A German company launches the "world's first" carbon-fiber phone

Carbon Mobile has announced its Carbon 1 Mark II (also technically the name of Sony's latest flagship), a phone that may stand out due to its unique build. It eschews the nearly-ubiquitous glass-sandwich build for a "monocoque" made of what the OEM calls Hybrid Radio Enabled Composite Materials (or HyRECM). They consist of carbon fiber interwoven with other, radio-friendly materials.

This design leaves the Carbon 1 Mark II with just 125 grams (g) in mass, in an era where many new phones push the 200g mark. It also has a depth of 6.3 millimeters (mm; which does indeed beat even the slimmest of iPhones). However, the 1 Mark II's display is still made of Corning Gorilla Glass 6. All in all, despite this panel's traditional sensor-bar, the overall effect is somehow most reminiscent of the original Essential Phone.

The 1 Mark II's maker has also adopted an unconventional sales model. It costs a total of €800 (~US$883) on Carbon Mobile's site. Of this, €250 is to be paid up front, with the balance due 15 days prior to its ship date (currently set some time in June 2020). For the entire sum, this phone is equipped with a MediaTek Helio P90 processor.

Stranger still, the company has not detailed the rest of the phone's specs in complete detail, meaning one would take a lot on faith in ordering one. For example, it does not state the resolution of its 6.01-inch screen, how much RAM it has, or if it even has a fingerprint sensor of any kind.

Similarly, the Carbon 1 Mark II appears to have dual rear cameras and to be an Android device - and that's it thus far. Nevertheless, its OEM seems to believe that it will appeal to buyers that value sustainability in the mobile device industry, rather than the "unrecyclable plastics" on which it is currently apparently based. Finally, this phone also has an even more nebulous "Founder's Edition", which can be bought via invitation only (because that's never annoying).

To date, a bar on Carbon Mobile's sales page indicates that 24 of the 1 Mark II's 2000 available units have been ordered. Therefore, time may tell if this new form of selling-point will work out for this start-up.