Beijing-based Hi-Tech Wealth Inc. spent seven years developing what the company claimed as world's first solar-powered handphone, S116, which can transform light into electricity and stores it in its lithium battery.
A one-hour exposure to sunlight can power 40 minutes of talk time. When the stored electricity is finished, another five-minute sunlight-recharge lets the phone work as normal.
The gadget also works in weaker light such as indoors and by candle light.
Zhang Zhengyu, Hi-Tech Wealth chief executive, says the invention could reduce environmental pollution caused by used batteries.
He also claims the solar-powered battery has a longer lifespan than traditional types.
The mobile phone sells for 3,980 yuan (US$521). Source: CRI