Rakuten Mobile this week announced the release of the Rakuten Hand, a new original 4G smartphone. The Rakuten Hand is available in 3 colors: Black, White and Crimson Red, and is priced at 20,000 yen (~USD$192).
Featuring a 5.1-inch OLED display equipped with Mobile FeliCa, the Rakuten Hand is the world’s slimmest smartphone by horizontal width. With curved edges and a weight of approximately 129 grams, this original 4G device from Rakuten Mobile is lightweight and easy to use one-handed. The main rear-facing camera features a wide-angle camera (approx. 48 megapixels) and a depth sensing camera, making it possible to take portrait shots where the subject stands out against a blurred background. The 16-megapixel front-facing camera features a variety of modes for selfies, such as a beauty mode and animation effects.
The Rakuten Hand supports 4x4 MIMO, which offers higher transmission speeds than 2x2 MIMO, the typical transmission method for 4G smartphones. Like other Rakuten Mobile original smartphones, the Rakuten Hand is equipped with an eSIM and is SIM lock free.
In addition, leather cases for the Rakuten Hand will also go on sale on the official Rakuten Mobile site and on Rakuten Books. When purchasing a Rakuten Hand smartphone and a leather case together from the official Rakuten Mobile site, the leather case will cost 980 yen (including tax), instead of the standard 2,880 yen.
