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De-Googled Android · Brax Technologies · United States

Brax Wink by Brax Technologies

Pre-order Sold to US buyers No Google

Ships with: BraxOS

Keyboard · 4" · 8 GB RAM · 128 GB · 122.2 × 74.7 × 10.0 mm

Checked against the makers' own pages · Last reviewed October 17, 2026

Where it is sold and how to get one

The Wink is sold only by Brax, as a pre-order on its online store. Brax announced it at its 2026 roadmap event (summary posted Sept. 11, 2026) and opened pre-orders on Oct. 15, 2026. As of Oct. 17, 2026 there are two options:

The store gives the regular price as $700; Brax's pre-order announcement says $699. Brax says a reservation is fully refundable until you pay the balance, but a deposit doesn't lock the price: if the price goes up, you can cancel and get the deposit back. Each batch is limited (the store showed "Less than 750 left" in Batch 1 and "Less than 1,850 left" in Batch 2), and Brax says the Wink is planned as a single production run.

Brax's FAQ says shipping, taxes and import duties are included in the checkout price, and its shipping policy says no import duties apply for US customers. Brax says the Wink ships to more than 100 countries.

This is a phone that doesn't exist in final form yet. Brax says the ship date could slip because of certification problems, and that some specifications will change; changes are emailed to reservation holders before any balance is due. On its forum, Brax's support team said the design and specs are not final and there are no sample units with booting software yet. [1][2][4][5][6][7]

Specifications

Omni mode and Zero mode

BraxOS runs in one of two modes. In Brax's words, "Omni is full Android — install the apps you need and they run, with no Google account underneath them", while Zero "strips the device to essentials: calls, messages, encrypted messaging, and navigation if you want it." The product page describes Zero as a focused home screen with one fixed list of communication, offline tools and security settings, "without an app store competing for your attention."

You choose the mode when you first set up the phone. Brax says switching later takes a factory reset. On its forum, Brax's support team said the app store is only in Omni mode, and that in Zero mode apps can still be sideloaded (installed from a file) if you turn that permission on. So even in Zero mode the Wink is an Android smartphone, not a feature phone. [1][2][3]

Will it work in the US?

Brax publishes 19 LTE bands (B1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 25, 26, 28, 38, 40, 41, 42, 66 and 71) and 15 5G bands (n1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 25, 26, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 71, 77 and 78), the same lists it publishes for the BraX3. A band is a slice of radio spectrum; a phone only connects where it supports the bands a carrier uses. See our guide to bands and US carriers.

Bands are not the whole story: carriers also approve or block devices, and the Wink can't be approved before it exists. The carrier checker on the Wink page draws on Brax's BraX3 compatibility list (its data file reads "works with BraX3"), so treat it as a guide, not a Wink result. Brax says the checker is "based on owner reports and carrier approvals, not a carrier guarantee."

Brax lists ordinary calls, SMS and MMS, and a data-only mode that blocks them and leaves only mobile data, for VoIP calls and encrypted messengers. [1][7][8][9]

Apps and Google

Brax says BraxOS has "No Google account, no Google Play Services, nothing syncing to a Google cloud." In Omni mode Brax says most Android apps install and run normally, except a small number that check for Google's integrity services: "most banking apps work, a few don't", and Brax suggests asking about a specific app before ordering. See our guide to banking apps on a de-Googled phone.

Brax's support team added on its forum that an app that works now may stop working if its developer adds a Google integrity check later. [1][3]

What's different

- Privacy switch: a physical switch on the top edge. Brax's pre-order post says BraxOS can turn off the mobile network, microphones, camera, location and sensors for the whole device, and you choose which of these the switch controls. Brax's roadmap post described a switch that "cuts power to the cellular modem"; its support team later wrote that the switch disconnects things "on a software or lower level" and that details are still being validated. - Keyboard module: the QWERTY keyboard clips onto the back and can be swapped for other modules. A battery extension pack is planned but not on pre-order, and Brax says other modules are still being explored. Only the QWERTY layout is confirmed. - Data wipe: Brax says the phone can erase itself after a duress password, too many wrong unlock attempts, staying powered off too long, or on every restart. - Encrypted calls and messages between Brax users, relayed through a server, per Brax. - Open source: Brax says BraxOS builds from source, and that it will provide tools to change the IMEI, as it does for the BraX3. - Bootloader and Linux: Brax's support team said the bootloader will be unlockable and that Brax plans to support Linux on the Wink, with details still open. [1][2][4][10][11]

How it compares to the BraX3

The BraX3 is Brax's 6.56-inch LCD phone with 256 GB of storage, on sale now. Brax's support team lists these Wink changes: a higher-resolution OLED display, a CPU "about 2 times more powerful", and BraxOS with data wipe, data-only mode, sensor control and Zero mode. The Wink adds the keyboard and privacy switch, has 128 GB of storage, and Brax publishes the same LTE and 5G band lists for both. [1][8][12]

Questions people ask