Form factor (mobile phones)#Keyboard bars

A bar (also known as a slab, block, candybar) phone takes the shape of a cuboid,{{cite web |url=http://www.mobiletechnews.com/info/2006/04/06/114802.html |title=Samsung showcases T509 Slim Bar Phone |date=2006-04-06 |access-date=2008-05-18}} usually with rounded corners and/or edges. The name is derived from the rough resemblance to a chocolate bar in size and shape. This form factor is widely used by a variety of manufacturers, such as Nokia and Sony Ericsson. Bar-type smartphones commonly have the screen and keypad on a single face. Sony had a well-known 'Mars Bar' phone model CM-H333 in 1993 that was longer and thinner than the typical bar phone.{{cite web|url=https://www.tvfilmprops.co.uk/det/434/Sony-CM-H333-%5EMars-Bar%5E-Mobile-Phone/|title=Prop Hire - Sony CM-H333 - 'Mars Bar' Mobile Phone|website=www.tvfilmprops.co.uk|access-date=27 April 2019}} Bar phones without a full keyboard tend to have a 3×4 numerical keypad; text is often generated on such systems using the Text on 9 keys algorithm.

{{Gallery|align=center

|File:Nokia E51 Silver.jpg|A Nokia E51, a typical bar phone

|File:Sony Ericsson W800i.jpg|Sony Ericsson W800i, released 2005

|Siemens S25 (metallic blue).png|Siemens S25 from 1999

|File:Nokia 7600 (4424541531).jpg|Nokia 7600 in an unusual bar shape

|File:Au W55SA INFOBAR2 20101109.jpg|Infobar designed by Naoto Fukasawa from 2007

}}

These are variants of bars that have a full QWERTY keyboard on the front. While they are technically the same as a regular bar phone, the keyboard and all the buttons make them look significantly different. Devices like these were popular in the mid to late 2000s, but lost popularity afterward. The BlackBerry line from Research In Motion (RIM) was particularly popular and influential in this category.

{{Gallery|align=center|File:PALM Treo 650.jpg|Palm Treo 650

|File:Motorola Q 2.jpg|Motorola Q

|File:NokiaE61.jpg|Nokia E61 released 2006

|File:BlackBerry Curve 8310.JPG|A BlackBerry Curve 8310 from 2007

|File:NokiaC3.jpg|Nokia C3-00 from 2010

|File:Blackberry-Q10-transparent.png|BlackBerry Q10, released 2013

}}

"Brick" is a slang term used to refer to large, outdated rectangular phones, typically early devices with large batteries and electronics. These early phones, such as the Motorola DynaTAC,{{Cite web |date=2018-02-25 |title=The Brick |url=https://www.cooperhewitt.org/2018/02/25/28599/ |access-date=2025-05-31 |website=Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum}} have been displaced by newer smaller models which offer greater portability thanks to smaller antennas and slimmer battery packs.

{{Gallery|align=center|File:DynaTAC8000X.jpg|A Motorola DynaTAC 8000X, a brick phone from 1984

|File:Mobira Cityman 450.JPG|A Mobira Cityman 450, a brick phone from 1985

|File:Vintage NEC P9100 Series Portable Cellular Telephone, Made In Japan, Instruction Manual - Copyright 1988 (42814759832).jpg|NEC P9100, a Japanese brick from 1988

}}

However, "brick" has more recently been applied to older phone models in general, including non-bar form factors (flip, slider, swivel, etc.), and even early touchscreen phones as well, due to their size and relative lack of functionality compared to current models on the market.{{cite web |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/7432915 |title=First cell phone a true 'brick' |agency=Associated Press |date=11 April 2005 |work=NBC News |access-date=18 May 2008}}{{cite web |url=http://www.slipperybrick.com/2007/02/80s-brick-cell-phone |title=80's Brick Cell Phone |last=Olson |first=Darrin |date=19 February 2007 |work=SlipperyBrick.com |publisher=Pragmatic Labs |access-date=18 May 2008 |archive-date=9 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141009020605/http://www.slipperybrick.com/2007/02/80s-brick-cell-phone/ |url-status=dead }}{{Cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A1082521 |title=DynaTAC 8000X - the World's First Mobile Phone |date=3 July 2003 |work=h2g2 |publisher=BBC |access-date=18 May 2008}}

