Chinese manufacturer TECNO introduced a prism coloring technology that allows a smartphone to instantly change color up to 2 million times.
The Chamaleon Coloring Technology was introduced at Mobile World Congress 2023, where innovative devices have already been showcased, such as Motorola’s new rollable smartphone.
A chameleon smartphone
TECNO’s technology can be affixed to the back of a smartphone. It is a submicronic prism system, that is to say, of a size less than a micron, which changes direction when an electric field is applied. By precisely controlling the direction of the prism, the material can scatter light in several different wavelengths, giving the appearance of a wide range of iridescent colors. It is able to change its color in just 0.03 seconds.
The company explains that users will be able to modify the appearance of the device from dedicated software and will have a wide choice of 1,600 colors. The device can also change up to 2 million times before potentially failing, which means that the color can be changed 100 times a day for almost… 55 years!
TECNO hopes that eventually, smartphones equipped with Chamaleon Coloring technology will be able to automatically change based on battery status, music or notifications.
Negligible battery impact
Of course, this color change drains the battery, but it shouldn’t affect day-to-day use. A hundred changes in a day require as much energy as watching a 5 minute video.
This is not the first time that TECNO has presented a smartphone capable of changing colors. The rear of the 2022 TECNO Camon 19 Pro Mondrian was also able to change its color. On the other hand, the technology used is not controllable by the user and requires UV light. As a reminder, other brands like vivo or realme had already put smartphones on the market with this capability.
However, you will have to be patient. While TECNO presented its new technology, the company has not yet announced a smartphone that will be equipped with it.
Sources: GSM Arena, Android Authority
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