Proper now, all the client tech world is laser-focused on AI. However earlier than the AI period, telephone makers have been of their chaotic section, throwing wild concepts into units simply to see what would possibly work. The outcomes? Holograms, radiation sensors, concierge buttons, and different options that have been both forward of their time… or simply plain weird.
So let’s have a look again at 10 of the strangest, most off-the-wall options ever crammed right into a telephone.
1
LG G8’s Hand ID & Air Gestures
LG, bless its coronary heart, all the time tried to do issues in a different way—and generally, too in a different way. The G8 ThinQ, launched in 2019, introduced two options that felt straight out of Minority Report. First, there was Hand ID, which scanned the distinctive vein patterns in your palm utilizing an infrared Z Digital camera. No joke—it learn the blood stream in your hand.
Then there was Air Movement, a function that allow you to management apps with Jedi-like hand waves. Change the music, reply calls, alter quantity—all with out touching the display. Sounds cool in principle, however in real-world use? Laggy, inconsistent, and infrequently extra bother than it was price.
Nonetheless, in a world leaning into touchless every little thing, may a refined model work in the present day? Possibly—however provided that it doesn’t make you appear like you’re casting a spell each time you need to pause a video. (And sure, Samsung did dabble in “Air Gestures” on the Galaxy S3 years earlier, however LG took it to an entire new degree with vein-scanning sorcery.)
2
YotaPhone’s Twin-Display Shows
Think about a Kindle and a smartphone had a child—that’s the YotaPhone. Its rear E-Ink display allows you to learn books, look at notifications, or save battery by utilizing a power-sipping show.
It sounded genius. However in apply, it was gradual, clunky, and never very properly supported by apps. The YotaPhone 3 was its ultimate gasp earlier than the corporate went silent. Nonetheless, the idea lives on in area of interest E-Ink telephones just like the Hisense A5—and truthfully, an E-Ink cowl show on one thing like a flip Razr telephone in 2025? That would truly work.
3
Vertu’s Concierge Button
Luxurious telephone maker Vertu wasn’t about options—it was about flexing. Beginning at a number of thousand {dollars}, Vertu telephones got here with sapphire glass, gold accents, and one of many weirdest options of all: a devoted concierge button.
Urgent it gave you entry to an actual human 24/7 who may e-book flights, get you live performance tickets, or possibly order you caviar in the midst of nowhere. Completely pointless for the remainder of us, however for billionaires? Why not.
Immediately, with AI assistants like ChatGPT and Google Gemini evolving quick, it’s not arduous to think about a digital concierge expertise changing into extra mainstream. However for now, Vertu’s ruby button stays an excellent, pointless monument to extra.
4
Samsung Galaxy Beam’s Mini Projector
This one nonetheless will get factors for sheer audacity. The Galaxy Beam, launched in 2012, had a built-in projector that might beam 50-inch pictures onto any floor. Film night time in your ceiling? Displays on the fly? It was all doable.
However battery life took a critical hit, and in brilliant rooms, the projector struggled. Whereas Samsung moved on, the concept received a religious successor in Unihertz’s rugged Tank 2 (and its successors), which features a trendy projector. Possibly it is time somebody made a compact, entertainment-first telephone with this idea executed proper.
5
LG Wing 5G’s Swiveling Display
Simply earlier than LG exited the telephone enterprise, they gave us one final jaw-dropper: the Wing. Its display swiveled horizontally, revealing a smaller show beneath, turning the entire telephone into an enormous “T.”
Was it helpful? Typically. Cool? Undoubtedly. Common? Probably not. App assist was minimal, and it felt cumbersome in every day use. Nevertheless it will get factors for attempting one thing new, and truthfully, with foldables changing into mainstream, possibly LG’s unusual “T-mode” was just some years too early.
6
Purple Hydrogen One’s Holographic Show
The digicam firm RED makes among the finest cinema cameras on this planet. However their smartphone? Not a lot.
The Hydrogen One, launched in 2018, promised a “4V holographic show”—primarily a 3D impact with out glasses. It was alleged to be revolutionary. In actuality, it was headache-inducing and grainy, and the 3D depth impact was extra of a gimmick than something helpful.
