Forms of Cellular Phones
Intro
Cellular phones may have different forms. These are described below.
Forms
Form | Picture | Example | Comment |
---|---|---|---|
Candybar | Nokia 1011 | Candybar is the most common form among cellular phones. The first device was the Nokia 1011, which was released on 1992-11-10. | |
Semi-Clamshell | Motorola MicroTAC International 5080 | The first clamshell phone was the Motorola MicroTAC, which was released in 1989. The GSM version MicroTAC International 5080 was released in 1994. Since the flap was only used to protect the keyboard, it is a semi-clamshell cellular phone. | |
Clamshell | Motorola StarTAC 70 | The first real clamshell phone was the Motorola StarTAC 70, which was released in 1996. The flap contained the loudspeaker and thus had an active function. | |
Slider | Siemens SL10 | The first sliding cellular phone was the Siemens SL10, which was released in 1999. On sliders, the keyboard can be uncovered by pushing (instead of folding) the flap. | |
Swivel | Motorola V70 | Swivel phones reveal the keyboard by turning their flap sideways. The first swivel phone was the Motorola V70, which was released in 2002. | |
Foldable | Royole FlexPai | Foldables are smartphones with a foldable screen. The first foldable was the Royole FlexPai from 2018, while Samsung was the first major brand to launch the Galaxy Fold a year later. There are two variants of this form factor. The screen is either folded vertically to make a smaller smartphone, similar to a clamshell phone, or horizontally to enlarge the screen, similar to a tablet. | |
Watch Phone | Samsung Watch Phone | In contrast to a smartwatch, watch phones also include a cellular phone part which can be used to place calls directly on the watch. The first watch phone was the Samsung SPH-WP10 from 1999. In 2003 Samsung introduced the first GSM watch phone by the simple name Watch Phone. | |
Carphone | Nokia 810 | Carphones are actually the classic among cellular phones. The Nokia 810 was the first dualband GSM device and was released in 2003. |