The term "brick" has also expanded beyond smartphones to include most non-working consumer electronics, including a game console, router, or other device, that, due to a serious misconfiguration, corrupted firmware, or a hardware problem, can no longer function, hence, is as technologically useful as a brick.{{Cite news |url=https://android.gadgethacks.com/news/big-android-dictionary-glossary-terms-you-should-know-0165594/#jump-bricked |title=The Big Android Dictionary: A Glossary of Terms You Should Know |work=WonderHowTo |language=en |access-date=6 May 2017}} The term derives from the vaguely cuboid shape of many electronic devices (and their detachable power supplies) and the suggestion that the device can function only as a lifeless, square object, paperweight or doorstop. This term is commonly used as a verb. For example, "I bricked my MP3 player when I tried to modify its firmware." It can also be used as a noun, for example, "If it's corrupted and you apply using fastboot, your device is a brick." In the common usage of the term, "bricking" suggests that the damage is so serious as to have rendered the device permanently unusable.{{cite web |url=http://www.catb.org/jargon/html/B/brick.html |title=brick |website=www.catb.org |access-date=27 April 2019}}

A slate is a smartphone form with few to no physical buttons, instead relying upon a touchscreen and an onscreen virtual keyboard for input.The slate/touchscreen design does not having any fragile moving parts and is generally more compact than a slider form factor.[https://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia_term/0,2542,t=tablet+computer&i=52520,00.asp PC Magazine: "Tablet Computer" definition] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100716184551/http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia_term/0%2C2542%2Ct%3Dtablet+computer%26i%3D52520%2C00.asp |date=16 July 2010 }} The first commercially available touchscreen phone was a brick phone, the IBM Simon Personal Communicator, released in 1994.{{cite web |url=https://www.billbuxton.com/multitouchOverview.html |title=Multi-Touch Systems that I Have Known and Loved |date=2012-03-02 |access-date=2012-08-31}} The success of the iPhone, which was released by Apple in 2007, is considered by some to be largely responsible for the influence and achievement of this design.

Some unusual "slate" designs include that of LG New Chocolate (BL40), or the Samsung Galaxy Round, which is curved.

{{Gallery|align=center|File:Qtek-S100.jpg|HTC Magician, a pre-contemporary slate from 2004

|File:LG prada phone private picture.jpg|LG Prada, a slate phone from 2006

|File:Samsung i5700.jpg|Samsung Galaxy Spica slate from 2009

|File:Мобильный телефон Samsung GT-S5230 Star.jpg|Samsung GT-S5230 slate from 2009

|File:IPhone 4S unboxing 17-10-11.jpg|An iPhone 4S, a slate phone from 2011

|File:Nokia %26 Microsoft Lumia devices.png|A set of Nokia/Microsoft Lumia slate smartphones

}}

{{main|Phablet}}

The phablet is a subset of the slate/touchscreen. A portmanteau of the words phone and tablet, phablets are a class of mobile device designed to combine or straddle the size of a slate smartphone together with a tablet. Phablets typically have screens that measure (diagonally) greater than 5.3 inches, and are considerably larger than most high-end slate smartphones of the time (i.e. the Samsung Galaxy Note II smartlet versus the Samsung Galaxy S III smartphone), which have to be 5.2 inches or less to be known as a smartphone, though significantly smaller than tablets (which must be 7 inches or above to be considered as such).

{{Gallery|align=center|File:Galaxy Note 10.jpg|Samsung Galaxy Note 10, a modern Android phablet

|File:BlackBerry Z30 2.jpg|BlackBerry Z30, a BlackBerry 10 touchscreen smartphone

|File:Nokia Lumia 1520.jpg|Nokia Lumia 1520, a Windows Phone phablet

}}

The multi-screen is of basically the slate form factor, but with two touchscreens.

Some have a small separate screen above the main screens, the LG V10 and LG V20.

