Konftel 800 wins a Red Dot Design Award

Konftel, a global leader in conference phones and video conferencing equipment, has won a Red Dot Award for Product Design 2019 for its new Konftel 800 conference phone, in partnership with Struktur Design.

“The Red Dot Awards are one of the world’s most prestigious accolades in industrial design, so we are naturally extremely pleased that our new conference phone is a winner,” says Peter Renkel, CEO of Konftel.

The Konftel 800 was unveiled earlier this year and will go on sale in the third quarter of 2019. The new conference phone is able to handle every kind of distance meeting, whether in the cloud, an in-house system or hybrid environments. This hybrid conference phone (SIP/USB/Bluetooth) meets the needs arising from the rapid migration to VoIP platforms, while at the same time addressing the growth in the huddle room segment, where USB is the main mode of connection.

Impressed jury

The Red Dot jury was impressed by both the ease of use and the physical design, stating that: “The design of the Konftel 800 conference phone stands out for its distinctive use of forms and an intuitive usability.”

The Red Dot jury also commented that the clean lines in combination with a fabric cover give the Konftel 800 a look that conveys efficiency and familiarity.

“The Konftel 800 is designed from a strong user perspective, combined with an upgraded expression that communicates Konftel’s care for the user’s experience,” says Johan Gustafsson from the industrial design agency Struktur Design, which has worked on most of Konftel’s products since 1995.

“It stands ready and able for the user to interact, as well as just being there with a distinctive presence. The design is clearly identifiable as a Konftel product, with a strong connection to its surroundings. The fabric covered top, paired with sharply defined lines, communicates warmth and ability. The goal with the Konftel 800 is not only to meet but to surpass user expectations.”

Beamforming technology

The Konftel 800 uses a brand new technical platform that employs beamforming technology and algorithms to improve the sound, with the help of three digital microphones. And the sound is another feature that hugely impressed the Red Dot Award jury, which reports that: “Thanks to the innovative OmniSound technology, it produces a very natural speech quality. Three devices in a daisy chain suffice to cover even very big conference rooms.”

“This award is truly the result of a broad collaboration. Our technical team has worked hard to achieve world-class sound, while our own design team developed the intuitive user interface for the touchscreen, with Struktur Design honing the stunning shape,” says Peter Renkel, CEO of Konftel.

The Konftel 800 can be managed using the built-in touchscreen or via the Konftel Unite app, a fact that appealed to the jury, which says: “The device is easily operated using a colour touchscreen with icons as well as volume and mute buttons or by a mobile app.”

Second time

“This is actually the second time Konftel has received a Red Dot Award. Our Konftel Ego speakerphone won in 2016. It may be our Scandinavian heritage shining through, but we place great emphasis on the design and we know our customers love that about our products. This is perhaps not so surprising, as our phones are often right in front of them all day long,” concludes Peter Renkel.

The now award-winning Konftel 800 will be presented to the whole industry on stand no. 3787 at the major InfoComm trade show in Orlando, USA on June 12-14. Every time the Konftel 800 has appeared at a trade show, it has attracted a great deal of interest, not least in the USA, where one of Konftel’s other products – the Konftel 300Wx – is the runaway bestseller in wireless conference phones. Global sales of the Konftel 800 will begin in the third quarter of this year.

About Konftel:
Konftel is a leading company within collaboration endpoint solutions. Since 1988, our mission has been to help people in businesses around the world to have meetings regardless of distance. Based on our success, we know that remote collaboration is a smooth way to save time, money and at the same time contribute to a more sustainable world. Crystal clear audio and a sharp video image are essential for efficient meetings, this is why we only focus on cutting-edge technology in our Collaboration Solutions. Our audio technology OmniSound® is built into all Konftel Conference phones and devices. The products are sold globally under the Konftel brand and our headquarter is based in Sweden. Read more about the company and our products at konftel.com.