Special Report
The Most Popular Phones of All Time
January 18, 2022 1:00 pm
Source: si.com
21. Sports Illustrated Football Phone
> Manufacturer: N/A
> Release year: 1987
In 1987, Sports Illustrated began offering phones shaped like footballs as an incentive for purchasing a magazine subscription. The football phone became widely popular and helped the magazine sell around 1.6 million subscriptions in the five years of the promotion.
22. MicroTAC 9800X
> Manufacturer: Motorola
> Release year: 1989
At the time of its release, the Motorola MicroTAC 9800X was the smallest, lightest phone on the market. The MicroTAC set the design standard for many of the phones that succeeded it.
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23. International 3200
> Manufacturer: Motorola
> Release year: 1992
The Motorola International 3200 was the first digital hand-size mobile telephone.
24. Simon
> Manufacturer: IBM / BellSouth
> Release year: 1994
The Simon was perhaps the first smartphone. It had a touchscreen and could be used to send emails and faxes. When it was released, the Simon cost well over $1,000.
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
25. StarTac
> Manufacturer: Motorola
> Release year: 1996
Motorola’s StarTac was one of the first widely sold flip phones.
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