Other multi-screen form factors has screens on both sides of the phone. In the case of Yotaphone and Siam 7X, they have normal touchscreens on the front, but on the backside is an e-ink screen, which enables using the cases in a fashion similar to reading a book.

The presence of the front camera for taking selfies has been an essential feature in smartphones, however, it is a difficulty to achieve a bezelless screen as is the trend in the later 2010s. The Nubia X, Nubia Z20 and Vivo NEX Dual Display have solved this combining the use of the main camera and a smaller second rear screen, eliminating the front camera.{{Cite news |url=https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2018/10/31/18047142/nubia-dual-screen-phone-bezelless |title=The dual-screen Nubia X solves the notch problem with extreme over-engineering |work=The Verge |access-date=2018-11-01}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.androidauthority.com/vivo-nex-dual-display-edition-review-933562/|title=Vivo NEX Dual Display edition review: Dual displays done right|date=4 January 2019}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.trustedreviews.com/news/sick-of-notches-and-pop-up-cameras-the-zte-nubia-z20-has-you-covered-and-its-coming-soon-3929006|title=The new ZTE Nubia Z20 has the solution to notches and pop-up cameras|last=Speight|first=Adam|date=2019-08-08|website=Trusted Reviews|language=en-US|access-date=2019-08-08}}

Xiaomi revealed Mi MIX Alpha, a smartphone with a display that surrounds almost entirely its body, only interrupted in the back part by a column that contains the cameras. Back part of display can be used as viewfinder for selfies and videocalls.{{Cite web|url=https://www.engadget.com/2019/09/24/xiaomi-mi-mix-alpha-price-launch-date/|title=Xiaomi's Mi Mix Alpha has a '180-percent' screen-to-body ratio|website=Engadget|date=24 September 2019 |language=en|access-date=2019-09-26}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnet.com/news/xiaomis-mi-mix-alpha-is-180-percent-screen-and-its-crazy/|title=Xiaomi's Mi Mix Alpha is 180% screen, and it's crazy|last=Boom|first=Daniel Van|website=CNET|language=en|access-date=2019-09-26}}

The taco form factor was popularized by the Nokia N-Gage, released in 2003. It was widely known as the plastic taco for its taco-shape and the placement of microphones on the side of the device, which, when one talks into the microphone, gives the appearance of eating a taco.{{cite web|url=http://developer.nokia.com/Devices/Device_specifications/N-Gage/N-Gage_main.jpg|title=Microsoft|author=Microsoft Mobile Oy|access-date=23 March 2016}} Other models include Nokia 3300 and Nokia 5510.

{{Gallery|align=center|File:Nokia-NGage-LL.jpg|N-Gage

|File:NOKIA 5510 blue topview.jpg|Nokia 5510}}

{{main|Smartwatch}}

A smartphone in the form of a wristwatch is typically referred to as a smartwatch.

{{Gallery|align=center|File:GD910.jpg|The LG GD910 watch phone from 2009

|File:Z1-Android Watch-Phone.jpg|The Z1 Android watch phone, smartphone in the form of a wristwatch

|File:Samsung Galaxy Watches.jpg|The Samsung Galaxy Watches, paired by Bluetooth with smartphones

}}

{{main|Clamshell design}}

A flip or clamshell phone consists of two or more sections that are connected by hinges, allowing the phone to flip open then fold closed in order to become more compact. Clamshell came to be used as generic for this form factor. Flip phone referred to phones that opened on the vertical axis (as clamshells disappeared from the market, the terms again became disambiguated). Flip began achieving widespread popularity around 2001 and by the mid-2000s, "flip" designs reached the peak of their availability and declined afterward, being replaced by sliders which in turn were completely replaced by slate smartphones.

Motorola was once owner of a trademark for the term flip phone,US trademark #2157939, cancelled 2005-02-26 but the term flip phone has become genericized and used more frequently than clamshell in colloquial speech. Motorola was the manufacturer of the famed StarTAC flip phone in the 1990s, as well as the RAZR in the mid-2000s. In these styles, when flipped open, the phone's screen and keyboard are available. When flipped shut, the phone becomes much smaller and more portable than when it is opened for use. On most modern flip phones, there is usually a small display on the back of the screen to indicate the time and any incoming calls/text messages whilst the phone is closed.

