16e and £149/month for the Pro, with no credit checks or long-term contracts. The one-time setup fee (refundable within 14 days) gets you started. No faff, no fine print.

Pre-orders have already opened, with devices shipping later this August following an extended QA period. Early adopters get 50% off their first month.

A First Phone Without Regrets

Make no mistake: Sage is squarely aimed at modern parents who want to give their kids a phone without handing over the digital keys to the kingdom. But there’s a broader appeal bubbling under the surface. In the US, its predecessor—Wisephone—sold out four consecutive times, driven not just by families, but by young professionals, designers, musicians and mindfulness advocates who wanted a pocket companion that didn’t hijack their attention.

It’s the kind of device you can actually switch off from. Or rather, one that helps you not forget how.

A Cure for the Always-On Culture?

The UK launch arrives at a timely moment. With online safety legislation under scrutiny and recent figures from the NSPCC revealing over 7,000 online grooming crimes in a single year (most targeting 12–15-year-olds), Sage’s model of simply removing the risk, rather than trying to monitor it, feels both radical and refreshingly obvious.

More than that, it taps into a growing fatigue with tech itself. This isn’t about banning phones. It’s about changing our relationship with them. About creating digital spaces that don’t compete with our real lives—but support them.

Safe. Simple. Familiar.

Sage’s tagline—“A Healthy First Phone™”—could just as easily apply to the rest of us. Because in 2025, the boldest tech statement might not be what your phone can do. It’s what it doesn’t.

http://www.sagemobile.com/