Tag Heuer's Meridiist Infinite smartphone has a solar panel screen for eternal battery life

Whatever this is, it looks expensive.
It’s hard to tell from this angle, but what we’re looking at here, is a phone. The Tag Heuer Meridiiist Infinite, to be exact. And yes, it’s going to run you back more than the cost of a small car.

Are those keys I spy? Ewww.
They sure are. But this isn’t a smartphone for multitasking, movie watching or bird flinging. It’s running an unnamed OS (unlike Tag Heuer’s other luxury phone the Link, which runs Android), but that’s ok.

It’s a status symbol crafted from premium materials like carbon fibre and titanium. It’s the sort of phone you’d use to order a pony for your daughter’s birthday at five in the morning while you’re having a custom Italian suit fitted in between business meetings about business things.

Like its Vertu competitors, the Infinite has a dedicated 24/7 concierge service just one phone call away. No demand is too ludicrous, as long as you’ve got the wallet to back it up.

So you’re telling me it can’t run Candy Crush…
Sigh.

Look, it’s got a sapphire crystal display, ok? Do you know what that means? It means that nothing in the universe short of a diamond pick axe will be able to leave a mark on it, which is why Apple is looking to replace the entire iPhone screen with sapphire.

Reportedly, Apple even has a plans to create a sapphire display with in-built solar charging capabilities, but this phone can already do that too.

Come again?
The Meridiist Infinte is able to charge itself by using nothing more than light. It’s got a layer of Wysips crystal placed between the sapphire crystal glass and the LCD screen.

Created by SunPartner Technologies, this photovoltaic layer of crystals can convert solar radiation into energy. Combined photovoltaic cells and micro-lenses, the whole screen can sip at artificial and natural light, slowly replenishing its power reserves.

Currently the technology is capable of generating 5 milliWatt-peak/cm², but this looks set to double thanks to a newer generation of photovoltaic materials.

Realistically we’re looking at around an hour of solar charging for an extra 10 minutes of talk time, but it’s certainly better than nothing and should ensure that the phone will never die on standby.

Well, this changes everything
Sort of. Not many people can afford to splash out more than three grand for a phone, and only 1,911 limited edition models will be made. But as the technology becomes cheaper, it’ll start trickling down into affordable devices, and we’ll all benefit from it. One day.

Right. Well, I’m off to buy a lottery ticket.
Us too, friend. Us too…

About

Esat has been a gadget fan ever since his tiny four-year-old brain was captivated by a sound-activated dancing sunflower. From there it was a natural progression to a Sega Mega Drive, a brief obsession with hedgehogs, and a love for all things tech. After 7 years as a writer and deputy editor for Stuff, Esat ventured out into the corporate world, spending three years as Editor of Microsoft's European News Centre. Now a freelance writer, his appetite for shiny gadgets has no bounds. Oh, and like all good human beings, he's very fond of cats.