The world's first carbon fiber smartphone is here! It's lighter than a bag of chips

In March, 2021, a Berlin based startup called Carbon Mobile, unveiled a smartphone called Carbon 1MK II that sets new standards for lightweight, slim design and sustainability.

“Carbon 1MK II, designed and built in Germany, is the first to replace plastic and aluminum connectors with advanced composites, reigniting the trend toward miniaturization of mobile phones and driving the sustainability of the industry,”said the people involved.

The base material for the case is a thermoplastic composite reinforced with a very fine 1k continuous carbon filament fabric. “The composite material we developed for ultralight components that are subject to extreme mechanical stress not only achieves very thin wall thickness, but in fact, with its high strength and rigidity, helps ensure that the case is more robust in everyday use,”the source explained, “In addition, the matte black carbon fiber gives the smartphone a truly high-tech look.”

HYRECM technology overcomes physical barriers

Despite its advanced properties, which allow it to build strong, lightweight structures, carbon fiber exhibits electromagnetic shielding, which means it blocks radio signals, creating a kind of “Faraday cage”that blocks signals but scatters them around the phone’s casing, so making a phone connection out of carbon fibre has been deemed impossible by the high-tech industry.

After four years of research and development, Carbon Mobile engineers have developed an innovative process that unleashes the potential of Carbon fibers for use in connection devices. Patented HyRECM (radio-enabled hybrid composites) technology merges carbon fibers with complementary composites with radio-frequency signal penetration. To further improve the connectivity of the device, a unique 3D printed conductive ink was incorporated into the carbon fiber structure, resulting in the first radio-enabled carbon fiber material. The new technology, which is being used for the first time in Carbon 1MK II mobile phone projects, produces a sturdy Carbon fibre shell structure that is not only very thin but is made of less than 5 per cent plastic.

It's lighter than a bag of chips

Using the same structural principles as the Formula One chassis, the case is designed as a single body, or single shell. As a result, it optimizes the extreme rigidity of carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) , which helps smartphones become thin-walled, low-weight, and miniaturized because there is no bulky support to occupy the inner space of the case. “Our state-of-the-art single design allows the phone to weigh only 125g, a third less than a regular smartphone, while its 6.3 mm thickness makes it 25 per cent thinner,”said Khalifeh

Trying to create a world with less e-waste

Carbon Mobile is committed to sustainability, and its new smartphones use only recyclable materials. “We hope to contribute to reducing global e-waste and improving sustainability,”said the source.

Composite materials used as mobile phone housings can be easily recycled and reused for new uses. “Like all products in our product line, we use materials that can be cut up and processed on a standard injection moulding machine to produce high-quality parts. In this process, the recycled material can be used only, or it can be mixed with other suitable new materials,”explained the person.”. To extend the life of the smartphone, all its components are designed to be easy to replace and repair, which also prevents the creation of e-waste.