Add within the cumbersome, industrial design and a price ticket north of $1,000, and it flopped arduous. It was a traditional case of overpromising and underdelivering, from an organization that was clearly out of its lane.
7
HTC Evo 3D / LG Optimus 3D’s Glasses-Free 3D Show
Talking of failed 3D desires—bear in mind when 3D every little thing was a factor within the early 2010s? HTC and LG each jumped in with telephones that might seize and show 3D photographs and movies with out glasses.
It labored, technically. However the impact had a slim viewing angle, lowered display decision, and no actual content material to assist it. It was a short-lived gimmick that aged about in addition to 3D TVs.
8
Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom
Samsung as soon as had a dream: mix a point-and-shoot digicam with a telephone. The outcome? The Galaxy S4 Zoom, a chunky system with a 10x optical zoom lens that jutted out like a mini telescope.
It provided actual zoom, which was uncommon again then. Nevertheless it additionally made the telephone really feel such as you’d taped a digicam to the again of your Galaxy S4. Not sensible. Samsung later refined the concept with the Galaxy Ok Zoom, however the idea light. Now, telephones just like the Galaxy S25 Extremely pull off 10x optical zoom with periscope lenses and slim profiles. The bizarre child grew up.
9
PANTONE 107SH’s Radiation Sensor
Right here’s one you in all probability haven’t heard of: the Softbank PANTONE 107SH. This Japan-exclusive telephone got here with a built-in radiation sensor. Sure, you learn that proper—it may measure radiation ranges in your setting.
Why? Possible a response to public issues after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear catastrophe. Was it helpful? Possibly, however solely in particular circumstances. For the common person, it was extra of a dialog starter than a life-saver.
Nonetheless, in in the present day’s world of well being sensors and environmental monitoring, may we see hyper-specific sensors like this once more? It’s doable—simply in all probability not for radiation.
10
Amazon Fireplace Cellphone’s Pseudo-3D Interface
Keep in mind the Amazon Fireplace Cellphone? No? That’s okay, most individuals don’t. Amazon’s first (and solely) telephone debuted in 2014 and got here filled with a wild function: Dynamic Perspective.
Utilizing 4 infrared entrance cameras, the telephone may observe your head and eyes to create a 3D-like interface that shifted perspective as you moved. It was cool in principle, however the execution felt extra like a disorienting carnival trick. Builders didn’t undertake it, customers didn’t prefer it, and the telephone tanked arduous.
Nonetheless, this was a glimpse at motion-tracked UX design, one thing that might make a comeback if executed proper—particularly in AR or VR interfaces.
Might Any of These Concepts Make a Comeback?
A few of these options have been straight-up duds. Others? Simply too early.
Let’s take foldables as an ideal instance. They as soon as seemed like gimmicks able to die at launch. However now? Telephones just like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6, OnePlus Open, and Pixel 9 Pro Fold are killing it. They’re sensible, sturdy (to an extent), and nice for multitasking. What was as soon as “bizarre” is now fascinating.
Cameras are the place among the wildest concepts are lastly beginning to make sense. Units just like the Xiaomi 15 Extremely, Oppo Discover X8 Extremely, and the upcoming Vivo X200 Extremely are pushing cellular pictures into DSLR territory. We’re speaking inch-sized sensors, variable aperture programs, and severely succesful periscope zoom lenses.
The Xiaomi 15 Extremely even ships with an optionally available photography kit that transforms it into a real point-and-shoot, full with a removable shutter button and thumb grip for higher management.
Vivo goes a step additional with the X200 Extremely, which is able to assist an external zoom lens co-engineered with Zeiss. This accent connects by way of a customized adapter and sits over the telephone’s 200MP periscope lens, enhancing its optical zoom with a 13-element glass building.
A decade in the past, this type of setup would’ve sounded ridiculous. Immediately, it’s simply one other web page within the flagship spec sheet.
Wrapping Up
Smartphones was once wild, and generally they nonetheless are. Whereas a lot of the units on this checklist are actually footnotes in tech historical past, they characterize one thing we shouldn’t neglect: the willingness to experiment.
Not each thought needs to be successful. Some can simply be daring. Unusual. Totally different. And even when they don’t stick the touchdown, they’ll encourage what comes subsequent.