The quirky evolution of early 2000s phones before the smartphone era

The modern smartphone would be considered nothing short of a miracle if placed in the hands of someone at the turn of the millennium. Its now universal design has seemingly been perfected, with each new iteration focussing on tiny improvements to specs and performance instead of aesthetics.

But, there was once a time, a gloriously odd time, between the iconic Nokia brick model and the earliest prototypes of what we recognise as modern smartphones.

The early 2000s spawned a wave of designs, each one as unique as the last, which often chose aesthetics over performance to attract consumers.

With hindsight, these designs were doomed upon release with the pending dawn of the iPhone which would later account for nearly half of the mobile phones used on the planet.

Some of the 2000s designs are worth a revisit, though, while others have rightfully been left in the shadow of the iPhone. Alas, let us gawp once more at the retro futuristic and over-complicated models before returning to our shiny modern phones.

Samsung’s Matrix Phone (2003)

Before its flagship Galaxy model, Samsung was, like many in the early 2000s, hooked on the Matrix. The South Korean tech giant worked alongside the franchise for the 2003 release Matrix Reloaded. The film featured the futuristic SPH-N270 model, which was eventually released to the public by Samsung.

The SPH-N270 was not intended as a mainstream phone for everyday use. Instead, it was marketed solely to fans of the series as a piece of rare, high-quality merchandise. However, it featured an assisted GPS receiver, a calculator, a calendar and alarms. There was also a notable emphasis on the model’s integration with voice with the ability to trigger calls with voice commands.

Perhaps the most memorable feature of the phone though was its spring-loaded earpiece which snaps up to reveal the screen.

Motorola AURA (2008)

Now, one of the latest models on the list, the Motorola AURA boasted a world-first circular screen and featured a Swiss-inspired opening mechanism similar to a utility knife. The phone’s case was stainless steel and featured a detailed etching design which took two weeks to complete for each model – a mark of personalisation solemnly found with modern phones.

This craftsmanship came at a price though, and a staggering one at that, with original models debuting at $2,000. This launch came at the unfortunate time of the 2008 financial crisis meaning the model was almost doomed from the off. However, this phone’s sleek look served as the final frontier to the inevitable smartphone moulds we know today.

Nokia N95 (2007)

Of course, the list wouldn’t be complete without a contribution from Nokia. And, the Finnish company’s N95 effort offered some quirky features for owners including a two-way sliding mechanism to allow either music playback or the phone’s keyboard.

The model also possessed many features we recognise today in phones such as micro SDcard media storage, built-in WiFi and gamer-friendly services. The N95’s five-megapixel camera was a juggernaut of the time compared to most of its competitors under the right settings.

Xelibri range (2003)

It’s time to get weird – introducing the Xelibri range. This series of eight phone designs, varying in shape and size, pushed the boundaries of what consumers would be willing to use as a mobile before the experiment was cut short in 2004 after poor sales.

Produced by Siemens, four models possessed Star Trek-like influences, being named the ‘space on earth’ range, with its first model coming at a cost of $199. The German company hoped the ‘fashion-first’ phones would pave a road to controlling the mobile market – but it ultimately ended up being the death of its stint.

One of the many drawbacks included a flawed keyboard system due to the whacky model designs that would leave the keypads often too small for comfort and dotted around the phone instead of being in the universally accepted space for a keypad.

Nokia 7600 (2003)

They’re back, and perhaps with one of the oddest mobile devices ever made. The Nokia 7600 had a unique teardrop shape which could be customised with a variety of colours and its keypad circled the screen.

This positioning meant that, despite its tiny size, texting or navigating the phone required two hands – a common gripe with the phone. Performance-wise, the phone suffered due to its design by having far inferior specs compared to its counterparts of the time.