While mobile phones developed under the au Design project had received high acclaim internationally, none of the earlier models supported international roaming and therefore could not be used overseas. G9 was conceived to finally realize overseas compatibility. Drawing on the philosophy of “a high-quality tool” established with GRAPPA in 2001, the project aimed to create an internationally compatible model that embodied this approach. The name G9 combines the initial letters of GRAPPA and GLOBAL with the planned release year, 2009.

The design, created through the collaboration of Ichiro Iwasaki and Sony Ericsson, evokes the refined precision associated with classic Sony design. The stainless steel frame is treated with a titanium-compound thin-film coating, paired with anodized aluminum accent keys to convey a sense of quality. As an accessory to G9, the Mobile Pico Projector—an ultra-compact projector considered highly innovative at the time—was also designed. Although development began as part of the au Design project, the product ultimately debuted as the first model of the newly launched iida brand.

【Awards】
2009: Good Design Award

Source: Sunahara, Satoshi (2017). *Keitai no Keitaigaku [The Morphology of Mobile Phones]*. Rokuyosha.