Mobile phone form factors
Encyclopedia
Mobile phone
s are designed with one of a variety of different form factors, depending on its functionality or aesthetic considerations.
A bar (slab, block, or, commonly in the United States
, candybar) phone takes the shape of a cuboid
. It is named because of its resemblance to a candy bar
in size and shape. This form factor is widely used by a variety of manufacturers, such as Nokia
and Sony Ericsson. Bar-type mobile phones normally have the screen and keypad all on one face. The Samsung SPH-M620
is a unique take on the bar form factor, offering different devices on either side of the bar: a phone on one side, and a digital audio player on the other.
and virtual QWERTY
keyboard. Well-known slate smartphone manufacturers are Apple, HTC
, LG Electronics
, Samsung Mobile, and Nokia
.
s, allowing the phone to fold or "flip" in order to become more compact. When flipped open, the phone's speaker and microphone are placed closer to the operator's ear and mouth, improving usability. When flipped shut, the phone can become much smaller and more portable than when it is opened for use.
Motorola
was once owner of a trademark for the term "flip phone", but the term "flip phone" has become genericized
, and used more frequently than "clamshell" in colloquial speech. Motorola was the manufacturer of the famed StarTAC
flip phone.
In 2010, Motorola introduced a different take on the flip phone with its Backflip
smartphone. When closed, one side is the screen and the other is a physical QWERTY keyboard. The hinge is on a long edge of the phone instead of a short edge, and when flipped out, the screen is above the keyboard.
The Siemens SL10 was one of the first sliding mobile phones in 1999. Some phones have an automatic slider built in which deploys the keypad. Many phones will "pop out" their keypad segments as soon as the user begins to slide the phone apart. Unique models are the 2-way slider (sliding up or down provides distinct functions) such as the Nokia N85
or Nokia N95
.
A version of the slider form factor, the side slider or QWERTY slider, uses vertical access of the keyboard on the bottom segment. The side slider form factor is primarily used to facilitate faster access to the keyboard with both thumbs. The Danger Hiptop
and the Sony Mylo
are two primary examples.
. Use of the swiveling form factor has similar goals to that of the slider, but this form factor is less widely used.
Some phone models use both a swivel and a flip axis, like the Nokia N90
.
term often used to refer to large, outdated bar-type phones, though it can be applied to older flip, slider and swivel phones as well. Large, bulky phones such as the Motorola DynaTAC
have been displaced by their newer, smaller counterparts, which offer greater portability thanks to smaller antennas and slimmer battery packs.
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
s are designed with one of a variety of different form factors, depending on its functionality or aesthetic considerations.
Bar
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, candybar) phone takes the shape of a cuboid
Cuboid
In geometry, a cuboid is a solid figure bounded by six faces, forming a convex polyhedron. There are two competing definitions of a cuboid in mathematical literature...
. It is named because of its resemblance to a candy bar
Candy bar
A chocolate bar is a confection in bar form comprising some or all of the following components: cocoa solids, cocoa butter, sugar, milk. The relative presence or absence of these components form the subclasses of dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and white chocolate. In addition to these main...
in size and shape. This form factor is widely used by a variety of manufacturers, such as Nokia
Nokia
Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational communications corporation that is headquartered in Keilaniemi, Espoo, a city neighbouring Finland's capital Helsinki...
and Sony Ericsson. Bar-type mobile phones normally have the screen and keypad all on one face. The Samsung SPH-M620
Samsung SPH-M620
The Samsung SPH-M620 is a phone manufactured by Samsung. The phone is carried by Sprint Nextel in the United States, and by Bell Mobility, MTS, Telus and TBayTel in Canada...
is a unique take on the bar form factor, offering different devices on either side of the bar: a phone on one side, and a digital audio player on the other.
Slate
A slate phone is a subset of the bar form that, like a slate computer, has minimal buttons, instead relying upon a touchscreenTouchscreen
A touchscreen is an electronic visual display that can detect the presence and location of a touch within the display area. The term generally refers to touching the display of the device with a finger or hand. Touchscreens can also sense other passive objects, such as a stylus...
and virtual QWERTY
QWERTY
QWERTY is the most common modern-day keyboard layout. The name comes from the first six letters appearing in the topleft letter row of the keyboard, read left to right: Q-W-E-R-T-Y. The QWERTY design is based on a layout created for the Sholes and Glidden typewriter and sold to Remington in the...
keyboard. Well-known slate smartphone manufacturers are Apple, HTC
HTC
-Companies:*HTC Corporation, a Taiwanese manufacturer of handheld devices*Harrisonville Telephone Company, a telephone company in Waterloo, Illinois*Horry Telephone Cooperative, a telephone cooperative in Horry County, South Carolina...
, LG Electronics
LG Electronics
LG Electronics is a global electronics and telecommunications company headquartered in Yeouido, Seoul, South Korea. The company operates its business through five divisions: mobile communications, home entertainment, home appliance, air conditioning and business solution...
, Samsung Mobile, and Nokia
Nokia
Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational communications corporation that is headquartered in Keilaniemi, Espoo, a city neighbouring Finland's capital Helsinki...
.
