Carbon Mobile
German smartphone maker building carbon-fiber monocoque devices using its HyRECM composite technology.
Last updated September 26, 2026
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Overview
Carbon Mobile is a German smartphone manufacturer headquartered in Berlin. It is best known for developing the Carbon 1 MK II, described in German Wikipedia as the world's only smartphone with a housing made from a composite of carbon fibers and synthetic resin (CFRP) as of 2023. The company was originally founded in the United Arab Emirates under the name CarbonWorks, moved to Spain in 2016, and later relocated to Berlin, where it has operated as Carbon Mobile GmbH. The core of Carbon Mobile's proposition is its HyRECM Technology (Hybrid Radio Enable Composite Material). Carbon fiber is difficult to use in smartphones because it absorbs radio signals and traps heat. Carbon Mobile's process forges carbon fibers with a complementary composite material that has signal-allowing properties, producing a carbon-fiber-based monocoque structure that is thin, light, and fully connected. Thin titanium plates are placed near the antennas to further address signal issues. The company's flagship product is the Carbon 1 MK II, a series-production smartphone presented in February 2020 and brought to market in March 2021. It was praised for its design and its revolutionary monocoque housing, which ranks among the lightest and thinnest smartphones worldwide, and the housing design won the JEC Composites Connect Innovation Award in 2021. However, the technical components were criticized as largely outdated at launch — low computing power, camera, Android 10 operating system, and no 5G — and the price was considered too high for that specification. Carbon Mobile has also pursued a supplier and materials-licensing strategy. In September 2021 it announced plans to move phone assembly to the former Motorola plant in Flensburg, Germany, alongside a price cut from 800 to 600 euros; by August 2022 the German production had not been implemented and the Carbon 1 MK II price had fallen to 200 euros on various sales platforms. In March 2023 Carbon Mobile announced a cooperation with the Saudi Arabian chemicals group SABIC to jointly develop and manufacture radio-transparent carbon composites for other electronics and automotive manufacturers, to be made at least partly from production waste and recycled material. On its website, Carbon Mobile frames its mission around "The Future Standard of Smart Materials" for connected devices — smartphones, smart mobility, satellites, drones, and AR/VR — aiming to deliver sustainable, lighter, stronger, and connected hardware. The company states it is committed to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals and cites the UN figure that 50 million tonnes of e-waste are generated annually, 80% of which is not recycled.
History
Carbon Mobile was originally founded in the United Arab Emirates under the name CarbonWorks. In 2016 the company moved first to Spain and later to Berlin, where it has since operated as Carbon Mobile GmbH. In October 2016 a prototype of the Carbon 1 MK I model was presented at the Gitex IT trade fair in Dubai. In 2017 it was shown in Europe for the first time at the startup event 4YFN ("Four years from now"). Carbon fiber was still barely used in smartphones as of 2023 because it absorbs radio signals and traps heat. Carbon Mobile solved these problems through its own developed composite material, Hybrid Radio Enable Composite Material (HyRECM), and through the installation of thin titanium plates near the antennas. Initially there were considerations to act only as a supplier and to supply other manufacturers with housings. Other manufacturers had reportedly expressed interest in licensing Carbon Mobile's process. In February 2020 the series-production model Carbon 1 MK II was presented, and it was brought to market in March 2021. In September 2021 the company announced that it would move the assembly of the phones to the former Motorola plant in Flensburg, Germany. Ingram Micro, which had previously already carried out repairs for Carbon Mobile, had assembled 150 smartphones there on a trial basis. At the same time a price reduction from 800 to 600 euros was announced. Manufacturing in Germany had not been implemented by August 2022. By that time the price of the Carbon 1 MK II had fallen to 200 euros on various sales platforms. In March 2023 Carbon Mobile announced a cooperation with the Saudi Arabian chemicals group SABIC. Together they plan to develop and manufacture radio-transparent carbon composites for other electronics and automotive manufacturers, which are also to be made at least partly from production waste and recycled material. The Carbon 1 MK II entered series production in February 2021. In the specialist press, the technical components — which were largely outdated at that point (low computing power, camera, Android 10 operating system, no 5G capability) — and the price, which was too high against that background, were criticized. The design and the revolutionary approach of the housing, which thanks to its monocoque construction ranks among the lightest and thinnest smartphones worldwide, were received positively. According to the manufacturer, the housing contains only five percent plastic, and the device is said to be easy to repair and recycle. The housing design was awarded the JEC Composites Connect Innovation Award in 2021.
Company founded in the United Arab Emirates as CarbonWorks; moves first to Spain and later to Berlin, operating as Carbon Mobile GmbH.
Prototype of the Carbon 1 MK I presented at the Gitex IT trade fair in Dubai.
Carbon Mobile shown in Europe for the first time at the 4YFN startup event.
Series-production model Carbon 1 MK II presented.
Series production of the Carbon 1 MK II begins.
Carbon 1 MK II brought to market.
Announcement to move phone assembly to the former Motorola plant in Flensburg, Germany, and price cut from 800 to 600 euros.
Housing design awarded the JEC Composites Connect Innovation Award.
German manufacturing not yet implemented; Carbon 1 MK II price falls to 200 euros on various sales platforms.
Cooperation announced with Saudi Arabian chemicals group SABIC to develop and manufacture radio-transparent carbon composites for electronics and automotive manufacturers.
Products and positioning
Premium, sustainable, lightweight connected hardware built on advanced carbon-fiber composite materials.
Carbon 1 MK I
Prototype smartphone presented at Gitex in Dubai in October 2016.
Carbon 1 MK II
Series-production smartphone with a carbon-fiber monocoque housing; presented February 2020, brought to market March 2021. Criticized for outdated components (low computing power, camera, Android 10, no 5G) and high price; praised for design and lightweight, thin housing. Housing contains only five percent plastic according to the manufacturer and is easy to repair and recycle.
HyRECM Technology
Hybrid Radio Enable Composite Material: a process that forges carbon fibers with a complementary composite material with signal-allowing properties, producing a carbon-fiber-based monocoque structure that is thin, light, and fully connected.
Recent events
Carbon Mobile announces Carbon 1 Mark II[5]
Reported:
Carbon Mobile announced its Carbon 1 Mark II carbon-fiber phone. The article says its ship date was then set for some time in June 2020.
Sources5 sources
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