Infinix demos color-changing back panels for phones with E Ink technology

A few years ago we tested the Infinix Concept Phone 2021, which offered impressive 160W charging and had an electrochromic film on the back. That film allowed the phone to change color from slate gray to steel blue.

Now the company is back with a new prototype technology, called E-Color Shift. This is a more advanced version of the same idea – the back of the phone can change colors, except this time there are more colors to choose from and the back is divided into individual segments (the color of each segment can be controlled individually).

A prototype of the Infinix E-Color Shift Technology

This was achieved with E Ink Prism 3, not unlike what you see in ebook readers. This is very power efficient as power is required only for changing the colors – once set, they will remain fixed with zero power draw.

That said, the technology can do better than fixed colors. The segments can shift colors quite quickly – faster than you might be used to from ebook readers. Here’s a quick demo:

This allows different animation loops to be loaded and Infinix says that if this concept is used in real devices, there will be an app to let you customize the look of your phone by setting different colors or playing various animations.

Note, however, that in the design above there are only four segments in a 2×2 grid (the darker diamond pattern in the center is fixed). Still, it’s enough to create an eye-catching animation.

Also, E Ink isn’t fixed to a rectangular shape, Infinix designers can use more free-form shapes like the stripes below:

As the tech develops there can be 60 customizable areas or more. But this isn’t intended to be a second screen on the back, so don’t think of it in terms of resolution – especially if the design uses complex shapes rather than a simple grid.

Infinix wants to give phones a dynamic look that can change day to day, even hour to hour. Animations offer even more options for customizations and are fast enough that different ones can be used for notifications (the electrochromic film was too slow for that).

The company still has several challenges to overcome before this technology can be put in the hands of consumers – it believes that the first consumer devices with the Infinix E-Color Shift Technology can reach the market in a year or two.