Introduction of Different Cell Phone Form Factors

Cell phones come in a wide variety of form factors nowadays. While these form factors determine the look and styles of a handset, they also greatly affect its usability and functionality. Knowing the characteristics of different form factors can help you decide which one suits you best. Let’s take a look at the main categories available on the market:

Bar / Slate
This is the most basic and commonly found form factor. A bar or candy-bar cell phone is one solid block with no separate or moving parts. It usually has its screen and keypad on the same side. A key locking feature is included to prevent keys from being pressed accidentally. Samsung Messager and Sony Ericsson W880i are typical examples. Besides, handsets that boast a large touch-sensitive display dominating the face also belong to the candy-bar category. Thanks to Apple’s iPhone, this type of touchscreen phones is all the rage now.

A slate phone is a wider version of the bar. It has a QWERTY keyboard instead of a numeric keypad for quick text messaging, such as BlackBerry Bold 9700 and Nokia E71x.

Slide
A slider phone is composed of two or more segments that overlap each other. The display is located on top, while the physical keypad or keyboard is placed on the lower segment(s) that can be slid out from underneath smoothly. This form factor has been gaining popularity as it gives users a choice of text entry and navigation methods while retaining the phone’s portability.

Some handsets, like Samsung Highnote, slide vertically to reveal a numeric keypad, while some goes sideways to expose a QWERTY keyboard, like Motorola Droid and HTC Touch Pro2. Dual sliders, such as Helio Ocean 2 and Pantech Matrix Pro, take advantage of both, but are usually thicker and bulkier in size.

Clamshell / Flip
A clamshell phone is divided into two parts joined by a hinge. The phone is flipped open for taking calls and folded when not in use. Its advantage is that the screen and buttons are well protected when the phone is closed. Some clamshell handsets also sport with a smaller external display on the front, like BlackBerry Flip 8220. There are some side folding devices, such as Nokia E90 and LG enV Touch, which come with a full QWERTY keyboard instead of a keypad.

The flip form factor is a variation of the clamshell, with a candy bar partly covered by a thin flip. Sony Ericsson w350a and LG 4NE1 are two examples but this category is not very common these days.

Swivel
Similar to the slide type, a swivel handset consists of two or more segments, but rotate or spin around a pivot point. The swivel part can be a screen (Motorola V80), a keypad (Nokia 5700) or even a keyboard (Verizon Razzle).

Now that you have a general idea of some common form factors, you can choose a cell phone that suits your styles and needs. Also, remember to complement and dress up your phone with the right accessories!

Tags: iPhone Accessories, BlackBerry Accessories, HTC Accessories, LG Accessories, Motorola Accessories, Nokia Accessories, Samsung Accessories