5 Classic Cell Phone Models From The ‘90s

By Nathan Young on November 9, 2022

These days, most of us have a smartphone. Smartphones changed the game in the early 2000s thanks to companies like Apple and Samsung. However, we should never forget these five classic cell phone models from the ‘90s and the famous tech giants that made them so relevant back then.

Nokia 8110

The Nokia 8110 from 1996 gained popularity by appearing in the first Matrix film. People commonly referred to the 8110 as the banana phone due to its unique shape, and the slightly curved phone included a slide-down keypad that made it easy to use. Nokia’s classic phone was so influential that they eventually made a modern version of it fully capable of connecting to 4G networks.

IBM Simon

Long before the iPhone, IBM brought us the Simon in 1992. Simon was the first cell phone with a touch screen, but it could perform only rudimentary tasks, like basic note-taking. The PDA capabilities, coupled with cell phone technology, made it a popular choice with businesspeople of the era, and it remains an important piece of cell phone history.

Motorola Startac

You can’t talk about classic cell phone models from the ‘90s and not mention the Motorola Startac. The Startac was the very first clamshell phone. While flip model phones aren’t as popular these days as they were in the late ‘90s and early 2000s, this revolutionary idea cut down on people accidentally pressing buttons when they put their phones in their pockets.

Samsung SPH-M100

These days, it’s nearly impossible to find a phone that can’t play music, whether it’s through a music streaming app or from songs you buy from a digital storefront. However, Samsung knew the importance of combining music and cell phones and created the SPH-M100, sometimes referred to as the Uproar. This Samsung device was the first device to combine a cell phone with an mp3 player and did it nearly a decade before the iPhone.

Nokia 3310

The Nokia 3310 is one of the most iconic cell phones of all time. Its sleek design and indestructible frame gained popularity through internet meme culture since this was a phone that wouldn’t break, no matter what punishment it went through. While the 3310 is from the year 2000 and isn’t a ‘90s phone, the previous model, the 3210, set the stage for this memorable device.

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