{"id":511595,"date":"2026-03-03T12:37:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-03T12:37:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/511595\/"},"modified":"2026-03-03T12:37:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T12:37:08","slug":"mwc-2026s-most-bizarre-phone-can-start-fires-on-purpose","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/511595\/","title":{"rendered":"MWC 2026\u2019s most bizarre phone can start fires (on purpose)"},"content":{"rendered":"

This isn\u2019t a Galaxy Note 7 debacle<\/a>. Oukitel’s WP63 is a ruggedized smartphone that\u2019s meant to set things alight. It has a built-in electric igniter, aimed at emergency response and camping, helping to start fires when you forgot matches, but you brought this beastly phone along for the adventure. It\u2019s got several other notable features, like a 20,000mAH battery, a loudspeaker, and even its own built-in USB-C cable for charging other devices.<\/p>\n

Still, the igniter was why I was here. The WP63 has an electric coil that heats up, similar to cigarette lighters in cars circa 1987. This is hidden away behind a protective cover at the top of the device, and once it pops out, you activate it using an app. An Oukitel spokesperson was able to light some rolled-up paper, and I was surprised how gentle and seemingly in control it was. (The paper looked like a cigarette, too.)<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, another spokesperson told me that it can\u2019t be used to light candles, although I can\u2019t understand why. I don\u2019t start campfires, but I do light candles.<\/p>\n

\"Oukitel<\/p>\n

Image by Mat Smith for Engadget<\/p>\n

The phone will be priced around $500, and completely ignoring the tendency for thinner and thinner<\/a> phones, it\u2019s 27mm thick. Another outdoor use? If a bear decided to attack you in the woods, you might be able to concuss it with the WP63.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This isn\u2019t a Galaxy Note 7 debacle. Oukitel’s WP63 is a ruggedized smartphone that\u2019s meant to set things…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":511596,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[49,48,203186,190,61],"class_list":{"0":"post-511595","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mobile","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-cigarette-lighters","11":"tag-mobile","12":"tag-technology"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/511595","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=511595"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/511595\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/511596"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=511595"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=511595"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=511595"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}