Chinese brands currently hold three spots in the world’s top five mobile phone brands. This is in terms of market share globally. Xiaomi, OPPO and Vivo all have a spot in the top 5. If Huawei did not have to face the U.S. band, it should be on the list, probably number one. After more than 10 years of rapid growth, it can be argued that the Chinese phone market is the backbone of the global mobile phone industry. However, one problem that exists in the global mobile phone market is product homogeneity. This means that there are not many unique mobile phones in the industry.
We may now buy a variety of mobile phone models because of a highly advanced and broad manufacturing chain. However, even if several versions on the market may have different brands and models, the makers of their internal accessories and even the foundry they use may be the same. It is for this reason that the thriving of the feature phone era more than 10 years ago is impossible for today’s smartphones to duplicate.
In fact, manufacturers have also become aware of these issues and have been putting a lot of effort into the design, colour, and build materials to differentiate the design of mobile phones. Also, several mobile phones with incredibly distinctive looks are currently available on the market, thanks to the efforts of some brands. Today, we will take a look at the top most unique mobile phones that have graced the market in recent times.
Top unique mobile phones
1. Meizu Zero
Most flagship mobile phones in the market today support IP68 dust and water resistance. However, if the mobile phone is made into a completely sealed device, then it earns a place in the list of unique mobile phones. Have any mobile phone brand attempted this? Yes, the Chinese brand, Meizu has and it calls it Meizu Zero.
Meizu held a press conference for Meizu Zero even though it was just in a small office. Meizu Zero hasn’t actually been on the market yet. This is Meizu’s distinct pursuit, and it might be the company’s most emblematic model in recent years.
There is no hole in the Meizu Zero, as was previously stated. The phone’s body has no gaps at all, and only wireless charging—not cable charging. Besides lacking speaker holes, this phone transmits sound via a unique screen sound tech. The actual buttons have also been transformed into virtual side-press buttons. The eSIM tech has taken the place of the SIM card slot. Meizu eventually produced a ground-breaking non-porous mobile phone by fusing all these techs.
Meizu Zero appears flawless, but it actually has a lot of issues. Due to technical constraints, it has a poor user experience and expensive manufacturing costs. It was developed in 2019 but from the day it launched, you could tell that it wouldn’t see the light of day. Indeed, it didn’t.
2. Xiaomi Mi MIX Alpha
As of today, if you visit the Xiaomi mall, you may be able to look for the Xiaomi Mi MIX Alpha. This is a very unique mobile phone which costs an incredible 19,999 yuan (about $2904). However, Xiaomi did not officially launch this device and also did not remove it from its shelves.
Samsung unveiled its first mobile phone with a folding screen in 2019. Although folding displays existed prior to Samsung’s device, those devices were not popular enough to get public interest. Although Xiaomi did not release a foldable phone in the same year, it did showcase something unique. It decided to take a different approach and produced the MIX Alpha, a distinctive wrap-around screen mobile phone.
There are no left or right bezels but there are very thin upper and lower borders. The phone’s screen wraps around to the rear on both sides. The screen of this phone also covers most of the rear panel leaving only a thin ceramic strip.
The screen is practically all that you touch when holding this mobile phone. Other mobile phones are unable to provide this kind of tactile gripping experience. Also, this phone used an imaging system that was fairly innovative and a 100MP sensor, both of which were extremely uncommon at the time.
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However, just like the Meizu Zero, the Xiaomi Mi MIX Alpha did not see the light of day. It was all by itself in a corner of the Xiaomi Mall. All it was good for was sightseeing and that’s it. After a while, nobody cared about it.
3. LG Wing
LG once had an important position in the smartphone industry. This South Korean powerhouse has also introduced an infinite number of iconic products to the market. It’s unfortunate that history won’t inquire about your background or name before killing you. As of right now, LG has fully stopped competing in the mobile phone industry. The LG Wing, however, was one of the models that LG produced during its final years in the mobile phone industry that is worth mentioning. Indeed, this is one of the few unique mobile phones in the world The LG Wing was launched in the latter half of 2020. LG debuted this rotating screen phone at the same time that Xiaomi launch the MIX Alpha while Samsung and Huawei released foldable phones.
This device comes with a split design. The upper half serves as the fulcrum, its main screen can rotate 90 degrees, revealing the secondary screen beneath. In the end, the two screens will resemble a “T” shape. There is no denying that this design can give LG Wing access to more varied usage scenarios. For instance, you might use the secondary screen to control the camera’s settings while using the primary screen as the camera’s viewfinder. Astonishingly, the LG Wing phone weighs 260g. It was 52g lighter than the Samsung Note 20 Ultra.
Overall, LG Wing sacrificed too much on the rotating screen design. Even if it might be a good phone, most people did not like it.
4. Tecno Phantom X2 Pro
Despite having a market share ranking in the top ten Chinese mobile phone brands globally, many people are not impressed with Transsion. It has its niche market in Africa and it is even called the “King of Africa” mobile phone market. Though it is not as popular as some big brands, it has one of the world’s most unique mobile phones. The Tecno Phantom X2 Pro is another unique phone. Obviously, it is not as unique as the Meizu Zero, Xiaomi Mi MIX Alpha and LG Wing. However, it is unique in its own way.
The Tecno Phantom X2 Pro offers many positive aspects despite its outside style. It is the first mobile phone in the entire world to have a retractable 50MP portrait lens. The majority of other mobile phones lack this capability, which allows the rear portrait lens to be retracted like a camera lens. Unlike the other three unique mobile phones above, the Phantom X2 Pro saw the light of day and remains in the market.
5. Lenovo Legion Y90
Mobile gaming devices have undergone years of development. Manufacturers like Black Shark and Red Magic have had success in this industry. But, the Lenovo Legion Y90 is actually more deserving of our attention in terms of design originality when compared to other devices.
With regard to the design of rear camera modules, there are currently two general categories for mobile phones. One is the center camera, found on devices like the Huawei Mate 50, OnePlus 8 Pro, Redmi K30, and others. The other is the side camera, which is the most common on the market and doesn’t need to be listed. There are always a few mavericks among the large mass, and the Legion Y90 falls into this category. Its camera module is mounted on the “waist”.
The Legion Y90 was designed as a gaming phone with the player’s experience in mind when holding the phone horizontally. The lens module is moved much lower since most gamers hold their phones horizontally. This will change how the device feels in the hand. It must be noted that this design is not just daring but also a successful innovation built on a thorough knowledge of its own product positioning. The Legion Y90’s downshifted camera module certainly greatly enhanced the gaming experience for serious players.
Conclusion
The above are the five mobile phones with very unique designs, shapes or features. They integrate some of the top technologies on mobile phones, some of which are targeted innovations based on specific users. If you know any unique mobile phone that can easily join this list, please add them in the comment section below
