Concepts of anything are usually of great interest. In addition to the fact that they are pretty bold and often beautiful things, they can also determine the direction of technology development for years to come. For example, by releasing a car concept, a manufacturer can experiment with the design and use some of the experience in new models. The same happens with smart phone.
Today, we will admire the human imagination and get acquainted with the most unusual conceptual designs of cell phones. But don’t take it all lightly. All these strange devices, which periodically appear on the web, are needed not only for the average person’s entertainment. Of course, this pursuit of technology is marketing and advertising, but it’s also a battle of ideas. Corporations do not hesitate to come up with the most unusual smartphones and rush to patent them as soon as they become at least one step closer to reality. Some of them didn’t even support simple programs like the india bet app or a calculator. So what is there to release?
A little bit of history
- Few people remember, but the idea for mobile radio phones first appeared in 1946.
- And the following year, AT&T Bell Labs even launched a commercial project: travelers were offered telephone service on the road between New York and Boston.
- But, buried in the idea were the lamps used in these devices. It is difficult to call the connection mobile when the “phone” weighs 12 kg, is constantly broken, and has a minimal signal range.
- But this failure could not stop the craving for innovation in the field of telephony. So take a close look at these unusual concepts. Could this be our future?
Tarati
This project is purely designed. Its author Branko Lukic 2007 forgot for a moment about the rapid transformation of the phone into a multifunctional device and suggested making holes instead of buttons. In other words, to dial a number, you have to put your finger through the hole. We don’t have to explain what happened to the screen, but what happened to the rest of the stuffing is an interesting question. The advantages of such a device are highly questionable, so the idea died rather quickly.
Samsung Bracelet Phone
Some believe that to call the cell phone a perfect device hinders only one thing – it takes hands, needs something to wear, to get, and the like. So the idea of turning it into a bracelet is floating around in the air. It is the variant suggested by designer Erik Campbell. Such a product would probably find its buyer.
Samsung AQUA
The beauty of this concept is that it is not yet known what kind of liquid is supposed to collect in specific icons. It looks nice, but how realizable this beauty is, one can only guess. The description had a few more fantastic points, like a liquid battery. Nevertheless, Samsung has already rushed to patent the idea, suitable with the “unknown liquid.”
“- +”
Modular phones, despite all their supposed benefits, are unlikely to blow up the market. The bankruptcy story of Israel’s Modu confirms this. However, this does not stop the inventors. The “-+” project is one such solution. In it, the modules can be changed even when they are working. It is announced that this will use a minus plug, where the standard USB connector will be located, and a plus plug, which will be responsible for the electrical and mechanical connection of the modules.
P-One
And another gadget with modules. The project was developed by Pakistani Bilal Khan specifically for people just getting acquainted with modern technology. That is why everything is simplified as much as possible here, including functionality. For those who want to expand it, modules are offered. These are the “tablets” in the picture. Each of them somehow improves the phone – adds Wi-Fi, camera, battery, or something else. The significant disadvantage is that you can only add one thing.
Sero Phone
A round shape is not uncommon for smartphone concepts as well. However, it is not clear what exactly it attracts. Designer Daniel Lau believes it will reduce the phone’s size; his device’s diameter is only 19 millimeters. In addition, he provided for the connection of the same round accessories and the possibility of winding headphones. The latter is especially important, of course.
Runcible
If you have to choose a round phone, you should probably take the Runcible. You should not expect high technologies from it; everything is within the limits of the usual functionality. However, the design is very unusual. The authors of the project from the company Monohm even call it anti-smartphone. It is completely round, has a wooden body, and its components can be replaced with newer ones. Of all the unusual phones of the future, this one is the closest to mass production.
Nokia FIT
Perhaps in the future, a Bluetooth headset will replace Nokia’s new invention. It is a silicone ring that will allow answering calls and sending text messages via voice dialing. It is still just a headset, but the company’s specialists have already announced that cell phones will look like this in the future.
Kyocera Proteus
The main advantage of the Japanese concepts is that you can support them in your hands, although mass production is constrained by slow progress in some technologies; in particular, flexible batteries have only just begun to appear. Proteus is a flexible smartphone that can be rolled up into a bracelet and worn on the hand. When turned off, it is entirely transparent.
PaperFold
Using an E-Ink display is no surprise to anyone. But in this project, we went further – three of them at once. Why so many? The video shows several options for use. In general, the project is too raw to talk about other possibilities. But it has specific prospects.
OPPO X.
Exciting was the concept of a retractable display in the OPPO X 2021. At the same time, OPPO was the first to show a working prototype of such a device. Of course, there are still many questions about it, such as what will happen if dust gets inside, but it looks pretty damn futuristic and, at the same time, genuine.
There has been a lot of talk about this smartphone in its day, but it’s too early to assess it objectively.
The concept was shown at INNO DAY 2020. The diagonal changes from 6.7 to 7.4 inches. The display is an OLED screen, and it rolls into the frame using a 6.8-mm roller motor and a patented mechanism. A support plate is provided to keep everything inside safe for the show. In addition, OPPO also used a 0.1 mm thick Warp Track protective coating.
These were some of the most incredible smartphone concepts of 2020. And just 5-6 years ago, we could not even imagine that such technologies would be so close to us.
