If you’re into cooking or fancy kitchen appliances, you might have heard of a Japanese company called Balmuda. For those unfamiliar, they are a company that has gained a cult following for a toaster machine that supposedly creates the “best” toast. This is thanks to the use of steam during the toasting process that helps create a better texture.
However, it seems that the company isn’t stopping there. A report from Nikkei Asia has revealed that Balmuda is apparently looking to expand to Android smartphones. This is thanks to a partnership with Kyocera which will result in 5G capable phones that will be exclusive to SoftBank, meaning we might not see it outside of Japan.
To Balmuda’s credit, the company has expanded beyond toasters. They make all kinds of home appliances and gadgets now that are equally stylishly designed, although we have to admit that a smartphone does seem like quite a departure from their usual product lineup. Not much else is known about the phone, but given Balmuda’s penchant for design, we have to say that we are pretty excited to see what it could look like, barring all skepticism.
It will also be interesting to see how well-received such a device will be. The smartphone market is pretty competitive and hasn’t been too kind to newcomers, but perhaps the partnership with Kyocera could help.