5 bizarre telephones I want had been as common because the Nothing Cellphone

Greater than nearly every other smartphone proper now, the Nothing Cellphone 1 has achieved an unbelievable job of constructing the tech world go head over heels for it. On the one hand, it’s simple to see why. For months, Nothing has been pitching its smartphone as one thing completely different within the business. That is partly due to a clear again, which reveals most of the Cellphone 1’s inside elements that might in any other case be hidden. The Nothing Cellphone 1 additionally options over 900 LEDs throughout its bottom that can be utilized to show incoming calls, charging standing, and extra. It’s completely different, distinctive, and doesn’t seem like an iPhone or Galaxy S copycat.

However the Nothing Cellphone 1 is way from the primary bizarre smartphone we’ve ever seen. Bizarre telephones have existed for years, with lots of them coming and going during the last decade. The one distinction is that they didn’t obtain the identical degree of consideration because the Nothing Cellphone 1 — regardless of being objectively extra attention-grabbing. Listed here are 5 pretty current examples of bizarre smartphones that deserved to be each bit as common because the Nothing Cellphone 1 is right now.

YotaPhone

The hallmark function of the Nothing Cellphone 1 is the LED lighting on the again of the cellphone. These strips gentle as much as present the cellphone’s charging standing, incoming calls, and when the reverse wi-fi charging perform is getting used. It’s a neat social gathering trick, however you recognize what’s extra attention-grabbing than ambiguous LEDs on the again of a cellphone? Having a second E-ink show.

That’s precisely what we obtained with the YotaPhone. Launched in 2012, the YotaPhone regarded like a normal Android cellphone from the entrance. It had a 4.3-inch LCD show, a front-facing digital camera, and an earpiece for taking cellphone calls. Nothing out of the abnormal! However while you flipped the YotaPhone over, you had been greeted by one other 4.3-inch show — this one utilizing E-ink know-how. That E-ink show might be used for checking notifications, viewing your calendar, looking RSS feeds, studying e-books,  and extra — all with out ever utilizing the primary LCD show.

Yota went on to launch the YotaPhone 2 and YotaPhone 3 within the following years, however ultimately went bankrupt in 2019. Whereas availability points and a hefty lawsuit ended up being the demise of YotaPhone, it additionally did not construct practically as a lot hype inside the tech group because the Nothing Cellphone 1 is doing. I like what Nothing founder Carl Pei is making an attempt to do with the Cellphone 1, however I’d take an e-ink show on the again of my cellphone over weird LEDs any day of the week.

Nextbit Robin

Certainly one of my largest complaints concerning the Nothing Cellphone 1 is how all of the design focus went on the again of the cellphone. From the entrance, it appears to be like like every other Android handset, hole-punch digital camera cutout included. The Nextbit Robin is one other smartphone that positioned an awesome emphasis on distinctive design, and it did so for the complete bundle.

The principle means Nextbit achieved this was with the Robin’s form. With a totally flat body and sharp edges, the Nextbit Robin regarded in contrast to anything in the marketplace, and nonetheless does. The again of the cellphone complemented the aesthetic with a turquoise and white two-tone design, whereas the entrance contrasted the Robin’s sharp traces with round speaker grilles flanking each ends of the show. It doesn’t matter what angle you regarded on the Nextbit Robin from, it was distinctly completely different from any of its rivals.

Nexbit was profitable sufficient to attract the eye of Razer and was shortly acquired by the gaming firm a couple of yr after the Robin’s launch. And whereas Razer retained some of Nextbit’s DNA with the Razer Cellphone and Razer Cellphone 2, the very best design selections had been misplaced in translation. The Nextbit Robin is a tool I can nonetheless distinctly image practically seven years later. Primarily based on what I’ve seen to date, the Nothing Cellphone 1 will in all probability fade from my reminiscence earlier than the yr is over.

Asus PadFone

At any time when I’ve an opportunity to jot down about bizarre smartphones, I’m all the time going to say the Asus PadFone. By itself, the Asus PadFone was a standard-looking Android system. It didn’t have a flashy design, distinctive digital camera housing, or any stark visible traits. However the cellphone itself was solely half of the equation.

Each Asus PadFone additionally got here with a companion pill. The “pill” was actually only a bigger show with a slot on the again for the cellphone to dock into. When connected, the PadFone powered the pill show and introduced your whole apps, video games, and recordsdata to a much bigger display screen. Though the execution was removed from good, having one system act because the brains for a pocketable cellphone and a bigger pill stays one of the crucial distinctive designs I’ve ever seen.

Sadly, that blended execution and lack of client curiosity noticed the PadFone sequence come and go over the course of about two years. Units just like the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Oppo Discover N have made the PadFone pitch largely redundant in mid-2022, nevertheless it stays one of the crucial memorable gadgets I’ve ever used.

LG Wing

Of all of the bizarre telephones which have failed, the LG Wing is among the freshest examples and is among the many strangest telephones I’ve ever held. Introduced in September 2020, LG’s thought behind the Wing was to make the “world’s first 5G swivel smartphone.” What did that imply? On the floor, the LG Wing was a standard-looking 6.8-inch handset. However with a fast flick of the show, it swiveled upwards to disclose a secondary 3.9-inch display screen under it.

You can watch a YouTube video whereas looking Twitter, have a look at a digital receipt whereas additionally utilizing a calculator, play a recreation whereas studying a how-to information — the probabilities had been infinite. And while you didn’t need or want the secondary display screen, the LG Wing regarded and felt like a (largely) regular smartphone.

On paper, a dual-screen system like that is extra attention-grabbing than one with a number of LEDs and a clear bottom. However that’s in no way what occurred. The LG Wing obtained some preliminary buzz, however was shortly pushed to the wayside and dismissed as being “too bizarre.” In the meantime, the Nothing Cellphone 1 has remained within the highlight for months on finish.

Palm (2018)

Sure, the Palm cellphone from 2018. This weird reincarnation of the fabled Palm model was downright dangerous for a large number of causes. It had abysmal battery life, a lackluster digital camera, was unique to Verizon, and will solely be used if it was linked to a different smartphone. At $350, there was no justifying its excessive worth.

However regardless of these issues, I can’t assist however want for a future the place the Palm cellphone was executed correctly — and had an excellent advertising push that actually made individuals conscious of it. Whether or not you’re heading off on a weekend getaway or need a small cellphone to take with you on a run, the concept of getting an ultra-compact system nonetheless able to most trendy smartphone duties is de facto interesting.

The bizarre highway is a harmful one to journey

Trying again at these telephones — telephones that had been arguably way more attention-grabbing than the Nothing Cellphone 1 — I can’t assist however surprise what the long run holds for Pei’s ardour mission. The Nothing Cellphone is enjoyable and bizarre, particularly in comparison with an iPhone 13 or Galaxy S22. However time and time once more, the market’s proven us that bizarre telephones are not often profitable ones.

Pei’s achieved an outstanding job of getting individuals excited for the Nothing Cellphone 1. However with more moderen bulletins of an invite-only shopping for program and no U.S. availability, issues are already shifting within the flawed course. If an E-ink show couldn’t save the YotaPhone and an unforgettable design wasn’t sufficient to maintain the Nextbit Robin round, I battle to see how a number of customizable LEDs will assist the Nothing Cellphone 1 succeed the place its extra attention-grabbing predecessors have failed.

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