Form factor (mobile phones)

Rigid form factors

The Nokia E51, a typical "candybar" phone.

Bar

A bar (or slab, or most commonly in the U.S., candybar) phone is in the shape of a cuboid. It is named because of its resemblance to a candy bar in size and shape. This form factor is widely used by a variety of manufacturers, such as Nokia and Sony Ericsson. Bar-type mobile phones normally have the screen and keypad all on one face. Many touchscreen phones such as the iPhone are candybar phones, but do away with keypads, favoring a touchscreen that covers the entire face of the phone. The Samsung SPH-M620 is a unique take on the bar form factor, offering different devices on either side of the bar; a phone on one side, and a digital audio player on the other.

Moving form factors

The Docomo D506i, a flip phone

Flip

A flip (or clamshell) phone consists of two or more sections that are connected by hinges, allowing the phone to fold or "flip" in order to become more compact. When flipped open, the phone's speaker and microphone are placed closer to the operator's ear and mouth, improving usability. When flipped shut, the phone can become much smaller and more portable than when it is opened for use.

Motorola was once owner of a trademark for the term "flip phone", but the term "flip phone" has become genericized, and used more frequently than "clamshell" in colloquial speech. Motorola was the manufacturer of the famed StarTAC flip phone.

The Sony Ericsson W580, a "slider" phone.

Slider

A slider phone is composed of usually two, but sometimes more segments that slide past each other on rails. Most slider phones have a display segment which houses the speaker used for calls and the phone's screen, while another segment contains the keypad or keyboard and slides out for use. The goal of using a sliding form factor is to allow the operator to take advantage of full physical keyboards or keypads, without sacrificing portability, by "retracting" them into the phone when these are not in use.

The Siemens SL55 was one of the first sliding mobile phones. Some phones have an automatic slider built in which deploys the keypad. Many phones will "pop out" their keypad segments as soon as the user begins to slide the phone apart. Unique models are the 2-way slider (sliding up or down provides unique functions) such as the Nokia N85 or Nokia N95.

File:Motorola V70.jpg

The Motorola V70, an example of a swivel phone.

Side slider

A version of the slider form factor, the side slider, uses vertical access of the keyboard on the bottom segment. The side slider form factor is primarily used to facilitate faster access to the keyboard with both thumbs. The Danger Hiptop and the Sony Mylo are two primary examples.

Swivel

A swivel phone is composed of usually two, but sometimes more segments that swivel past each other about a central axle. Use of the swiveling form factor has similar goals to that of the slider, but this form factor is less widely used.

The Nokia N90

Mixed

Some exotic phone models uses uses both swivel and flip axis, like the Nokia N90.

Slate

A slate phone is a subset of the candybar form that has no buttons, instead relying upon a touchscreen and virtual QWERTY keyboard, pioneered by the iPhone

Bricks

A brick phone is of nearly identical design to a bar phone, but is commonly much thicker than a modern candybar device. The "brick" reference stems from the large size of older mobile phones, which were cuboids but much bulkier than the slimmer phones common today.

Mobile phones that would be called bricks are largely unpopular today due to their large size and lack of portability. Newer technologies have led to smaller antenna designs, slimmer battery packs, and higher-resolution screens, allowing for the design of smaller phones. The brick form factor can be thought of as the predecessor to modern candybar phones.

While "brick" as a form factor refers to larger candybar phones, most outdated phones, which are usually larger in size than modern ones, are referred to as bricks, including older flip phones, slider phones, and swivel phones.