AQUOS R & ROBOQUL605SH(Softbank),SH-03J(docomo),SHV39(au)

Smartphones that come closer to people

Smartphones are convenient tools, but I believe that they should be things that people are fond of, particularly because they are always near at hand.

In the AQUOS R, we pursued both holding comfort and beauty. By having the edges of the grips on the sides disappear into the corners, we incorporated a unique form that fits the hand without discomfort when held. Smooth metal finishes are difficult from the perspective of mass production of industrial products. Through repeat trial and error with cutting and grinding, however, we were able to make a form that is easy to hold also evocative and beautiful.

We added motion to the EMOPA conversational AI. The ROBOQUL rotating cradle realizes the simple idea of facing someone when speaking. I believe that by blending speech, motion and UI lighting in a good balance with optimal timing, we created a sense of conversation and life that was not felt before.

Although a variety of things get added and removed during the process of turning a design into a product, I always try to create strong clear concepts at the beginning so that what is good about the original design is not forgotten.

More information about the product introduced is available here.

Note: The department that the author belongs to and the content of the article are correct at the time of writing.