5 most bizarre smartphones (an iPhone included)
Mobile phones have come a long way from their early days of monotony in the '70s. Much has changed since DynaTAC — the first mobile phone — made a break into the telephone universe. In 2017, mobile phones come in different shapes and sizes, sporting specs that can even rival full-fledged PCs. With time, smartphones — highly sophisticated mobile phones — have only gone on to become more beautiful and powerful.
However, over the years, there have been a few devices that have gone astray and come out with designs and features, which, at best, could be dubbed off-beat.
Here's our list of phones from the days gone by, which tried too hard with their bizarre designs and features.
LG Flex 2
This weird phone from Korean smartphone maker LG was launched in 2015 with the promise of a device that can bend but not break. The phone's selling point as hinted by its name is the flexible display that can be bent – albeit not too much – to make it ergonomic to hold.
The successor to the LG Flex — a phone which did not do too well — the Flex 2 came with a 1080p 5.5-inch P-OLED display and a Snapdragon SoC. If the bend wasn't weird enough, the phone also comes with "self-healing" capabilities powered by a rear cover, which the company claims can repair damage from scratches in seconds. Twisted? Yes.
The YotaPhone 2
With a fresh design, high-end specs and bigger high-resolution displays — dual LED and E-Ink screens to be precise — the YotaPhone 2 created quite a buzz when it was launched. Even though it failed to find its way into key markets like the US and India, the YotaPhone 2 remains one of the more unique phones out there. Don't believe us? Check out this video:
Black Diamond iPhone 5
Priced at a jaw-dropping $15.3 million, the Black Diamond is the world's most expensive iPhone. The phone exudes luxury with the central piece being a flawless, black single deep cut diamond (26 cts) — something as rare and treasured works as the replacement for the home button.
The company behind the phone, Alux claims "the creation process took 9 weeks of detailed work in order to re-create the original chassis of the iphone 5 in pure solid gold. The entire process from start to finish was done by hand."
That is how you get an iPhone stoned.
Toshiba G450
With looks to rival a cheap MP3 player, fourth in the list is the Toshiba G450, which was announced in 2008 with a weird design consisting of three discs holding the number pad and the round display of the phone.
Low on practicality, the saving grace of the device was the fact that it was lightweight at 57 grams. At the time of the launch, the phone found few buyers but got points for functionality, with uses as a phone, MP3 player, HSDPA modem and USB device.
Cat S60
Remember Nokia 3310? No, not the reboot, but the original indestructible phone from your childhood that could be flung at unsuspecting enemies leaving them severely hurt?
Well, next on the list is a phone that can even beat the antics of the 3310. Lo and behold, the Cat S60.
Unveiled at MWC 2016, the Cat S60 is a smartphone that is touted to be the most rugged smartphone available in the market. Created with a steel and carbon fibre frame that’s further strengthened by a tough aluminum chassis and an MIL-STD 810G rating, it can withstand extreme temperatures — -25 degrees Celsius to 55 degrees Celsius. This is one phone that you can definitely use in a bar fight.