Sharp's Basio Active 2 features physical buttons, fake call protection, a camera with artificial intelligence features and more.

Sharp introduced the Basio Active 2 smartphone targeting the elderly. An interesting feature of the device is that it can be wiped with an alcohol wipe and even washed with soap and water.

The device has a 5.7-inch screen with HD+ resolution and 60Hz refresh rate. At the bottom there are three physical buttons for receiving calls, sending e-mails and the "Home Screen". The manufacturer emphasises that all text on the screen is clearly visible, the letters, icons and number buttons are large and the interface is as simple as possible.

Additional measures against fraudsters

The smartphone also has a built-in call recording programme that can automatically record incoming calls from unknown numbers. In addition, unwanted contacts can be blocked immediately or a special "answering machine" with a robot voice can be switched on for them.

The device has a 50MP main camera and an 8MP front-facing camera. It is equipped with artificial intelligence functions that automatically determine the optimal shooting mode and adjust the lens. The unusual smartphone has 4GB RAM and 64GB storage and a Snapdragon 695 processor. Battery capacity 4,000 mAh. There is also support for NFC and eSIM.

The Basio Active 2 has MIL-STD-810H military certification protection for improved shock resistance. It is also impervious to water and dust according to the IP68 standard. The smartphone is currently on sale in Japan for 41,800 yen ($276). It is not yet clear when it will be available in other countries.