There were also flip "down" phones, like the Motorola MicroTAC series and was also widely used by Ericsson. Originally these were called "flip" phones in the 1990s, while what is now known as "flip phone" used to be called "folding" or "folder" phones.

In 2010, Motorola introduced a different kind of flip phone with its Backflip smartphone. When closed, one side is the screen and the other is a physical QWERTY keyboard. The hinge is on a long edge of the phone instead of a short edge, and when flipped out the screen is above the keyboard. Another unusual flip form was seen on the luxury Serene, a partnership between Samsung and Bang & Olufsen. The Nokia Communicator series is also an example of clamshell, but not in the typical "flip phone" style.

{{Gallery|align=center|File:First Generation Motorola StarTAC cellular phone.jpg|The Motorola StarTAC, the original flip-up phone

|File:Kyocera6035.jpg|Kyocera 6035 "flip down" phone

|File:Treo 300.jpg|Palm Treo 300, unusual flip-up form

|File:Docomo D506i open.JPG|Japanese NTT DoCoMo D506i flip phone manufactured by Mitsubishi

|File:Motorola MING Portrait.jpg|The Motorola Ming, another flip phone

|File:SonyEricssonW350.jpg|The Sony Ericsson W350, last unusual flip-down phone

|File:Samsung Flip.jpg|Samsung SM-G9198

|File:RAZR V3i opened.JPG|The Motorola Razr from 2004 was the best-selling flip phone in the world.

|File:Nokia-e90-fixed.jpg|Nokia E90 Communicator

|File:Samsung Galaxy Z Flip closed cr.jpg|Samsung Galaxy Z Flip, a modern clamshell with fully flexible display (see foldable smartphones)}}

{{main|Dual-touchscreen}}

In April 2011, Kyocera International released the Kyocera Echo smartphone with two 3.5" screens. The phone's primary display could lie on top of the second display, reducing its size.[https://www.engadget.com/2011/04/13/kyocera-echo-review/ Kyocera Echo review]. Engadget.com. Retrieved on 2013-12-09. In November 2017, ZTE announced the Axon M. The screens could fold to either have two forward facing screens, or one forward and one rear facing screen.{{cite web|url=https://www.techradar.com/news/watch-how-zte-axon-ms-dual-screen-transforms-your-daily-smartphone-habits|title=Watch how ZTE Axon M's dual screen transforms your daily smartphone habits|website=techradar.com|date=November 20, 2017}} The combined display size is 6.75-inch when unfolded.{{cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2017/11/17/16667508/zte-axon-m-dual-screen-smartphone-review|title=ZTE Axon M review: double trouble|publisher=The Verge|date=November 17, 2017}} The second screen allows the Axon M's single camera to be both rear and forward facing, as well as acting as a kickstand or tripod.{{cite web|url=https://wccftech.com/zte-axon-m-foldable-phone/|title=ZTE Launches 'Axon M' The First Dual-Screen Foldable Smartphone|first=Zara|last=Ali|date=17 October 2017}}

{{main|Foldable smartphone}}

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Following advances in display technology, OLED screens can now be manufactured on a flexible, plastic substrate, meaning that glass is no longer needed; allowing the displays to be rolled, bent and folded; which makes new form factors possible. In January 2017, rumors emerged of a Samsung foldable phone,{{Cite web

| title = Samsung likely to unveil foldable phones in Q3: source

| last = Herald | first = The Korea

| work = koreaherald.com

| date = 11 January 2017

| access-date = 16 January 2020

| url = https://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20170111000752

