Phone design is at something of a low point, an ebb rather than a flow. Though hundreds of smartphones are released and tens of millions are sold every year, most follow the same aesthetic. A sheet of toughened glass is glued to a metal/plastic rectangle.
Ten years ago, things were different. There was no shape that phones were expected to be, there was a relative variety of different form factors, each aimed at a different kind of consumer. And of these, the flip phone had a certain something that elevated it above the rest.
These were devices that were not only practical, but that had a real cool factor as well. Though they were tools, they were also ‘fashionable’ in a way that many modern smartphones have failed to be.
