Nov 2, 2015 | By Benedict
The Xtouch is the latest device to be made by Chinese smartphone manufacturer Bluboo. The handset boasts a range of impressive technical specs, and features a curved, 3D printed rear panel, making it the first smartphone to be made using 3D printing techniques. The Xtouch is currently available for pre-order, and will be delivered later this month.
The 3D printed rear shell, with its “nano composite film craft”, provides an aesthetically pleasing mirror effect. According to the manufacturer, both the 3D printed component and the rest of the phone are extremely strong and flexible. The phone is housed in a CNC metal frame, but perhaps the most surprisingly tough component of the device is its 2.5D Gorilla Glass 3 screen, whose strength the company have demonstrated in an unusual video. In the promotional shoot, the Xtouch is placed under what appears to be a large paving stone, which is then struck twice with a hammer. The resilient phone seems to survive the onslaught unscathed.
The 3D printed smartphone boasts impressive technical specs beyond its physical ruggedness. “Charming appearance make you drunk,” Bluboo explains, “but there is no sense without powerful hardware performance inside to guarantee user experience”. A high calibre MTK MT6753 64-bit octa-core processor, 3G LPDDR3 high-speed RAM and 32GB ROM promise optimum performance and storage. The gadget’s 5” display has a 1920x1080 resolution. According to Bluboo, it “seems the whole real world is just under the screen”. Besides the impressive visual features, the phone is also designed with security in mind, with a high-speed 0.3s fingerprint ID function providing an unguessable password.
Unsurprisingly, the smartphone also doubles up as a high-spec camera, with an 8MP front lens for selfies and a Sony IMX214 13MP rear lens embedded in its 3D printed shell. The rear impressive F 2.0 aperture of the rear lens will enable users to take naturally beautiful portrait photos with a shallow depth of field—sharp foreground; blurred background, without resorting to the clumsy post-processing effects of Instagram and other photo editing apps. In spite of the impressive numbers, Bluboo says that the camera’s real strength lies in its software optimisation, which turns merely detailed photos into beautiful ones. The Xtouch is loaded with Android 5.1, and is also compatible with third-party systems such as CM, MIUI, and Flyme.
If you feel like owning a piece of 3D printing history, the first partially 3D printed smartphone is available for preorder now for $179.99, but special deals at various outlets are offering the device for less than that retail price.
Posted in 3D Printing Application
Maybe you also like:
- Earthworm-inspired 3D printed biomimetic Worm-Bot could be used in pipe inspection, burrowing
- Clear 3D printed skeleton firm Encoris boasts annual sales of almost $1m
- Sickle cell disease detection using 3D printed device and a smartphone
- Disney Research develops automated method for creating 3D printed connectors
- Introducing D-Frames, Ron Arad's $800 3D printed PQ Eyewear sunglasses
- Award-winning artist Morehshin Allahyari reproduces artifacts destroyed by ISIS through 3D printing
- 3D printed InMoov 'Robot For Good' meets Prince Andrew, heading to London Zoo in 2016
- Enchant trick or treaters with this 3D printed flying purple people eater doorbell cover
3Ders.org provides the latest news about 3D printing technology and 3D printers. We are now seven years old and have around 1.5 million unique visitors per month.
