Photo above is property of Arcane Wonders
Company: Arcane Wonders
Game: Smartphone Inc.
Designer: Ivan Lashin
Country: USA 🇺🇸
Language: English
Type of Game: Tabletop Game (Board Game) 📬
Genre: Economic Eurogame
Mechanics: Area Majority, Network Building
Date Played: September 15, 2024
Difficulty (based on 5 players): 7/10
Size of Team: 1 to 5 ppl
Time: Unlimited (Approximately 60-90 Mins.)
Price: $31.49 USD
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"Smartphone Inc." is a strategic economic board game that puts players in the role of CEO's of competing tech companies during the rise of the smartphone industry. Set in the early 2000s, players must make key business decisions to outmaneuver rivals, dominate global markets, and maximize profits.
Each round, players simultaneously plan their actions by secretly arranging their company's production and pricing strategy. Will you develop cutting-edge technology, expand into new markets, or optimize manufacturing costs to undercut competitors? Every decision can make or break your company’s success in the fast-paced world of tech.
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I have to be upfront and say that visually, I do not find the game to be overly appealing, particularly the main board. Indeed, this is what put me off backing the game on Kickstarter. For me, the artwork is too bland and sterile, it doesn’t grab my attention, making me want to sit at the table and stare at it for the next hour or so. However, I do appreciate that it is trying to capture the tech aesthetics of the early 2000’s, so in that sense it is successfully thematic.
The quality of the components is very good. The main board is double layered for an added element of luxury, whilst the tiles are both thick and oversized, making them easy to read and handle. The plastic cubes are color coded for each player and come in three different shapes, making them easy to identify on the board by use.
I do wish that the game box came with an insert to properly store everything, although there are small trays for storing each players cubes, which are functional during the game also. For others, who like me, prefer storage inserts, there are a number of suppliers online who do sell custom packets.
The Rule Book is another success, it is well written and illustrated with real time examples. However, I would have liked more detail regarding Stage 7, the process of selling your goods.
Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers
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The game takes place over five rounds, each representing a year of business. Each round is broken down into eight stages.
Plan Actions: In the first phase, each player secretly arranges two double-sided planning tiles (Pads) on their board, overlapping them in various ways. These tiles represent different actions (e.g., setting prices, increasing production, improving logistics, researching new technologies). The symbols that remain visible after placing and overlapping the tiles dictate what actions a player can take during the round. The planning stage is critical because it limits your available actions and sets your strategy for the round, combining foresight and tactical depth.
Set Prices: Players then set the price of their smartphones. Lower prices allow for increased sales, but lower profit margins. Higher prices yield greater profits, but limit market reach. The challenge is finding the right balance for each round. The price you choose in this step also impacts turn order for the rest of the round, with lower prices getting to act first.
Production: Based on their planning, players manufacture smartphones, or Goods, as they are called in the game. These will be sold to the different regions of the world. The goods produced in this phase will be used during Step 7.
Improve Production: Players who have chosen the Improve Production action during the planning phase gain additional action tiles. These tiles can be used in future rounds to expand a player’s flexibility in planning, by offering extra actions such as increased production, new market expansion, or research opportunities, depending on how they are used. Players who did not activate the Improve Production icon will take a Goods token instead, this will also be used in future turns and provides the player with one more Goods cube.
Research Technologies: Players can invest in research to unlock new technologies. These technologies give players special abilities that persist throughout the game, providing advantages, such as improved logistics, marketing strategies, or the ability to produce advanced models of smartphones. The first player to complete each research station will receive additional Victory Points (VP) at the game’s end, but will also make it easier for their competitors to complete their own research by lowering the ‘cost’ by one.
Logistics: Players with the Logistics action revealed on their Pads can expand their distribution network by gaining access to new regions or countries. This allows players to sell smartphones in previously unavailable markets, broadening their reach and potentially increasing their sales and profits. Expanding logistics is crucial for dominating the global market and staying ahead of competitor
Selling Goods: In this phase, players attempt to sell their Goods. The number of units sold depends on the market demand in different regions and the player's price. Players who set lower prices and/or who have researched more technologies will have an advantage in selling more units, but they may sacrifice profits VP. Any units which a player is unable to sell will be lost and returned to their supply.
Receiving VP: After selling goods, players calculate their profits based on the number of Goods sold and the price per unit. However, beyond profits, players also score VP for controlling regions. Control is determined by who sells the most Goods in a region. Both profits and market dominance are crucial for maximizing VP; the player with the most Victory Points after five rounds wins the game.
