14 DAY TRIAL // These days everybody owns a smartphone and customers have formed strong loyalties with certain brands. For example, Apple recently announced it sold 74.5 million iPhones in the calendar fourth quarter of 2014.
But just a few years back, handset-usage wasn't so widespread as today, although people were getting increasingly interested. However, even 10 years ago some iconic companies like Nokia managed to shape the budding mobile industry by putting out products that sold like hotcakes (for the period’s standards).
In this piece, we aim to bring back some old memories and discuss some extremely popular phones from the not-so-distant past. You might have owned one at some point, so if we piqued your interest, continue reading below.
Motorola StarTAC
Launched all the way back in 1996, this handset managed to attract the attention of 60 million customers worldwide.
The phone was actually the first to arrive with a clamshell design. It arrived equipped with SMS text messages (even if only later digital models could actually send the messages) and had an optional lithium-ion battery.
It was also one of the first models to add vibrate alert as an alternative ringtone.
Motorola C200
The odd-looking C200 was released back in 2003 and shipped in 60 million units around the world. The phone supported vibration and offered the ability to download monophonic ringtones.
Nokia 2650
There was a time when Nokia dabbed into making clamshell phones, and with the Nokia 2650 it really hit a sweet spot with consumers.
The device launched back in 2004 and sold in 35 million units.
The phone had a high-resolution 128 x 128 color display and had LED lights for alerts to SMS and incoming calls. It offered the option of sending multimedia messages and to download Java games and applications, Wallpapers and Polyphonic ringtones.
Motorola RAZR V3
Also introduced in 2004, the RAZR V3 captured 130 million orders across the globe. The phone featured the thinnest profile on a clamshell model and had an electroluminescent keypad built out of a single metal wafer.
The gizmo featured an industry standard mini USB port data, battery charger and headphones, all cramped up together in an aluminum body with an external glass display.
Nokia 1110
This top is full of Nokia phones and it shouldn't come as surprise because, during that era, this was the company to go to if you wanted a mobile phone.
The Nokia 110 got released in 2005 and gathered a whopping 250 million orders. The phone had a speaking alarm and clock, analog clock display and call management timers and counter. It had three built-in games, one of which became extremely popular.
Nokia 1600
Another Nokia phone that went on sale a little later in 2006 shipped in 130 million units around the world.
The device included a ringtone composer that allowed to create custom ringtones, basic calculator, 14 pre-defined themes, animated icons and a speaking clock just like the Nokia 1110.
Samsung Galaxy S II and Galaxy S III
Samsung’s phones can’t really be considered too ancient, as they launched in 2011 and 2012 respectively, but they have paved the way for smash-hits like the Galaxy S4.
Each model was estimated to have sold in 40 million units.
The Galaxy S II arrived in the wild with a 4.3-inch WVGA Super AMOLED screen display and bundled a 1.2GHz dual-core Exynos SoC under the bonnet. It also had an 8MP camera with flash and 1080p full high-definition video recording.
As for the Galaxy S III, it offers a 4.8-inch Super AMOLED display with 720 x 1280 pixel resolution, which is supported by an Exynos 4 Quad / Snapdragon S4 chip on the inside. The smartphone employed the services of an intelligent personal assistant (S Voice) and offered eye-tracking ability.
Unlike the models we talked about above, the S II and S III are actual fully fledged smartphones.