Flip
A flip (or clamshell) phone consists of two or more sections that are connected by hingeHinge
A hinge is a type of bearing that connects two solid objects, typically allowing only a limited angle of rotation between them. Two objects connected by an ideal hinge rotate relative to each other about a fixed axis of rotation. Hinges may be made of flexible material or of moving components...
s, allowing the phone to fold or "flip" in order to become more compact. When flipped open, the phone's speaker and microphone are placed closer to the operator's ear and mouth, improving usability. When flipped shut, the phone can become much smaller and more portable than when it is opened for use.
Motorola
Motorola
Motorola, Inc. was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, which was eventually divided into two independent public companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions on January 4, 2011, after losing $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009...
was once owner of a trademark for the term "flip phone", but the term "flip phone" has become genericized
Genericized trademark
A genericized trademark is a trademark or brand name that has become the colloquial or generic description for, or synonymous with, a general class of product or service, rather than as an indicator of source or affiliation as intended by the trademark's holder...
, and used more frequently than "clamshell" in colloquial speech. Motorola was the manufacturer of the famed StarTAC
Motorola StarTAC
The Motorola StarTAC is a clamshell mobile phone manufactured by Motorola. It was released on 3 January 1996, being the first ever clamshell/flip mobile phone. The StarTAC is the successor of the MicroTAC, a semi-clamshell design that had been launched in 1989. Whereas the MicroTAC's shell folded...
flip phone.
In 2010, Motorola introduced a different take on the flip phone with its Backflip
Motorola Backflip
The Motorola Backflip is a touchscreen smartphone released to the U.S. for the AT&T Mobility network on March 7, 2010, and for other countries on Telus and Optus networks...
smartphone. When closed, one side is the screen and the other is a physical QWERTY keyboard. The hinge is on a long edge of the phone instead of a short edge, and when flipped out, the screen is above the keyboard.
Slider
A slider or slide phone is composed of usually two, but sometimes more, sections that slide past each other on rails. Most slider phones have a display segment which houses the speaker used for calls and the phone's screen, while another segment contains the keypad or keyboard and slides out for use. The goal of using a sliding form factor is to allow the operator to take advantage of full physical keyboards or keypads, without sacrificing portability, by "retracting" them into the phone when these are not in use.The Siemens SL10 was one of the first sliding mobile phones in 1999. Some phones have an automatic slider built in which deploys the keypad. Many phones will "pop out" their keypad segments as soon as the user begins to slide the phone apart. Unique models are the 2-way slider (sliding up or down provides distinct functions) such as the Nokia N85
Nokia N85
The Nokia N85 is a smartphone produced by Nokia. The N85's functions include those of a camera phone and portable media player, in addition to offering e-mail, web browsing, local Wi-Fi connectivity, text messaging and a built-in GPS receiver, allowing satellite navigation using no external...
or Nokia N95
Nokia N95
The Nokia N95 is a smartphone produced by Nokia as part of their Nseries line of portable devices. It was released in 2007. The N95 runs Symbian OS v9.2, with a S60 3rd Edition user interface. The phone has a two-way sliding mechanism, which can be used to access either media playback buttons or...
.
A version of the slider form factor, the side slider or QWERTY slider, uses vertical access of the keyboard on the bottom segment. The side slider form factor is primarily used to facilitate faster access to the keyboard with both thumbs. The Danger Hiptop
Danger Hiptop
The Danger Hiptop, also re-branded as the T-Mobile Sidekick, Mobiflip and Sharp Jump is a GPRS/EDGE/UMTS smartphone produced by Danger Incorporated from 2002 to 2010....
and the Sony Mylo
Mylo (Sony)
My Life Online is a device created and marketed by Sony for portable instant messaging and other Internet-based communications, browsing Internet web sites and playback and sharing of media files. The pocket-sized, tablet-shaped handheld device has a screen which slides up to reveal a QWERTY...
are two primary examples.
Swivel
A swivel phone is composed of multiple (usually two) segments, which swivel past each other about a central axleAxle
An axle is a central shaft for a rotating wheel or gear. On wheeled vehicles, the axle may be fixed to the wheels, rotating with them, or fixed to its surroundings, with the wheels rotating around the axle. In the former case, bearings or bushings are provided at the mounting points where the axle...
. Use of the swiveling form factor has similar goals to that of the slider, but this form factor is less widely used.
Mixed
Nokia N90
The Nokia N90 multimedia is a smartphone with two displays and Carl Zeiss optics . It has a 2 megapixel built-in digital camera with autofocus, 20× digital zoom, integrated flash, macro mode and the ability to record high quality video . The phone has no vibration feature...
.
Brick
"Brick" is a slangSlang
Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
term often used to refer to large, outdated bar-type phones, though it can be applied to older flip, slider and swivel phones as well. Large, bulky phones such as the Motorola DynaTAC
Motorola DynaTAC
DynaTAC is a series of cellular telephones manufactured by Motorola, Inc. from 1983 to 1994. With several different models, plus newer models under the Classic and Ultra Classic names, it was the first line of cell phones commercially produced by Motorola, with the first member of the DynaTAC...
have been displaced by their newer, smaller counterparts, which offer greater portability thanks to smaller antennas and slimmer battery packs.