Kazam, the smartphone manufacturer started by ex-HTC employees , has officially announced the Tornado 348, the world's thinnest smartphone. At an incredibly svelte 5.15mm thick, the upcoming Android smartphone is a world apart from the company's initial handsets; we were impressed with the Thunder and Trooper range, which packed in plenty of features for a low price, but with budget bargains like Motorola's Moto G available for not a lot less, the company is now trying a different approach in order to get noticed.
Built from an aluminium-magnesuim alloy, the Tornado 348 should be tough as well as incredibly thin. On the front, a 4,8in, 1,280x720 resolution AMOLED display is protected by Corning's Gorilla Glass, witrh capacitive buttons at the bottom and a 5-megapixel front-facing webcam at the top for fans of selfie photos. Kazam's unique one year screen protection guarantee means you won't have to worry about dropping your phone and cracking the display, as the company will replace it free of charge - at least the first time it happens, as long as it's within the first twelve months of owning the phone.
On the back, an 8-megapixel rear camera with autofocus and an LED flash should be able to take clearer snaps in low light, as well as record Full HD video clips at 30fps. In black and white colours, with plastic antennas protroduing out of the metal frame, it's more than a little reminiscent of Apple's iPhone 6 , albeit with power and volume buttons on the left side of the phone rather than the right.
Inside, an octa-core MediaTek MT6592 processor runs at 1.7GHz and is paired with 1GB of RAM. It should be able to run Android 4.4 Kitkat smoothly, thanks in part to Kazam's use of the stock operating system rather than a custom skin. THe phone includes 16GB of onboard storage, but there's no microSD card slot for adding extra capacity. You also get 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and FM radio when using a pair of earphones, but you'll be stuck on 3G data speeds and won't get NFC. It also remains to be seen how long the 2,050mAh battery will last on a single charge, although Kazam is suggesting 240 hours of standby or 6 hours of talk time.
"Kazam remains focused on innovating in areas often overlooked," Kazam CEO Michael Coombes said of the launch, referring to the company's screen protection policy. "The Kazam Tornado 348 combines superior design with heavy hitting features, all backed up by the KAZAM proposition, adding real value for consumers.”
The Kazam Tornado 348 will be going on sale in the UK in a choice of black and white colours from November onwards, with prices set at £249. We're hoping to get a first look at the handset later today, so be sure to check back for some first impressions.
