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KDDI's high-end Firefox OS phone, the Fx0 (pictures)

BARCELONA -- The Fx0 from Japanese carrier KDDI is the top-end Firefox OS phone on the market. Here's a look at the transparent-backed design. Mozilla showed it off at Mobile World Congress.

Stephen Shankland
Stephen Shankland worked at CNET from 1998 to 2024 and wrote about processors, digital photography, AI, quantum computing, computer science, materials science, supercomputers, drones, browsers, 3D printing, USB, and new computing technology in general. He has a soft spot in his heart for standards groups and I/O interfaces. His first big scoop was about radioactive cat poop.
Stephen Shankland
KDDI's Fx0 Firefox phone
1 of 12 Stephen Shankland/CNET

KDDI's Fx0 Firefox phone at MWC

The KDDI Fx0 is the most powerful smartphone on the market, though its hardware is still a few notches down from rival flagship devices running Android or iOS. KDDI, a Japanese carrier, offers the phone only in Japan and gives it an appropriate lock screen. The phone has a 4.7-inch 1,280x720-pixel screen and 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor.

KDDI's Fx0 Firefox phone
2 of 12 Stephen Shankland/CNET

KDDI's Fx0 Firefox phone at MWC

It's fun to look at the electronics lurking inside the The KDDI Fx0's transparent housing. It's reminiscent of Apple's first-generation iMac design.

KDDI's Fx0 Firefox phone
3 of 12 Stephen Shankland/CNET

KDDI's Fx0 Firefox phone

The KDDI Fx0's home button features an understated Firefox logo. Developers haven't supported Firefox OS as much as some would like, but there are a number of apps. Those that run on the Web already, such as Microsoft's Outlook.com, are easiest to bring to Firefox OS.

KDDI's Fx0 Firefox phone
4 of 12 Stephen Shankland/CNET

KDDI's Fx0 Firefox phone at MWC

The front-facing camera has a 2.1-megapixel sensor. This lock-screen wallpaper, which rotates into different orientations, makes it awfully hard to read the time and date.

KDDI's Fx0 Firefox phone
5 of 12 Stephen Shankland/CNET

KDDI's Fx0 Firefox phone at MWC

One the right side of the KDDI Fx0 is the power switch. The phone has 16GB of storage.

KDDI's Fx0 Firefox phone
6 of 12 Stephen Shankland/CNET

KDDI's Fx0 Firefox phone at MWC

The KDDI Fx0 comes with an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera and an LED flash. Just beneath it in this photo is the SIM card slot.

KDDI's Fx0 Firefox phone
7 of 12 Stephen Shankland/CNET

KDDI's Fx0 Firefox phone at MWC

Firefox OS uses Nokia's Here Maps app for location and navigation purposes.

KDDI's Fx0 Firefox phone
8 of 12 Stephen Shankland/CNET

KDDI's Fx0 Firefox phone at MWC

The top of the home screen shows basic apps and a search bar. Firefox OS is Mozilla's browser-based mobile operating systems, which means it runs apps written with Web technologies such as HTML and JavaScript.

KDDI's Fx0 Firefox phone
9 of 12 Stephen Shankland/CNET

KDDI's Fx0 Firefox phone at MWC

On the bottom of the The KDDI Fx0 is a USB charging port and a microphone.

KDDI's Fx0 Firefox phone
10 of 12 Stephen Shankland/CNET

KDDI's Fx0 Firefox phone at MWC

Under reflective light, the stippled pattern on the back of the KDDI Fx0 is very visible, as is the LG Electronics logo on the battery. The South Korean company builds the phone.

KDDI's Fx0 Firefox phone
11 of 12 Stephen Shankland/CNET

KDDI's Fx0 Firefox phone at MWC

The left side of the The KDDI Fx0 shows a volume rocker and Fx0 brand name.

KDDI's Fx0 Firefox phone
12 of 12 Stephen Shankland/CNET

KDDI's Fx0 Firefox phone at MWC

Firefox OS's control panel looks like just about any other you'd see on a smartphone.

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