Bizarre Cyrcle Phone with a circular screen and TWO headphone jacks unveiled at CES 2020

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Bizarre Cyrcle Phone with a circular screen and TWO headphone jacks unveiled at CES 2020 ‘for non-rectangular people’

  • Cyrcle Phone challenges the dominant smartphone makers with circular screen
  • The prototype device has two headphone jacks ‘for sharing’ and two SIM slots
  • The unusual device runs Android 9 and is due for release within the next year 

By Jonathan Chadwick For Mailonline

Published: | Updated:

A US startup is trying putting itself ahead of the smartphone pack at CES this week with a strange-looking circular phone that has two headphone jacks.

Designed as a ‘non-rectangular phone for non-rectangular people, the device is reminiscent of two-way talking devices from 1990s sci-fi movies.

The palm-sized Cyrcle Phone from Washington-based firm dTOOR also has two SIM card slots and a front-facing camera for taking selfies. 

But the device is specifically designed for people with smaller hands who want a device that allows a more natural grip than rectangles.

For all the innovations in smartphones this century, few designs have challenged the dominance of the generally-accepted rectangular smartphone shape.

The Cyrcle Phone runs Android 9 and has a front-facing 13-megapixel camera for selfies

‘Rectangles have served us for years and years,’ Christina Cyr, founder of the Cyrcle Phone, told the BBC.

‘But we’re looking for something that fits better in the hand and also something that fits better in the pocket.

‘We’ve seen companies like Amazon and Google break the rectangular paradigm with circular devices for the home – now is the time to innovate our mobile communication device.’

Cyrcle Phone has two headphone jacks so two users can plug in their own pair of headphones and watch films or listen to music together for a more communal experience.

‘What we’ve seen is an uptick in people wanting to communicate and be with each other in real life, and I think that’s because we’ve been so isolated with our phones and on social media – we hide behind that wall,’ said Cyr.

The developers of this device are going in the opposite direction from Apple and Samsung – which have already phased out headphone jacks staring with their respective iPhone 7 in 2016 and Galaxy Note 10 last year.

The device has two headphone jacks and two SIM cards for users to separate their personal and professional contacts and fits neatly in the palm of the hand

The device has two headphone jacks and two SIM cards for users to separate their personal and professional contacts and fits neatly in the palm of the hand

The next gen Android 9 4G LTE version of The Cyrcle Phone has a unique, non-rectangular form 'meant for sharing'

The next gen Android 9 4G LTE version of The Cyrcle Phone has a unique, non-rectangular form ‘meant for sharing’

The Cyrcle phone features a front-facing 13-megapixel camera and two SIM Cards, for both ‘work and play’ – in other words dividing friends and colleagues into two separate sets of phone numbers and messages.

‘In times that require immediate service, professionals are increasingly expected to be on-call and carry multiple devices – forget that,’ the company says.

The phone supports 4G LTE and runs the Android 9 operating system.

The team plans to modify the phone’s interface to make sure Android apps will actually show within the circular display when it’s released.

By Grapthar's hammer, I will return your call! The Cyrcle Phone is not unlike the two-way calling device from Galaxy Quest

By Grapthar’s hammer, I will return your call! The Cyrcle Phone is not unlike the two-way calling device from Galaxy Quest

Currently, apps currently being used on the phone all open in a rectangle format, meaning that some features are cut off.

The model is just a prototype for now but the designers say it will launch in about a year’s time, according to the BBC.

The original concept for the device dates back to 2015, and an early 3D-printable prototype was funded through a Kickstarter campaign the following year.

The phone is one of the most unusual smartphone designs at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week

These have included a device from Chinese company TCL that folds down the screen and a ‘disappearing’ colour-changing camera lens on the OnePlus Concept One prototype. 

THE BEST OF CES 2020 SO FAR 

Samsung has shown off an 8K QKED bezel-less TV that is 99 per cent screen and ultra-thin – only 15mm.

Fellow South Korean rival LG has its own set of OLED TVs that double as ‘a piece of art’ thanks to an outer edge that mimics a picture frame and the ability to display HD art pieces when not in use.

Sony unveiled a concept connected car loaded with sensors and technology from its audio/visual business as part of its own push into mobility.

Panasonic had as part of its CES showcase a miniature, battery-powered prototype fire engine that can transport the same level of equipment as a full-sized fire engine but at a fraction of the cost and energy.

Lenovo has showcased its foldable PC with a 13.3-inch screen that it says is more durable than Samsung’s Galaxy Fold.

Dell has a foldable PC concept of its own that folds down the middle of the screen itself, as well as a prototype for a portable games system with detachable controllers much like the Nintendo Switch.

Sex toy company Lora DiCarlo, which had its products banned at CES 2019, has been welcomed with open arms and is displaying two new products – one that simulates a human mouth and another specifically for ‘therapeutic’ stimulation.

A table-waiting robot cat called BellaBot designed by Chinese company PuduTech can carry plates and respond when diners stroke its ears.

Impossible Foods has been feeding CES guests with Impossible Pork, a plant-based substitute to real piggy meat that will be rolling out to US Burger King restaurants this month.

Spare a thought for Keep Labs, a Canadian company that was effectively banned by CES from exhibiting its cannabis storage box, which uses facial recognition to lock and unlock to keep away prying fingers.