}} and in November 2018, the Samsung Galaxy Fold{{Cite web|url=https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/samsung-galaxy-f-news/|title = What the F? Samsung Leak Causes Phone Naming Confusion|date = 26 July 2018}} was revealed, with a combined display size of 7.4 inches.{{cite web|url=https://www.androidpolice.com/2018/11/12/samsung-foldable-smartphone-march-price/|title=Samsung's foldable smartphone reportedly arriving in March for a price that'll make your eyes bleed|date=12 November 2018|website=androidpolice.com|access-date=27 April 2019}} Other manufacturers, such as Huawei and Xiaomi, have also announced phones with foldable displays.{{cite web|url=https://www.foldable.news/xiaomi/xiaomi-teases-an-amazing-double-folding-phone/|title=Xiaomi teases a double folding phone|publisher=Foldable News|date=January 23, 2019}}{{cite web|url=https://www.foldable.news/latest-news/huawei-may-unveil-a-foldable-device-in-barcelona|title=Huawei will unveil a foldable device in Barcelona|publisher=Foldable News|date=January 24, 2019}}

In November 2019, Motorola officially unveiled its horizontal-folding Motorola Razr.

File:ZenFone 6 Flip Module.webm

The Oppo N1 made use of a manual flip camera. Asus, in the Zenfone 6, Zenfone 7 and Zenfone 8 Flip smartphones, includes an all-screen front, eliminating the dedicated front-facing camera notch; instead, the main cameras are housed in a motorized flip-up module that rotates 180 degrees to focus forward.{{Cite web|url=https://www.anandtech.com/show/14366/asus-launches-zenfone-sd855-and-motorized-flipup-module-camera|title=ASUS Launches the ZenFone 6: 6.4-Inch Flagship Phone With Motorized Flip-Up Module Camera|last=Shilov|first=Anton|website=www.anandtech.com|access-date=2019-05-21}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2019/5/16/18625678/asus-zenfone-6-flipping-camera-no-bezel-display-android|title=Asus' ZenFone 6 has top-notch specs and no notch, thanks to a flip-top camera|last=Gartenberg|first=Chaim|date=2019-05-16|website=The Verge|access-date=2019-05-21}} The Samsung Galaxy A80 also has a similar flip-slide camera mechanism.

Some companies are experimenting with rollable displays in order to make devices that can convert from smartphone to tablet.{{Cite web |last=Petrov |first=Daniel |date=2022-09-13 |title=Who will launch the first rollable display phone in 2023? |url=https://www.phonearena.com/news/first-rollable-display-phone-release-2023_id142493 |access-date=2023-12-15 |website=PhoneArena |language=en-US}}

{{excerpt|Slider (mobile phones)|template=}}{{Gallery|align=center|File:Samsung D500.jpg|Samsung SGH-D500, standard slider

|||File:BlackBerry Torch.jpg|BlackBerry Torch 9800, a tall slider

|File:Nokia 7110 open.jpg|Nokia 7110, with a keypad cover slider

|File:N95 Media-keys-open.jpg|Nokia N95, a dual slider

|File:Nokia 7280.jpg|Nokia 7280, slider that hides the camera

|File:Motorola-milestone-wikipedia.jpg|Motorola Droid, a wide QWERTY slider

|File:NokiaE7 5.jpg|Nokia E7, QWERTY slider that angles up

|File:Sony-Xperia-Play-Open-FL.jpg|Xperia Play, a handheld game console slider

||Xiaomi Mi MIX 3, a slider phone designed to hide camera

}}

Phones like the OnePlus 7 Pro,{{Cite web |date=2019-05-14 |title=The OnePlus 7 Pro's Pop-up Selfie Camera Retracts If It Thinks Its Falling |url=https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/oneplus-7-pro-mechanical-selfie-camera-explainer/ |access-date=2024-05-10 |website=Digital Trends |language=en}} Oppo Find X{{Cite news|url=https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/lifestyle/2018/10/review-hands-on-with-the-oppo-find-x.html|title=Review: Hands-on with the Oppo Find X|date=2018-10-06|work=Newshub|access-date=2018-10-25|language=en}} and Vivo Nex{{Cite news|url=https://www.cnet.com/reviews/vivo-nex-review/|title=The pop-up selfie camera on this phone is pure magic|date=2018-07-25|work=CNET|access-date=2018-09-18|language=en}} hide front cameras within the body of the devices in motorized pop-up modules to create a bezelless front face fully occupied by screens without any cutout while keeping a front-facing camera that can move up when required. Vivo V15 Pro {{Cite web|url=https://gadgets.techlomedia.in/vivo-v15-pro-4792.html|title=Vivo V15 Pro Specifications and Price|date=2019-02-26|work=Techlomedia gadgets|access-date=2019-02-26|language=en}} and Centric S1 {{Cite news|url=https://techlomedia.in/2019/02/centric-s1-with-6-2-full-amoled-display-helio-p70-pop-up-selfie-camera-launched-at-mwc-2019-65888/|title=Centric S1 with 6.2-inch Full HD AMOLED display, Helio P70, pop-up selfie camera launched at MWC 2019|date=2019-02-26|work=Techlomedia|access-date=2019-02-26|language=en}} also come with a pop-up front-facing camera mechanism. One major drawback with pop-up cameras is their inherent complexity due to the mechanism used, as the components such as the motor take up space within the phone's internals which may also fail over time.

