Smartphone Inc.

2018 · Industry / Manufacturing

Smartphone Inc.

Players act as CEOs of early smartphone companies and compete to build the most profitable global business over five rounds. Each round, players simultaneously plan their actions by overlaying two plan cards and development tiles, then set prices, produce phones, develop new capabilities, research technologies, expand offices into neighboring regions, and sell into markets where they have presence. Pricing affects market access and order of sales; regions have limited space so lower-priced rivals can block higher-priced offers. Income is collected from sold phones and regional bonuses, and the richest player after five rounds wins.

Players
1–5 best 4–5
Playing time
60–90 min
Age
14+
Complexity
2.8 / 5
7.9 on Ludoyafrom $45.49EconomicSolo / Solitaire GameVariable Set-upNetwork and Route Building

On Ludoya's tables

Full stats in Ludoya
289
Plays logged
452
Players
1h 25m
Average play
101
In collections
21
On wishlists

7.9/10

from 50 Ludoya reviews

  • Garfield9.0

    #41 Great economic game! Outstanding action selection mechanism. Very hard competition as in real life... [c] Theme: ★★★★★ <!-- size 7]You feel the competition --> Gameplay: ★★★★★ <!-- size 7]Interesting and meaningful decisions --> Interaction: ★★★★★ <!-- size 7]Competition all the time --> Artwork: ★★★★☆ <!-- size 7]Very nice and elegant --> Luck: ★☆☆☆☆ <!-- size 7]No --> Strategy: ★★★★☆ <!-- size 7]Pure strategy --> Components: ★★★★☆ <!-- size 7]Very good --> Play duration: ★★★★☆ <!-- size 7]Very good --> Easy to teach: ★★★☆☆ <!-- size 7]Ok (30min) --> Rules quality: ★★★★☆ <!-- size 7]Ok(12 questions) --> Setup time: ★★★☆☆ <!-- size 7]Ok --> No downtime: ★★★★☆ <!-- size 7]Plays fast --> Replay value: ★★★★☆ <!-- size 7]Different action tiles, technologies, starting location --> [/c]

    No plays logged

  • Toni Cutillas8.9

    - Base -

    First impressions · 1 play

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Rules questions

Answered from the rulebook by Ludoya's rules assistant.

Can I change the position of my Pads after Phase 1 if I made a mistake?

No — Pad positions are fixed for the rest of the round once Planning (Phase 1) ends; you cannot change them later (pages 10, 21).

Do covered Pad cells still produce Goods in Phase 3?

Yes — each covered cell on your Pads produces 1 Good in Phase 3 (page 11); however, cells covered by an Improvement are inactive and do not produce Goods (page 13).

How is turn order (Priority) determined when players set the same price?

Priority is by lowest price first; ties on price are broken by lowest VP on the scoreboard, and if still tied, by the players' starting positions on the VP track (pages 12, 21).

Can I skip red Buyers and sell directly to a purple Buyer that I qualify for?

No — Goods are placed on Buyers from left to right, so you cannot place on a purple Buyer while ignoring earlier red Buyers in that region; you also must have a base there and no Retailer blocking sales (page 15).

What’s the difference between placing an Improvement face-up on a Pad and placing it face-down?

A face-up Improvement is placed on your Pad (covering 2 cells) and modifies your Pad starting next round, with any covered cells becoming inactive; a face-down Improvement is kept in front of you and produces 1 Good in Phase 3 (pages 12–13).

Opens Ludoya's rules assistant, which reads this game's rulebook.

Game facts (players, playing time, age, credits) from BoardGameGeek.