Japan claimed to create the first washable smartphone that can withstand soap and water. KDDI, a telecom company, is set to launch its latest design "Digno rafre" next week.
"Our development team washed the smartphone more than 700 times to test its durability," a company representative told Agence France-Presse. In addition, the phone is certified IP58, which means it is protected against dust and long engagement up to a certain pressure point.
In a promotional video, a child is seen dropping the phone on a plate with ketchup. The father sitting beside was shocked, but the child's mother assured the red smudge will be removed as she heads to wash the phone under running water.
The smartphone measuring 71 x 141 x 10.1 mm comes in a 2 GB RAM, but no specific details with regard to the processor have been released. It is a 5-inch HD TFT with an LCD resolution display at 720 x 1280 pixels. It is further geared with a 16 GB built-in memory that can expand if added with a 128 GB microSD card.
This smartphone that weighs 155 grams also features a 13-megapixel rear camera with CMOS sensors. It also has a battery capacity of 3000 mAh. It allows a talking time of 20 hours. Talking about connectivity, the phone is 4G LTE ready. It also has 3G, Bluetooth and USB options.
The company revealed that the gadget is aimed for families with small children who want to keep their smartphones clean. This is especially noted in several studies that linked smartphones to acquiring various microogranisms like Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus mycoides.
The phone can be washed with soap and is hot water resistant up to 43-degrees Celcius. However, the company warned that only certain types of soaps can be used. And most of these soaps are available in Japan.
The phone costs 21,600 yen ($175). It also comes in different colors of navy blue, coral pink and cashmere white. Unfortunately, the units will only be made available in Japan.
