DOCOMO Earns Gold Prize for Card Keitai at iF Design Award 2019

Mar 18, 2019 17:09 JST

Source: NTT DOCOMO

- First-ever Japanese mobile network operator to win award -

TOKYO, Mar 18, 2019 - (JCN Newswire) - NTT DOCOMO, INC. has announced that its Card Keitai (KY-01L) ultra-thin mobile phone earned the company the gold prize at iF Design Award 2019 on March 15. DOCOMO is the first Japanese mobile network operator to win the coveted prize.

The iF Design Award, sponsored by iF International Forum Design GmbH as one of the world's top design awards, recognize excellence across all fields of product design. This year's competition, which attracted 6,375 applications from 52 countries, presented 66 iF gold awards.

DOCOMO's Card Keitai is the world's thinnest and lightest(1) card-sized mobile phone at just 5.3 mm thick and weighing only 47 grams. Despite its super-condensed profile, the phone amazingly offers high-quality VoLTE calls, internet browsing and SMS. Moreover, its extra-thin e-paper screen consumes no energy when static,(2) helping to greatly extend battery life, and text appears to float above the screen's paper-like background, creating a unified ambience. The phone's simple, compact design facilitates easy use anywhere, anytime.

The judges remarked, "A refreshing statement mobile phone! This card phone is a completely different approach to a product that is part of our everyday lives. When you don't want to carry your smartphone with all your sensitive data with you, this device is a clever and stylish alternative."

Tetsu Miyazawa, Design Director at DOCOMO's Product Department, commented, "With smartphones becoming increasingly larger, we designed our card-sized device as an alternative phone that helps to eliminate situations where making connections can be difficult. We are very pleased with the international recognition we have received for our efforts to design a high-quality, easy-to-use product that doesn't compromise core features. We will continue to listen to customers to provide society with practical solutions for a richer communication culture."

Going forward, DOCOMO will continue to deliver new value to customers and enhance the world with innovative products available to everyone.

(1) For 4G-compatible mobile phones released between January 2016 and August 2018 (among non-smartphone type straight-shaped phones) according to a survey by Kyocera Corporation as of September 5, 2018
(2) No power consumed between operations

Contact:

NTT DOCOMO
International PR
Public Relations Department
Tel: +81-3-5156-1366    
Fax: +81-3-5501-3408

Source: NTT DOCOMO
Sectors: Wireless, Apps

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