Ten recognisable phones that we've loved and lost

Nokia 9000 1996 - The first in Nokia’s Communicator series, the Nokia 9000 was considered a mobile powerhouse for its time. Packing a 24MHz Intel processor, 8MB of memory and a grayscale display, it was considered revolutionary back in the day. It looked like a typical phone, but open it up and you were presented with nothing less than the future – a full QWERTY keypad and internet connectivity with a dedicated button. Amazing.

Motorola Razr 2004 - Hello, Moto. Back when being thin was still a huge rarity, the Razr exploded onto the scene and became the de facto “it phone” of the moment. For a clamshell, it had the slightest silhouette for its time – just 13.9mm. Initially positioned as a fashion phone, Motorola also teamed up with Dolce Gabbana for a limited edition gold run.

Nokia 8250 1999 - During its heyday, the Nokia 8250 was the most compact phone of its time, weighing in at just 79g. It fit perfectly into most school uniform pockets and couldn’t be detected by teachers on the prowl. What’s most memorable, however, was probably that blue backlight glowing under tables as your classmates furtively texted one another.

Nokia 5110 1998 - What’s so special about this phone, you ask Plenty. It was one of the first to feature swappable faceplates – everyone’s only option to customise the way their phones looked back then. But more importantly, it was one of the first phones to feature everyone’s favourite time-killer Snake.

BlackBerry Bold 9000 2008 - It might be difficult to imagine BlackBerry ruling the mobile scene but, truth be told, it wasn’t all that long ago when everyone – from the coolest kid in the club to the suits on the trading floor – seemed to be using a BB. That trackball and QWERTY keyboard were what people used to BBM one another. And it was cool back then. Now Nobody gives a damn about BBM. It’s tragic how swiftly the BlackBerry name has become synonymous with irrelevance.

Nokia 8110 1996 - If being featured in The Matrix doesn’t give you instant futuristic credibility, we don’t know what will. This phone was designed with the business crowd in mind and the first of Nokia’s premium 8000 line. But what made it really stick out was the way it was curved when the number pad was revealed. All this even before the curve was cool. Talk about forward thinking.

Samsung S300 2003 - This classic clamshell was a fan favourite. Small in size, but big in impact thanks to its dual coloured screens. Back in 2003, its 256-colour external screen basically allowing you to see who was calling without opening the phone and polyphonic polyphonic ringtones were considered the future. Don’t snigger. One day, we’ll all look back on the Galaxy S22 and laugh at how prehistoric it looks, too.

Nokia 3210 1999 - You might not know it, but the Nokia 3210 was one of the first mainstream phones to come with an internal antenna, doing away with the awkward bump at the top. Thanks to its trio of pre-installed games yes, including Snake and customisable ringtones and covers, the Nokia 3210 was a big hit with the “yoot” crowd.

LG Chocolate 2006 - Positioned as a premium handset, the LG Chocolate won widespread acclaim for its understated design. Depending on where you lived in the world, the LG Chocolate took on different forms we loved the slider one and colours including a questionable pink. But what remained consistent were its sleek lines and red hot accents. Later iterations also included a slabby one that was not unlike the screen-dominated smartphones of today.

Nokia 3310 2000 - You may be gone, but your extraordinary strength endures in memes to this day. Not only was your superphone strength displayed on the outside, withstanding all manner of drops and rough treatment, it also existed beneath your removable cover in the form of what’s considered everlasting battery life these days. We will never forget you and the long 459-character text messages that you allowed. Thanks for the memories, Nokia 3310.