Infobar may not be the most recognized line of mobile devices, but its certainly one of the most unique. One thing that makes this brand of smartphones different from the rest is its intense focus on design, combining art and technology into something quite interesting. For its latest device, KDDI has turned to some of Japan’s leading designers to create the Infobar A03, a smartphone whose hardware and software have been built from the ground up with aesthetics in mind.
Japanese carrier au by KDDI has been creating tech-as-art for well over a decade with its Infobar line of phones. After starting with a stylish-but-dumb cameraphone in 2003, the brand began offering fully-fledged smartphones with the A01 back in 2011. It’s now back with the third iteration of the A series, the A03, and it’s as pretty as ever. Industrial design for the latest Infobar comes from minimalist product designer Naoto Fukasawa, who has worked on the range since its inception, and also created Muji’s wall-mounted CD player, part of the MoMA’s permanent collection. After the uncharacteristically bland A02, the A03 returns to Infobar’s more colorful roots. Encased in anodized aluminum, the A03 has a 4.5-inch 1080p display, 13-megapixel camera, 16GB of storage (expandable with microSD) and capacitive keys for navigation. It’s available in a number of hues, but our favorite is undoubtably “nishikigoi,” the koi-inspired coloring that Infobar is famous for.
