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HomeExploreTechnologyClassic Mobile Phones From the Brick to the iPhone
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The first handhelds put a keypad and a long antenna in your hand. Later phones folded, slid open, snapped photos, or fit a full keyboard into a pocket. These photographs show how the shape of the mobile phone changed on the way to the original iPhone in 2007.

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Images26

1
Motorola DynaTAC 8000X
Motorola DynaTAC 8000X: The long antenna and red display are easy to spot on this early brick phone. In 1983, the FCC…
2
Motorola StarTAC
Motorola StarTAC: The StarTAC’s hinged earpiece folded down over the screen and keypad when the call was over. Motorola…
3
Motorola RAZR V3
Motorola RAZR V3: The original RAZR V3, introduced in 2004, used a thin metal clamshell and a flat keypad. This side view…
4
Apple iPhone
Apple iPhone: Apple’s original iPhone arrived in 2007 with a large touch screen in place of a fixed number pad. A single…
5
Motorola MicroTAC
Motorola MicroTAC: Motorola’s MicroTAC arrived in 1989. Its small lower flap folded down to uncover the keypad, while the…
6
Nokia 1011
Nokia 1011: Introduced in 1992, the 1011 was an early mass-market phone for digital GSM networks. Its thick case, long…
7
IBM Simon Personal Communicator
IBM Simon Personal Communicator: The Simon went on sale in 1994 with a touch screen that could display a number pad. It…
8
Nokia 8110
Nokia 8110: The curved body gave Nokia’s 1996 8110 its banana-phone nickname. The cover shown here protects the number…
9
Nokia 9000 Communicator
Nokia 9000 Communicator: Nokia’s 1996 Communicator opened sideways like a tiny laptop. A wide display and a physical…
10
Nokia 3210
Nokia 3210: In 1999, the Nokia 3210 put its antenna inside the rounded case. The smooth top edge stands out beside older…
11
Nokia 7110
Nokia 7110: The 7110 used a thumb roller below its screen to scroll through menus and pages. Nokia introduced the slider in…
12
Kyocera VisualPhone VP-210
Kyocera VisualPhone VP-210: Kyocera put a camera above the screen of this Japanese handset in 1999. Its forward-facing lens…
13
Ericsson R380s
Ericsson R380s: The keypad on Ericsson’s R380s folded down to uncover a wide, stylus-operated touch screen for email…
14
Nokia 3310
Nokia 3310: A small monochrome screen sits above the buttons on the original 3310. The phone arrived in 2000 with…
15
Sharp J-SH04
Sharp J-SH04: This Sharp handset for Japan’s J-Phone network appeared in 2000 with a built-in camera. Owners could send a…
16
Siemens SL45
Siemens SL45: The SL45 was one of the early phones with a built-in MP3 player. A 32 MB MultiMediaCard held the music. Its…
17
Nokia 7650
Nokia 7650: Slide the front upward and a full number pad appears below the color screen. Nokia announced this Symbian…
18
BlackBerry 5810
BlackBerry 5810: Research In Motion’s 2002 BlackBerry 5810 paired its small keyboard and monochrome screen with mobile…
19
Sony Ericsson T68i
Sony Ericsson T68i: The 2002 T68i had a color screen and a small joystick between the call buttons. A camera could plug…
20
Sony Ericsson P800
Sony Ericsson P800: This early Sony Ericsson smartphone put a stylus-operated touch screen into a handset with a removable…
21
Danger Hiptop
Danger Hiptop: Danger’s Hiptop went on sale as the T-Mobile Sidekick in 2002. Its screen pivoted to expose a thumb keyboard…

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