The iPhone has always been clean and stylish, but Android phones have gone in a million different directions. Some of the designs over the years have been downright strange, and yet I find myself missing the days when phone makers weren’t afraid to get weird.

My history with Android goes all the way back to 2010, and I’ve been reviewing phones since 2012. Needless to say, I’ve been around to see the vast majority of Android phones. While many of the weird designs were pretty dumb, some were legitimately great ideas.

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5

LG G Flex

Perhaps no other Android manufacturer experimented with weird designs more than LG. The problem is most of their ideas were not appealing to me. The LG Wing is cool but not for me. The LG G5’s modules were incredibly boring. I tried the LG V20’s Second Screen and didn’t know what to do with it. The LG G Flex, though, was almost useful.

For a brief moment in time, curved displays were all the rage in Android phones. LG went with the “banana-style” curve, which made it comfortable to hold next to your face for phone calls. It also felt really nice when scrolling vertically, and I loved the rear power button. There were some good ideas here that should make a comeback.

4

T-Mobile G2

2010 was an interesting year for Android phone designs. The first of two on this list from the year is the T-Mobile G2 (sold internationally as the HTC Desire Z). Honestly, I don’t quite know why I liked this phone so much, but I vividly remember wanting it very badly. The G2 had this unique “Z-hinge” that lifted the display up and over to reveal the keyboard.

The mechanism was not practical at all. You could literally pause the slide halfway, and there would be a 1/2-inch gap between the display and the keyboard. The design caused some quality control issues and poor battery life, but it looked extremely cool.

3

Moto Z

Moto Mods

A handful of companies have attempted “modular” smartphones over the years, but Motorola probably had the most successful attempt (other than the iPhone and MagSafe). It started with the Moto Z in 2016 and lasted all the way through the Moto Z4 in 2019.

“Moto Mods” were hot-swappable magnetic accessories that snapped on the back of the phone. Some of the Mods included a Hasselblad Zoom Camera lens, JBL SoundBoost speaker, battery packs, wireless charging adapters, decorative back plates, and more.

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2

Motorola Flipout

In the early days of smartphones, manufacturers were throwing out some truly wild designs. One that I remember catching my eye was the Motorola Flipout from 2010. It had a small, square 2.8-inch display, and the keyboard swiveled out from behind it. Everyone else was doing flips and slides, but Motorola decided to pivot.

A design like this could be popular nowadays. Motorola’s current flagship, the Razr, is a very similar idea when closed. You have a small, compact phone most of the time, but you can unfold it for a bigger screen. Replace the foldable screen with a keyboard and you’ve got a modern Flipout. It looked cool 15 years ago, and it still looks cool today.

1

Galaxy Camera

If there’s one Android phone that I have consistently wished for over the years, it’s an updated version of the Galaxy Camera from 2012. It was followed by the Galaxy S4 Zoom and K Zoom/S5 Zoom, but that’s where Samsung’s experiment ended.

Don’t get me wrong, modern smartphones have incredible cameras. I’m consistently amazed by the photos I take with my Pixel 9 Pro XL, and it even has 5X optical zoom–something that would be unheard of in 2012. But smartphone cameras are still smartphone cameras. They will most likely always be limited compared to full-blown digital cameras.

Admittedly, what I actually want is Google’s version of this. Essentially, a digital camera with the Pixel image processing and software. Regardless, imagine how cool it would be to have all the conveniences of a touchscreen and phone software with an actual, full-blown camera attached to the back. Snap a photo with your big lens, and it’s immediately available in Google Photos, etc. Bring it back.

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