May 16, 2023, 09:11 PM IST

9 Iconic Phones That Once Ruled The World 

C Krishnasai

Motorola DynaTAC 8000X (1983) 

It was the first handheld mobile phone that was released in 1983 with a whopping US$4000 price tag. Dubbed the brick phone, its antenna alone measured 20cm, combined with its 8cm width and 784g weight.

Nokia 3310 (2000)

Today’s generation might have gotten acquainted with this device through memes, but it was one of the most iconic phones 20 years ago. With its near indestructible feature, 3310 was one of the most widely used device that time and years after .

Moto Razr (2004) 

With its extremely slim design and metallic body, the Moto Razr exploded onto the scene and quickly became the de facto “it phone” of the moment.

Sony Ericsson W800 (2005) 

Before the Xperia series of today, Sony was most prominent with its W line. The W800 was the first of the Walkman series of music phones and supported a massive 2GB of external memory for storing all the shots you took with its 2MP camera.

Nokia N95 (2007) 

Nokia’s N95 was one of the true milestones in the history of mobile phone. Its two-way sliding mechanism awed everyone, but just 3 months later the first iPhone was unveiled & suddenly nobody wanted buttons & smartphones changed forever. 

BlackBerry Bold 9000 (2008) 

It might be difficult to imagine but BackBerry once had a massive cult following the iPhone now enjoys. The trackball and QWERTY keyboard were what people used to BBM one another. It was considered cool back then. 

Nokia N-Gage (2008) 

The Nokia N-Gage was among the first gaming phones ever made, featuring promising hardware. However, it failed to take off as it was sold for a hefty price tag of $300, with games going for $30 apiece.

HTC Legend (2010)

iPhone was ruling the roost in the smartphone industry in 2010. None of the phones could take on the Apple, except HTC Legend. With its weighty aluminium unibody frame, it was the first Android phone that matched Apple in design and UI.

Samsung Galaxy Note (2011) 

Back in 2011 when phones came with smaller screens, Samsung decided to change the game with its Galaxy Note phone. Packing a 5.3inch screen, the device seemed absurdly big at that time, with many calling it the first ‘phablet’.