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Phone Design | Geek.com
The Wayback Machine - https://web.archive.org/web/20141112123353/http://www.geek.com/smartphone-buyers-guide/phone-design/
Phones come in a dazzling variety of form factors. The so-called brick phones in an overly bulky form factor dominate the low-end. Lacking the portability, sleekness, thinness, and lightness of high-end smartphones, brick phones come in four distinct designs: clamshell, candybar, swivel, and slider.
Clamshell/Flip: Compact (think Razr) and prone to failure
Clamshell phones, better known as flip, feature hinges connecting two or more moving parts, allowing you to flip shut the phone when it’s not used so it becomes more compact, besides preventing screen scratches and accidental dialing. Their biggest downside is the connecting hinge that’s susceptible to fatigue and, over time, even failure. In addition, some flip phones lack the secondary display so you can’t ID caller before you flip open the phone. Motorola’s StarTAC had first debuted the flip design, exploring it to perfection with the Razr V3. Although Motorola even trademarked the “flip phone” term, the flip design has nevertheless inspired dozens of other devices, including early Nokia Communicator series.
Swivel: Mom and Pop phone, almost extinct now
Swivel phones sport one or more parts that swivel past each other about a central axle. Although they’ve been hugely popular in the past, swivel phones are almost extinct now, partly due to the perceived lack of robustness stemming from the fact that moving segments grind against each other, resulting in a failure over time. One of the most popular swivel phones include the Sony Ericsson W600, Motorola V70, and Nokia N90.
Slider: The most dramatic opening effect
Slider phones have moving segments that slide past each other on rails to reveal the keypad, like the Sony Ericsson W580 and the Samsung SGH-D807. Exploring the sliding drama further, the most stylish slider phones feature an automatic slider that pops out the keypad on gentle press. Some even slide both up and down, like the Nokia N85 and Nokia N96, revealing either keypad or media playback buttons.
Candybar: The most popular design
The vast majority of low- and mid-range phones sport candybar form factor characterized with sturdy and cuboid-shaped design, like The Nokia 6230, and several high-end smartphones like the iPhone and some HTC devices. The Samsung SPH-M620 “Upstage” is a candybar device in its own class, featuring a regular phone on the front side and a music player on the back side.
High-end: To slate or not to slate, that is what I question
High-end smartphones are offered in touch, touch-or-type, or type-only varieties. Touch-only (also known as slate) phones ditch the physical keyboard in favor of a touch-sensitive display covering the entire face of the phone and virtual keyboard that shows up when you need it and disappears when you don’t. Recent devices that follow such iPhone-pioneered design include the BlackBerry Storm 2, and the HTC Tattoo. Touch-or-type phones combine both touch and type input, augmenting touch display with the full QWERTY physical keyboard for tactile-based prolonged input. Examples include Motorola’s Cliq, Palm’s Pre, Nokia’s N97, and T-Mobile’s G1. Type-only phones usually split the face between the upper display and the lower numeric keypad. The latter can be either fixed or slided out vertically (Nokia N96). Some type phones sport only the full QWERTY keyboard fixed below the display (BlackBerry Bold), while others augment the front numeric keypad with the full QWERTY keyboard that slides out to either side of the device (Nokia N97, HTC S740).
Your phone tells a lot about you
Many people believe that form factor is the question of style, and some even prefer form over function. Although it’s true that flip and candybar designs prevail, phones do come in a wide variety of form factors. Some even mix different designs, like in the Nokia N90 that features both swivel and flip axis. You should know that form factor determines much of the phone’s usability and features. Each design has unique benefits and not-so-obvious drawbacks so test different designs in real-life before you choose the phone that reflects your lifestyle. This is especially crucial for texting/email aficionados switching from the tactile-based, type-only devices to the all-touch phones.

Phones come in a dazzling variety of form designs. The so-called brick phones are an overly bulky design that dominates the low-end. Lacking the portability, sleekness, thinness, and lightness of high-end smartphones, brick phones come in four distinct designs: clamshell, candybar, swivel, and slider.

Clamshell/Flip Phones: Compact (think Razr) and prone to failure

Clamshell phones, better known as flip phones, feature hinges connecting two or more moving parts, allowing you to flip the phone shut when it’s not in use.  This allows the phone to become more compact, while also preventing screen scratches and accidental dialing. Their biggest downside is the connecting hinge that’s susceptible to fatigue and, over time, even failure. In addition, some flip phones lack the secondary display so you can’t ID a caller before you flip open the phone. Motorola’s StarTAC had first debuted the flip design, exploring it to perfection with the Razr V3. Although Motorola even trademarked the “flip phone” term, the flip design has nevertheless inspired dozens of other devices, including early Nokia Communicator series.

Swivel Phones: Mom and Pop phone, almost extinct now

Swivel phones sport one or more parts that swivel past each other about a central axle. Although they’ve been hugely popular in the past, swivel phones are almost extinct now, partly due to the perceived lack of robustness stemming from the fact that moving segments grind against each other, resulting in a failure over time. The most popular swivel phones include the Sony Ericsson W600, Motorola V70, and Nokia N90.

Slider Phones: The most dramatic opening effect

Slider phones have moving segments that slide past each other on rails to reveal the keypad, like the Sony Ericsson W580 and the Samsung SGH-D807. Exploring the sliding drama further, the most stylish slider phones feature an automatic slider that pops out the keypad on gentle press. Some even slide both up and down, like the Nokia N85 and Nokia N96, revealing either a keypad or media playback buttons.

Candybar Phones: The most popular design

The vast majority of low- and mid-range phones sport ‘candybar’ form factor characterized with sturdy and cuboid-shaped design, like The Nokia 6230, and several high-end smartphones like the iPhone and some HTC devices. The Samsung SPH-M620 “Upstage” is a candybar device in its own class, featuring a regular phone on the front side and a music player on the back side.

High-end Phones: To slate or not to slate, that is what I question

High-end smartphones are offered in touch, touch-or-type, or type-only varieties. Touch-only (also known as slate) phones ditch the physical keyboard in favor of a touch-sensitive display covering the entire face of the phone and virtual keyboard that shows up when you need it and disappears when you don’t. Recent devices that follow such iPhone-pioneered design include the BlackBerry Storm 2, and the HTC Tattoo. Touch-or-type phones combine both touch and type input, augmenting touch display with the full QWERTY physical keyboard for tactile-based prolonged input. Examples include Motorola’s Cliq, Palm’s Pre, Nokia’s N97, and T-Mobile’s G1. Type-only phones usually split the face between the upper display and the lower numeric keypad. The latter can be either fixed or slide out vertically (Nokia N96). Some type phones sport only the full QWERTY keyboard fixed below the display (BlackBerry Bold), while others augment the front numeric keypad with the full QWERTY keyboard that slides out to either side of the device (Nokia N97, HTC S740).

Your phone tells a lot about you

Many people believe that a phone’s design is a question of style, and some even prefer form over function. Although it’s true that flip and candybar designs prevail, phones do come in a wide variety of form factors. Some even mix different designs, like in the Nokia N90 that features both swivel and flip axis. You should know that phone design determines much of the phone’s usability and features. Each design has unique benefits and not-so-obvious drawbacks so test different designs in real-life before you choose the phone that reflects your lifestyle. This is especially crucial for texting/email aficionados switching from the tactile-based, type-only devices to the all-touch phones.