The new Firefox OS phone is supposedly already being produced and the handset made by LG is looking absolutely great. Once you take a look at the prototype device, you’ll know why I’m saying this: the phone has a retro design that reminds me of the old GameBoy days I’ve enjoyed so much. While Firefox OS should be enough to make this phone pretty popular, the most interesting part of the device remains its design, which is actually transparent.
The Fx0, as the Firefox OS phone has been dubbed was announced today at a KDDI event in Tokyo, Japan and while that doesn’t seem like an interesting fact, the sad part is that the handset is currently limited to Japan. Even though the Fx0 isn’t much of a powerhouse, as Firefox OS phones tend to be low-end cheap smartphones, it can still compete with mid-rangers like the Galaxy Alpha or the HTC Desire 820. The price tag on the phone, on the other hand, isn’t as attractive as on other cheap Firefox OS smartphones, the Fx0 costing around $420. That’s a pretty hefty price for a mid-range smartphone, but you’re certainly getting a lot out of the money if you are into the transparent design.
I personally am not a fan of transparent design on electronics, so the latest LG-made Firefox OS phone doesn’t impress me that much. Nonetheless, I appreciate the design and the Firefox home button adorning the front of the phone is gorgeous. The button and the whole design might remind you of the steampunk genre, with mechanics and electronics showing through and the brushed metallic look of the home button is certainly a staple element on the phone.
The new Firefox OS phone sports a 4.7 inch HD display and specs that make it the most powerful handset in the Firefox OS phone line. You’re going to get a Snapdragon 400 CPU backed by 1.5 GB RAM and 16 GB storage, as well as a microSD card slot, an 8 MP rear camera, a 2.1 MP front camera and a pretty beefy 2370 mAH battery. While those are not specs you would write home about and maybe won’t even pay that much for, the Fx0 is definitely a collector’s item, especially if you’re into the whole Mozilla Firefox transparency and connectivity philosophy. What’s more, the Fx0 now has 4G LTE and NFC, which are both nice additions.
The Fx0 Firefox OS phone will be available at Japanese carrier KDDI starting December 25, so we’re looking forward to getting some new footage of the phone online. Although the initial December release will have only a limited number of units available for purchase, the handset should be made widely available in Japan starting January 6. The man behind the transparent design is Tokujin Yoshioka.