Telefon
bimbit mesra alam
Cork in a handset? Now, there's something you
don't see every day. That's definitely how ikimobile's booth at MWC 2018 caught
our eye. Well, the tree they had set up on the show floor helped draw some
attention as well. But, it was the ecological and sustainability pitch that
really piqued our interest. Ikimobile takes a firm stand on the matter,
by working mostly with cork - 100% natural, renewable, and recyclable with no
carbon footprint and no harmful emissions. The company also prides itself on
manufacturing independently in its home Portugal market and engaging in various
other sustainability, waste-management and fair labor initiatives.
So, how well does this approach actually work for a phone?
Surprisingly good, to be frank. At the booth, we checked out the company's
latest BLESSPLUS smartphone.
It's a phone with increased shock
resistance, which is a key selling feature on its own. The company's reps used
every chance to drop it on the floor in front of unsuspecting passers-by around
their MWC booth.
The phone's claim to fame,
however, is the back made out of natural cork. The material provides nothing
short of a unique look and feel. It is available in black and two shades of
wood brown, complete with a distinctively textured surface. You can refer to
the nearest bottle of wine for some point of reference.
Naturally, we had a lot of question. First, of course, the matter
of durability. The cork seemed to be packed together really tightly, providing
a very sturdy feel. Ikimobile actually claims that after subjecting the cork to
"agglomeration carried out using its own resins (suberin)", it can
retain its technical characteristics for up to 50 years.
We'll pretend we understand what
this process is about and we will give them the benefit of a doubt. Nobody will
use a handset for so long that's for sure.
So, the ikimobile reps were kind
enough to put things in practical terms by showing us one of their earlier
models - a KF5Bless Cork Edition, that had been used for over a year on a daily
basis. We have to say, it looked spotless. No dents, cuts, chips or anything we
had expected.
Prying even further into the matter, it turns out
the eco-friendly nature of the handsets is more than skin-deep. Underneath the
back panel of ikimobile handsets, there is even more cork, providing internal
structural support. Apparently, the material can support vast thermal
variations, between -180 degrees and 120 degrees Celsius. Plus it boasts
anti-vibration and insulation properties. Burning it releases no toxic gasses
since ikimobile does not mix anything synthetic in.
The reps were also kind enough to explain that it
really did make sense for them to use as much of the stuff as possible,
wherever it fits in, even in the boxes, since sourcing the raw material is not
harmful to the cork trees. On the contrary, it is a renewable produce, and each
tree can be harvested once every 9 years and removing the product is actually
good for the tree itself. Plus the whole production process is very low-energy.
The more you know!
So, bottom line, cork is great. But what about the rest of the
BLESSPLUS? Well, it's actually a decent device. Its frame appears to be made of
metal - not really as eco-friendly as the rest of it, but if you are going to
worry about electronic waste, the actual circuitry and batteries should be
higher on your list.
On the front, the BLESSPLUS looks
like a normal 2018 smartphone, complete with a decent, although not impressive
in any way, 5.99-inch, 18:9, FullHD IPS panel, covered with an undisclosed
Gorilla Glass finish.
Hardware-wise, you get a MediaTek Helio P20 chipset, with 6GB of
RAM and 64GB of expandable storage. A 3,800 mAh battery keeps the lights on. It
can be topped off through some sort of fast charging, likely Pump Express 3.0,
via a Type-C port.
Wireless charging is also part of
the mix. Other specs include a fast, rear-mounted fingerprint reader, Dual-SIM
support, and a standard connectivity loadout.
For photography, there are two
13MP snappers on the back, the second one with a telephoto lens. Ikimobile
claims f/1.8 on both, but we have our doubts regarding the telephoto. Selfies
are handled by a 5MP unit.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.