A swivel phone is composed of multiple—usually two—segments, which swivel past each other about a sagittal axis (most of the time). Use of the swiveling form factor has similar goals to that of the slider, but this form factor is less widely used. Samples are, LG U900 + 960 + V9000, Motorola Flipout + V70 + V80, Nokia 7370, Siemens SK65, Samsung Juke + Samsung SGH-X830, and Sony Ericsson S700i + W600. The LG Wing implemented this feature into a slate design smartphone, with two touchscreens.

File:SidekickII.jpg II, looks more like a slider but has a swiveling display]]

Other examples include the Sierra Wireless Voq which combines a candybar with a keyboard "side-flip"; the Nokia Communicator series which utilise both a candybar and a clamshell with a QWERTY keyboard; the Siemens SK65 which is a swivel candybar with a QWERTY keyboard;{{cite web|url=https://www.engadget.com/2005/02/09/siemens-sk65-review/|title=Siemens SK65 review|website=Engadget|date=9 February 2005 |access-date=27 April 2019}} and the T-Mobile Sidekick where the display swivels up with a QWERTY keyboard.

Some implementations, that do not use the sagital axis, are presenting in phones like Nokia 3250 and Oppo N1, with twistable components: a keyboard, and main camera (doubling as a selfie one), respectively.

{{Gallery|File:Nokia 3250.JPG|Nokia 3250, with twistable keypad|File:OPPO N1 (15059746038).jpg|Oppo N1 has a twistable main camera that is used for selfies when rotates.|||||align=center|title=}}

Some mobile phones use more than one form, such as the Nokia N90, Nokia 6260, Sharp SX862, Samsung SGH-P910, Samsung FlipShot SCH-U900, Samsung Alias series or Panasonic FOMA P900iV, which use both a swivel and a flip axis.

Some phones use a combination of form factors, so, Nokia N93, P906i, W61SH use a combination of swivel and flip. Bezelless Samsung Galaxy A80{{Cite web|url=https://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_a80-9659.php|title=Samsung Galaxy A80 - Full phone specifications|website=www.gsmarena.com|access-date=2019-07-02}} only has rear cameras that are housed in a motorized module, using a combination of slider and swivel they achieve the rotation to the front to be used for selfies.

{{Gallery|align=center|File:Nokia e70 auki.jpg|Nokia E70, unusual candybar/flip form with a QWERTY keyboard

|File:Nokia n93-1.jpg|Nokia N93, mixed swivel/flip

|File:FOMA P906i 001.JPG|Docomo Panasonic P906i, {{ill|W-Open|ja|Wオープン}}

|File:W61SH クールブラック.jpg|KDDI Sharp W61SH (Japan), mixed swivel/flip

|File:Samsung Galaxy A80.jpg|The rear camera module of Samsung Galaxy A80 rotated for selfie mode, using a combination of swivel/slider}}

• Mobile Phone Museum

{{Reflist|2}}

• [http://www.nokiaport.de/index.php?pid=formfactor Many illustrations of standard and mixed form factors]
• [http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/index.php?title=HTC_Wallaby HTC Wallaby specification]

{{Mobile phones}}

Category:Industrial design

Category:Mobile phones

Category:History of mobile phones