Germany has developed the world's first carbon fiber smartphone - Carbon 1 MK II, a smartphone that sets new standards for lightness, slim design and sustainability.

“Designed and engineered in Germany, the Carbon 1 MK II reignites miniaturization and drives sustainability in connected devices by replacing plastics and aluminium with advanced composite materials for the first time”, says Firas Khalifeh, CEO, Carbon Mobile.

The base material for the production of the housing is a thermoplastic composite from the LANXESS Tepex dynalite product range. It is reinforced with fabrics of incredibly fine 1K continuous carbon fiber filaments.

“Our composite material, which we developed for extremely lightweight components subjected to considerable mechanical stress, does more than just allow exceptionally thin wall thicknesses. In fact, with its high degree of strength and rigidity, it also helps to make the housing very robust for day-to-day use,” explains Philipp Genders, Tepex expert in application development at LANXESS.

“In addition, the matte-black carbon-fibers give the smartphone a truly high-tech look,” added Genders. 

Despite their advanced properties for producing robust yet lightweight structures, carbon fibers behave in an electromagnetic shielding manner. This means that they block radio signals, forming a Faraday cage that rather than allowing signals to pass through, instead disperses them around the outer body of the device.

Following four years of research and development, Carbon Mobile’s engineers have developed a revolutionary process to unlock carbon fiber’s potential for connected devices. The patented HyRECM (Hybrid Radio Enabled Composite Material) technology fuses carbon fibers together with a complementary composite material capable of RF signal permeation. To further boost the device's connectivity, a unique 3D-printed conductive ink is integrated into the carbon fiber structure.

The new technology produces a robust carbon fiber-based housing structure that is not only incredibly thin and light, but also made from less than five percent plastic.