10 most influential mobile phones | Technology

From Motorolas oh so 80s DynaTAC brick to the Nokia 3310 with its changeable covers and Samsungs explosive Galaxy Note 7 these are the phones that matter the most Samuel Gibbs Fri 10 Feb 2017 08.00GMT Last modified on Fri 29 Dec 2017 08.18GMT

10 most influential mobile phones

From Motorola’s oh so 80s DynaTAC brick to the Nokia 3310 with its changeable covers and Samsung’s explosive Galaxy Note 7 – these are the phones that matter the most

Main image: Snake, long SMS messages and changeable covers …the Nokia 3310. Photograph: Science & Society Picture Librar/SSPL via Getty Images

Fri 10 Feb 2017 08.00 GMT Last modified on Fri 29 Dec 2017 08.18 GMT

  • 1. Motorola DynaTAC, 1984

    The one that started it all. The DynaTAC was the first mobile phone ever made and was released in 1984. It took 10 hours to charge, lasted for 30 minutes of talk-time, stored 30 numbers and cost $4,000 at the time, which is over $9,500 (£7,500) in today’s money.

  • 2. Motorola StarTAC, 1996

    The first ever clamshell phone, the StarTAC ushered in a new era of smaller flip and slider mobile phones. It cost $1,000, was an immediate success and starred in movies and TV shows for years.

  • 3. Nokia Communicator, 1996

    The first ever smartphone, the Nokia Communicator was years ahead of its time. With 8MB of storage – 4MB user accessible – and a clamshell design with screen and keyboard, it was capable of browsing the web, sending email, managing your personal information. The only thing it didn’t have were apps. It was a bit thick, though, at about 1.5in, and weighed almost 400g.

  • 4. Nokia 6210, 2000

    Described as the ‘AK-47 of mobile phones’ by Bob Geldof, the Nokia 6210 was one of the most popular work phones and the model and its followups are still in use by people all over the world, even if they only get nine days of charge a decade after first release. True to form, the 6210 could be customised, although the little ‘Personal Badge’ plate users could change on its chin was really a token gesture compared to the complete cover changes available on other Nokia devices.

  • 5. Nokia 3310, 2000

    It all started with the Nokia 3210, but the 3310 introduced two amazing features into a phone the average consumer could just about afford: Xpress-On covers and a silent vibrate mode. It was also one of the first phones to combine three SMS messages into one long text message and had Snake II and Space Impact for a bit of impromptu mobile gaming.

  • 6. Treo 180, 2002

    Remembered as the Palm Treo, the PalmOS-based smartphone actually started life as the Handspring Treo 180 with a flip-phone form factor and a resistive, monochrome touchscreen. It even ran apps more or less as we know them today. Personal digital assistant-maker Palm bought Handspring, and pushed out 18 more Treos, including some Windows Mobile versions, before the Treo was replaced by the Palm Pre in 2009.

  • 7. Motorola Razr, 2004

    The Razr was the last great flip phone, and turned mobile phones from a pocket gadget into a must-have fashion accessory. It was thinner and cooler than any other that came before it, with a metal shell and colour screen. It even had a miniUSB port for charging and music.

  • 8. Blackberry Curve, 2007

    Two important smartphones were released in 2007. The first was the BlackBerry Curve 8300 series. It took the Blackberry’s Pearl consumer-facing efforts, and ran with it, with a full keyboard, little roller ball that quickly got gummed up and even had a built-in camera.

  • 9. iPhone, 2007

    Arguably the most important smartphone of the last decade, the iPhone showed that capacitive touchscreens were the way forward. It also launched a new economy based around mobile apps, propelled Apple to new monetary, technological and cultural heights, and set the ground rules for the third-age of the smartphone.

  • 10. Samsung Galaxy Note 7, 2016

    There are few smartphones as infamous as the Samsung Galaxy Note 7. It pushed the design and technology of the phablet, complete with iris scanning, curved screen, waterproofing and even a stylus, to new heights and then came crashing down in a ball of flames. Literally. Thanks to two separate battery faults that caused devices to catch fire, the Note 7 will be forever known as the exploding Samsung, but hopefully has spawned a newfound respect for batteries.
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