Key Mechanics:
Tile Placement & Action Selection: The core of the game’s strategy revolves around how players arrange their action tiles. Covering or revealing certain symbols can drastically change their approach each round, making for a highly tactical experience.
Price Wars: The dynamic pricing system means players must constantly adjust their strategy, anticipating opponents' moves while maintaining a profitable business.
Global Expansion & Area Control: Dominating different markets is crucial to success. Players need to make careful decisions about where and how to sell their products, as competition can be fierce.
Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers
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Victory Points are calculated at the end of each round, as described above. However, at the end of the fifth round, additional VPs from Technologies and other bonuses are also added to give the final score for each player. The player with the highest score wins!
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In the Retail Variant, the game adjusts to create a balanced experience when fewer than five players are participating. Retailer tiles are placed over specific regions of the game board, based on the number of players. This effectively “shrinks” the map, maintaining competition and tension as players vie to sell Goods in the remaining open markets.
Despite some regions being closed off, players can still place Offices in these areas, which will yield significant VP at the end of the game.
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"Smartphone Inc.'s" core gameplay centers around the strategic decisions you make in secret during the first phase, using your action pads. The icons you leave uncovered determine your resources and abilities for the rest of the round. It's here that you must decide where to focus your efforts, on advancing your company's technology, improving logistics, or boosting manufacturing capacity. Or perhaps you’ll try to balance all three. This creates a beautifully challenging puzzle, where you must carefully position your pads and upgrades to maximize efficiency while trying to outmaneuver your opponents. Will they slash prices to climb the turn order? Will it be by $1 or $2? How low should you go? These are the tense decisions that set the tone for the round.
Once everyone has finalized their choices, the player screens are lifted, revealing your opponents' plans and shaping the direction of the rest of the game. From this point on, the turn order largely dictates how the round will unfold. Being lower in the order often forces you to pick from the market leftovers, especially when it comes to selling your goods. The earlier your turn, the better your chance to sell before demand dries up, making timing a crucial element of the game.
What I enjoy most is how all key aspects of development, technology, logistics, and production, are equally important. You need technology to unlock new customers and benefit from powerful bonuses, but without expanding your global reach, you won’t have enough markets to sell in. Similarly, without adequate production, you won’t be able to sell enough smartphones to score victory points and win. Each decision feels interconnected, adding layers of depth to every choice you make throughout the game.
After several plays, across different player counts, I can confidently say it’s a game I truly enjoy and one I can wholeheartedly recommend. Surprisingly, my wife also enjoyed it, despite the fact that the theme and aesthetic aren’t typically her style. I think this speaks to the game’s strengths, particularly in terms of how quick it is to set up and pack away, how easy it is to teach, and the fluidity of its mechanics and round structure, which felt almost intuitive to complete.
Our first game together was at the two-player count, and it took less than an hour to teach and play, perfect for a midweek game night!
That said, the game isn’t without its flaws. Smartphone Inc. shines brightest with more players, ideally at the maximum five-player count. With five players, you can skip the use of the Retailer tiles and enjoy the entire board, which makes the competition for market control and selling Goods feel truly cutthroat. In contrast, playing with two or three players can feel somewhat underwhelming. There’s less tension, and it’s easier to predict your opponents’ moves, which means the consequences of a strategic misstep are not as dramatic.
However, would I still play with only two players? Absolutely. At its core, Smartphone Inc. is a thoughtful and engaging economic strategy game. Even with lower player counts, I find myself making different decisions in each game, and the variety of strategic options keeps the game fresh and replay-able for me.
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I’ve since learnt about the "Smartphone Inc. Update 1.1 expansion", which I regret not knowing about sooner. It offers four new modules and a dedicated 2-3 player game board, plus a Hardcore Mode, which, by all accounts, greatly enhances the experience for smaller groups. Tracking down a copy is now at the top of my list, as it seems like it would significantly improve the two- or three-player games and add even more depth to an already great game.
So, if you are a fan of games that involve pre-programming your turn actions, elements of area control, racing to claim Victory Points and other in-game goals, then this is definitely a game to check out!
(If you do decide to try this game, give us a shoutout or tag us on social media so we know you heard it from "ESCAPETHEROOMers"!)
Disclosure: We thank Arcane Wonders for providing us with samples of the game. Although a complimentary experience was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever.
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