14 DAY TRIAL // When choosing a new smartphone, one of the most important aspects to take into consideration is battery life. Most intelligent handsets nowadays only last about a day of intense use, which can be pretty annoying.
But others like the BlackBerry Passport (which we reviewed a while ago) can sustain a more balanced life-cycle that’s better than the average. However, there aren’t a whole lot of products capable of achieving this, especially not in the middle-to-lower end of the market.
Most manufacturers are trying their best to include larger battery modules, while also bundling their handsets with diverse battery saving modes, Kyocera is taking a different approach, which is also environmentally friendly.
Kyocera wants sunlight to power your next-handset
The relatively unknown device maker is coming to Barcelona next week at MWC 2015 to present a smartphone prototype that includes a solar charging feature.
Solar charging smartphones have been available in the past, but the feature was made available thanks to a bulky case of some sort.
But Kyocera is taking a different approach and will be integrating the technology directly in the handset, more precisely in the display panel.
The company will be making use of Wysips Crystal panels which are going to be provided by SunPartner Technologies.
For the time being, we’re not very clear on how the technology works exactly, but the benefits of using a Wysips Crystal panel are described.
So every time you find yourself in a position when you need more battery life, you can just take out the handset and position it in direct sunlight (natural or otherwise). No charging packs or outlets involved.
However, the technology might have an unwanted impact on how the handset performs, but SunPartner is trying to argue against them. Solar charging components will be placed under the touchscreen, so that they don’t interfere with touch functionality.
They are also 90% transparent, so hopefully that won’t affect the phone’s viewing angles.
In theory, the upcoming Kyocera phone sounds quite exciting, but bear in mind that the company is bringing only a prototype to MWC 2015, which is a modified Torque smartphone (2013 edition) with the Wysips Crystal display inside.
The smartphone will certainly have to be put through several real-life tests to prove its viability.
