TL;DR
- Infinix is preparing to release an Android phone that has a built-in aroma.
- The Infinix Note 50s 5G+ will use microencapsulation to incorporate scent into its vegan “leather” back.
- The scent should last for up to six months before fasing.
The best-executed smartphones around offer something to satisfy many of the senses. Big, beautiful screens and finely crafted design are a delight to our eyes. Stereo speakers deliver rich, booming audio and let us take calls over speakerphone in a pinch. And some of the most premium models manage to combine sleek panels of metal and glass in a way that just fees enormously satisfying in the hand. Now one phone manufacturer is about get us thinking about a new way to titillate the senses, with the introduction of a phone that offers a signature scent.
It’s not too often that we bother to think about how our electronics smell. When we do, it’s often in a profoundly negative context, like when someone notices that Samsung’s S Pen has a weird smell to it. But while we occasionally see the odd entry like that ASUS Fragrance Mouse, for the most part it feels like most phone makers just don’t have olfactory considerations on the radar.
That list apparently does not include Infinix, and Digit reports that the company’s upcoming Note 50s 5G+ will be scented, designed to give off a light aroma.
As opposed to the aromatic oil used by ASUS, Infinix is is building the Note 50s 5G+ with a microencapsulated scent, incorporated directly into the handset’s vegan “leather” back. While that sort of approach means that the smell will eventually fade, Infinix claims that owners can expect it to last for around six months.
Of course, we imagine the situation gets a lot more complicated if we introduce a case into equation, but it’s not immediately clear if that might dramatically decrease the intensity of the aroma, or maybe even help it last longer. You probably won’t have the chance to find out, though, as we haven’t heard of any plans for this model outside of India.
If you ever were offered the option of getting a scented smartphone, would you? Is the idea of carrying around an air freshener in your pocket all day appealing? Maybe a scented case would just be the easier, more renewable approach.
