
Foolishly allowed a sticky-fingered child to hold your phone? Have a crippling fear of germs and wish you could disinfect everything? Now there’s a smartphone you can wash with soap and water!
It’s common knowledge that your computer keyboard can be home to as many germs as a toilet bowl. But while our the average keyboard spends its days in a home or office environment, our smartphones—whose input technology is based entirely around physical contact—are with us pretty much wherever we go. On the bus or train to work, waiting for your order at Starbucks, sitting on the toilet (don’t lie, you know you’ve done it); our smartphones are constantly in our hands, and those same hands touch a lot of dirty stuff during a typical day.
So wouldn’t it be handy if you could wash your phone with soap and water, just like you would your filthy, germ-ridden mitts? Japanese tech company Kyocera‘s new phone, the awkwardly named Digno Rafre, lets you do just that, and it’s available to buy now from Japanese mobile provider AU.
But just how soapy water can the Digno Rafre handle? Check out this demonstration video and see for yourselves:
▼ Bar soap, which still can collect in the phone’s various nooks and crannies, is off-limits, but foaming hand soap is perfectly safe.
▼ Even the camera lens can be washed
▼ Just when you thought the phone couldn’t get any quirkier, the demonstrator reveals a hidden TV aerial which, yes, is also completely soap-and-water-proof!
▼ When you’re finished washing, just dry the phone with a towel.
But its soapy water-resistant properties aren’t the only trick up the Digno Rafre’s sleeve—it also has a super-cheesy commercial to boot!
That family… It’s like watching a scene from a Japanese version of Fallout, isn’t it?
▼ “Don’t worry, Hiro, there’ll be plenty of swell kids to play with in the vault!”
Digital Trends reports that the Digno Rafre is comes with Android 5.1 installed, measures 10.1 mm thick (so a fair bit more than the iPhone 6 at 6.8mm) and has a five-inch, 720p display as well as a 13-megapixel camera.
Is washable the future of smartphones? Maybe! In the meantime, go and have a good think about how dirty your own phone probably is…
Source: YouTube/AU
Images: YouTube/AU, YouTube/BuzzZap






Under Its au Brand, Japanese Cellular Service Provider KDDI Unveils World’s Largest and Highest Resolution Smartphone
Japan belongs to Apple: iPhone claims top 10 spots in total smartphone sales in November
Did you know you can “wash” your smartphone at McDonald’s in Japan? 【Video】
Japanese manners videos show how to be a “really cool” traveller in Japan 【Videos】
Japanese sweets shop sells an ohagi so exquisite it sells out by noon
Studio Ghibli store Donguri Republic announces opening of first-ever store in America
7-Eleven Japan to start selling Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches this summer
Forget Tokyo go-karts – there’s a new way to sightsee on four wheels in Japan
Studio Ghibli adds new My Neighbour Totoro music box to its anime merchandise store in Japan
Starbucks Japan releases new Frappuccino, tea and soda drinks for summer
Gama Land, the weird Japanese amusement park celebrating toads, is now like a ghost town
Starbucks Japan releases new limited-edition summer drinks…and a pastry for dunking
All-you-can-eat cheese restaurant in Tokyo is a hidden gem not many people know about
Lawson Japan releases a crazy new product to remind us it’s not just famous for convenience store food
New Japanese overnight train coming to connect Tokyo with Tohoku in sleep-travel style
Universal Studios Japan is giving Frieren anime fans the chance to make unforgettable memories.
Tokyo’s life-size Gundam is getting a new look before its end-of-summer removal
Japanese bento shop touches hearts by selling super cheap boxed lunches for around a dollar
7-Eleven Japan joins the craze for Korean Gamja Cheese Balls
Lawson upsizes convenience store food for a limited time with two must-try Japanese meals
Uniqlo reveals third round of massive 100-year-anniversary manga T-shirts for Jump’s Shueisha
Even at twice regular Daiso price, this handy item is still great for summer travel in Japan
New official Ghibli anime food cookbook will teach you how to make Ponyo’s ramen and more
Japanese convenience store Lawson launches new “mini supermarket” chain, L Minimart
Japan’s real-world Pokémon hot spring’s first photos are here![Photos]
Kyoto public junior high school becomes first in Japan with a hoodie school uniform
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
We deeply regret going into this tunnel on our walk in the mountains of Japan
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
Japan reportedly adding Japanese language skill requirement to most common foreigner work visa
Japan’s 5.3 million beautiful Hitachi Nemophila flowers are now in full bloom[Photos]
Pokémon and Ikea Japan cross over into each other’s worlds with collaboration events
Wisteria season starts early with blooming of Japan’s Great Wisteria in its beautiful garden