ucard
 | |
 Front of the latest flagship model, the Ucard 8. | |
| Developer | U, Inc. |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Contract manufacturer: Cabrillo |
| Type | Smartcard |
| Units sold | 3.2 billion (as of December 1st, 2022) |
| Operating system | cardOS |
| Storage | 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 GB flash memory |
| Connectivity |
Bluetooth NFC RFID |
| Power | Built-in rechargeable solid-state battery |
| Dimensions | 85.60 × 53.98, 3.48 mm corner radius |
| Mass | 30 grams (Ucard 8) |
| Website |
u |
The ucard (stylized in all-lowercase, pronounced YOO-card) is a line of smartcards produced by U, Inc. The first-generation ucard was announced by founder Dennis A. Turner on February 16th, 2007. Since then, U has biannually released new models. As of December 1st, 2022, over 3.2 billion ucards have been sold, comprising more than half of all smartcards used.
The ucard was the first ever commercially marketed interactive smartcard. Since its launch in 2007, the ucard has pioneered features such as contactless payments, eIDs, digital passports, wireless charging, and universal keycard locks. Since the ucard 4, Bluetooth connectivity allows users to store and play music via wireless headphones. Ucard 6 and later generations feature no card number, no visible chip, nor a cardholder name.
The ucard has since its introduction remained the most popular smartcard globally, and in turn, propelled U into among the most valuable publicly traded companies ever. The first generation ucard has been described as a technological revolution and is credited with popularizing credit cards and smartcards in the developed world.