Color-shifting e-ink phone stuns at MWC 2024 but there’s a catch

Infinix has announced a color-shifting e-ink phone at MWC 2024. It’s an interesting new concept but doesn’t come without a catch.

Infinix is not a smartphone brand you often hear about. The company doesn’t launch its phones in the US but has a strong presence in Southeast Asia and parts of Europe, such as France and Poland. Still, Infinix manages to generate buzz every now and then, and this time it has done so through a color-shifting e-ink phone.

Infinix unveiled a new prototype during the MWC 2024 which uses a new “E-Color Shift”. The concept smartphone has another screen on the back that can change color. The company also promises this tech to be power efficient.

The screen you see on the back of the device is E Ink Prism 3— a new type of tech that’s different from the E-Ink displays we see on devices like Amazon Kindle.

Infinix says “This technology uses microstructures in which color particles carry positive and negative charges. By applying different voltages, the electric field within the microstructure changes, causing the corresponding color particles to move and display the desired colors.”

From what we understand, power is required only for changing the colors, the colors will remain fixed once set with zero power draw. This means the battery drain won’t be as much as having another display on the back of a phone.

GSMArena reports that different animation loops can be set for the secondary screen. However, the catch is that the first consumer device with such technology will not hit the market before a year or two.

This might be the future of smartphone design

In recent years, smartphone design seems to have hit a bit of a rut. Many brands are sticking with their old designs, mainly because there aren’t many significant changes to be made. Sure, you can tweak the edges, play around with the camera layout, but that’s about it.

Nothing managed to shake things up by introducing their semi-transparent devices, Nothing Phone 1 and Nothing Phone 2. Now, Infinix is stepping up with a fresh take on smartphone design. The company’s latest concept shows a lot more can be done to make a phone’s design stand out.