The German brand Carbon Mobile is a new player in the smartphone market, which enters with a striking smartphone with the Carbon 1 Mark II. If you want to buy the Carbon 1 Mark II, first go through the review of the phone. There are notable pros and cons.
Carbon 1 Mark II
MSRP € 799, –
Colors Black
OS Android 10
Screen 6 inch OLED (2160 x 1080, 60hz)
Processor 2.2 Ghz octacore (MediaTek Helio P95)
RAM 8GB
Storage 256GB (expandable with memory card)
Battery 3,000 mAh
Camera 16 and 16 megapixels (rear), 20 megapixels (front)
Connectivity 4G (LTE), Bluetooth 5.0, WiFi, GPS, NFC
Format 15.4 x 7.4 x 0.6 cm
Weight 125 grams
Other Fingerprint scanner
Website www.carbonmobile.com
5 Score 50 
- Pros
- Design
- Weight
- Negatives
- Price to quality ratio
- No audio port
- Outdated Android version
- Battery
- Cameras
If I were to receive a euro for every time I heard people complain about the thickness or weight of their smartphone, I can conclude after a long calculation that I have become exactly zero euro richer. Nevertheless, the German Carbon Mobile sees crucial points for improvement in this area. The Carbon 1 Mark II is a wafer-thin lightweight smartphone. Truly a piece of jewelry. But is this really the major shortcoming of smartphones that Carbon Mobile solves here?
Carbon housing
The Carbon 1 Mark II is only 6.3 millimeters thick and weighs 125 grams. This low weight is due to a carbon fiber housing. The material used may feel a bit like plastic, but it is not a fingerprint magnet and not as fragile as glass. Several smartphone makers should consider this material for their more expensive smartphones. However, many smartphone makers rely on glass to make charging as wireless as possible; something that is not possible with a metal housing. This carbon housing should theoretically allow for wireless charging. But the function is missing, a first missed opportunity.
Carbon Mobile is also taking the green card for its carbon housing. Less plastic is used in the smartphone and less scarce metals are used. The smartphone industry is by no means known for its durability, with greedy decisions (such as omitting the adapter, which is also the case here) as eco-friendly decisions. Also in terms of repair options and update support, the industry, with the exception of Fairphone, is open to green improvement, to say the least. Besides the case, it remains quiet in this area, making the durability of the case seem more marketing than a more durable smartphone. That also feels like a missed opportunity.
Sustainable future
Because that sustainable story, there is really something in it. The fact that there is less plastic in the housing does not help much of course. Furthermore, there is little sustainable to report: the Carbon 1 Mark II is also made in China, just like almost all other smartphones. Where rules in the field of human rights and the environment are not good.
Carbon’s sustainable story rattles a bit, why decorate a whole page if there is so little to report in this area? Inquiries with a Carbon Mobile spokesperson did yield some positive future reports. For example, Carbon Mobile plans to move the production of the smartphones to Germany in the long term, where better working conditions and environmental legislation apply.
Carbon Mobile plans to move production to Germany.
Thin isn’t always better
The fact that the smartphone is thin as a razor looks nice, but no more than that. Because if you make your smartphone that thin, then there are compromises. There is less space for the battery, which is also not particularly high with a capacity of 3,000 mAh. This has the disadvantage that the battery life of a charged battery is a maximum of one day. With regular use, it can be difficult to get through the day. Lower capacity also means that you can expect faster battery wear, so keep that in mind.
A physical fingerprint scanner is incorporated on the right side of the smartphone. I usually prefer these types of fingerprint scanners in terms of location and accuracy to (respectively) a fingerprint scanner on the back or below the screen. In this case, however, the fingerprint scanner is so thin that I often have to make so many attempts to unlock the device that I have to fall back on the pin code. The side just seems too thin for a good fingerprint scanner.
High price expectations
The Carbon 1 Mark II has a price tag of around 800 euros. In that high price range you can find luxury smartphones such as those from Samsung and Apple that make a big impression in terms of performance and camera. 800 euros, that creates expectations. Which is also disappointed here. For that price you get specifications that you can expect for a smartphone of about 400 euros. The MediaTek chipset ensures that the device does its job smoothly, but it is not a workhorse and it also does not support 5G. In terms of storage memory, you get more than enough with 256GB, and you can expand it with a memory card if desired.
At the top and bottom of the screen you will find thicker screen edges, which is not disturbing in itself. In addition, this means that there is no need to use a screen notch or hole for the front camera. The image quality of the AMOLED screen panel is acceptable, the color reproduction is acceptable and the 6-inch screen has a Full-HD resolution as you would expect. Only the maximum brightness is a bit disappointing, making the screen a bit difficult to read in the bright sun. There is also no higher refresh rate, which in view of the limited battery capacity is not an unwise choice, but a shortcoming.
Cameras
Two 16 megapixel cameras are attached to the rear. To be honest, what the dualcam setup does escapes me. Because changing lenses in the app is not possible. With other smartphones you can zoom in and out, as it were, by switching to the zoom or wide-angle lens. But when I put my finger on the left lens, the pictures stay the same. Even if I zoom in manually. So only one lens seems to be used for photos, while the other takes care of the depth determination.
Moreover, that one lens is not really able to keep up with cameras in its price range. Colors are faded and noise quickly occurs when the lighting conditions are not optimal. The selfie camera also produces gritty photos.
Android 10
The fact that the Carbon 1 Mark II does not run on the most recent Android version, but will appear on the market in 2021 with an Android version from the summer of 2019 with the safety patch of November 2020, is highly attributable to the company. How can you talk about the durability of the smartphone, while the device is already behind the facts before it is taken out of the box. An update to Android 11 will appear in May, the version with which the smartphone should have appeared on the market. Carbon Mobile does plan to update the smartphone to Android 12 and to roll out a security update every other month. It is unknown how long the smartphone will receive updates.
However, it feels so completely unnecessary, especially since Carbon Mobile has left the Android base mostly intact (which is a plus in itself). Why the smartphone runs on an older Android version and still has to wait for an update. I don’t get it explained and rhymed with the sustainable story that people are trying to tell. Using less plastic and valuable minerals in a device that you can dispose of after a short time because it is outdated and the small battery worn out …?
Using less plastic and valuable minerals in a device that is outdated and worn out after a short time …?
Alternatives to the Carbon 1 Mark II
The Carbon 1 Mark II is truly the most beautiful smartphone that I have seen in ages. I would love to recommend it, but in addition to the beautiful design, the smartphone actually falls short on all points. If you are sensitive to a sustainable story with your smartphone, then you are much better off and a lot cheaper with the FairPhone 3+.
For those 800 euros you get a device with mid-range specifications, where form is given more priority than function. For that money, however, you have much better smartphones on all fronts on the iPhone 12 or the Samsung Galaxy S21. The latter also does not have a breakable glass housing, which you will also not find on the Pixel 4A 5G. All these devices are not only better alternatives (especially in the camera area), but can count on good update support, which is safer and more durable.
In addition to the design, Carbon Mobile could have made its smartphone stand out so much more easily in its price range: good support (perhaps with Android One?), A competitive price, striking repairability or not participating in greedy Apple-like bullying such as the omission of connections. and adapters. The design is the only striking part and solves problems that are not there, while at the same time creating new problems, such as poor battery capacity.
Conclusion: Buy Carbon 1 Mark II?
I would love to recommend and announce the Carbon 1 Mark II as a new player shaking up the smartphone market. But it is a very mediocre smartphone with a much too high price in a beautiful housing.
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