Galaxy Fold
The Galaxy Fold was a revolutionary smartphone that was set to revolutionize the market, but it ended up being a complete disaster. The device started breaking before it even reached consumers, and a teardown by iFixit showed a whole number of design vulnerabilities. One of the major issues was the gap in the screen bezel and the hinge when the phone was folded up, which gave clear room for dirt to get trapped. Furthermore, reviewers were able to peel off what looked like the embedded screen protector, but was actually part of the display structure. This was a major design flaw, as if a polymer film should not be taken off, then it should be designed so that it cannot be taken off the device.
Facebook Phone
The Facebook Phone, also known as the HTC First, was the first phone in the world to use Facebook Home, a heavy software skin over Android. This mid-range device was built for the masses, and both Facebook and HTC thought that this could be huge. Despite the fact that Facebook Home itself was not terrible, the phone did so poorly that within a month of being on sale, AT&T dropped its on-contract price from $99 to 99 cents. The main reason for this was that the whole thing was just a bit underwhelming.
Amazon Fire Phone
The Amazon Fire Phone was the company’s attempt to break into the smartphone market, but it ended up being a complete failure. The device was packed with features such as a 3D display, gesture controls, and a dedicated camera button, but these features were not enough to make the device stand out. Furthermore, the device was extremely expensive and had a limited app selection, which made it a tough sell for consumers.
Nokia N-Gage
The Nokia N-Gage was a gaming-focused smartphone that was released in 2003. The device was designed to be a handheld gaming console, but it ended up being a major failure due to its awkward design and poor gaming experience. The device was also criticized for its high price and lack of features, which made it a hard sell for consumers.
BlackBerry Storm
The BlackBerry Storm was a touchscreen smartphone that was released in 2008. The device was designed to compete with the iPhone, but it ended up being a major failure due to its slow performance and unreliable touchscreen. The device was also criticized for its lack of features and high price, which made it a tough sell for consumers.
Motorola ROKR E1
The Motorola ROKR E1 was a music-focused smartphone that was released in 2005. The device was designed to be a music player, but it ended up being a major failure due to its limited storage capacity and lack of features. The device was also criticized for its high price and lack of support for popular music formats, which made it a hard sell for consumers.
Microsoft Kin
The Microsoft Kin was a social media-focused smartphone that was released in 2010. The device was designed to be a social media device, but it ended up being a major failure due to its limited app selection and lack of features. The device was also criticized for
Nokia’s Virtue
Nokia’s attempt to create a super premium phone with Virtue was ambitious, but ultimately doomed to fail. The idea was to market phones as fashion accessories, and to compete on materials and craftsmanship rather than specifications. Whilst the concept itself wasn’t the problem, Virtue was up against companies like Samsung that could mass produce, meaning that by the time Virtue had released a phone, it was already a year behind in specs. With customers expecting the latest components for a phone costing 50k, it was no surprise that the company soon found itself in debt and had to be shut down. This one gets a 4 out of 10 fail rating.
Google’s Nexus Q
Google’s Nexus Q was an ambitious attempt to create a streaming media player, but it was met with a lukewarm reception. The device was expensive and lacked features that were available on other streaming media players. It was also limited to streaming content from Google Play, meaning that customers were unable to access content from other services. This one gets a 3 out of 10 fail rating.
Microsoft’s Kin
Microsoft’s Kin was a smartphone designed for social networking, but it was met with a poor reception. The device was limited to a handful of apps, and the hardware was outdated. It also lacked features such as GPS and a camera, which were expected on a modern smartphone. This one gets a 2 out of 10 fail rating.
Amazon’s Fire Phone
Amazon’s Fire Phone was an ambitious attempt to create a smartphone, but it was met with a poor reception. The device was expensive and lacked features that were available on other smartphones. It also had a limited app selection, and the hardware was outdated. This one gets a 1 out of 10 fail rating.
Project Ara: A Failed Dream
Project Ara was a concept that promised to revolutionize the smartphone industry. The idea was to create a completely modular phone that users could customize based on their needs and budget. This would allow users to pick and choose the features they wanted, such as a larger battery, and to upgrade individual components instead of having to purchase a new phone. Additionally, this would reduce the environmental impact of disposing of old phones.
Unfortunately, the concept was too complex to be practical. Google would have had to offer different sizes of frames to accommodate different components, as well as different sizes of each component. Furthermore, the frame itself would have to be future-proofed and able to support high-end components, which would have made it as expensive as the other components. As a result, Project Ara was ultimately a failed dream and earned a 4 out of 10 rating.
The Kin One
Microsoft invested a hefty sum of money and two years of development into the Kin One, a phone that was intended to be a social media centric device. It was released at the start of the social media revolution, but it was missing a number of key features. The feeds only updated once every 15 minutes, there was no app store, and messaging applications were not supported. This was a huge misstep for Microsoft and a costly one at that, earning it a 5 out of 10 on the epic fail scale.
The Red Hydrogen One
The Red Hydrogen One was a phone that was released by a company that specializes in Hollywood cinema cameras. It was supposed to be a revolutionary device with a holographic display and a modular camera system, but it ended up being a polar opposite to all other phones. Red was so focused on standing out that they forgot why phones are built the way they are, resulting in a phone that was not well received.
The Amazon Fire Phone
The Amazon Fire Phone was an ambitious project from the e-commerce giant. It was released in 2014 and had a number of features that were intended to make it stand out from the crowd. These included a 3D display, gesture controls, and a dedicated app store. Unfortunately, the phone was not well received and was discontinued a year later.
The Facebook Phone
The Facebook Phone was a device that was released in 2013 in partnership with HTC. It was intended to be a social media centric device, with a heavily modified version of Android and a focus on Facebook integration. Unfortunately, the phone was not well received and was discontinued shortly after its release.
The Nokia N-Gage
The Nokia N-Gage was a gaming-focused device that was released in 2003. It was intended to be a handheld gaming console and a phone, but it was not well received due to its awkward design and lack of features. It was discontinued shortly after its release and is now considered to be one of the biggest smartphone fails of all time.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 7
The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 was released in 2016 and was intended to be a flagship device. Unfortunately, the phone was plagued by battery issues that caused some units to catch fire. This resulted in a massive recall and the phone was eventually discontinued.
The BlackBerry Storm
The BlackBerry Storm was released in 2008 and was intended to be a touchscreen device that could compete with the iPhone. Unfortunately, the phone was plagued by a number of issues, including a slow processor, an unresponsive touchscreen, and a lack of apps.
The Motorola ROKR E1
The Motorola ROKR E1 was released in 2005 and was the first phone to feature iTunes integration. Unfortunately, the phone was plagued by a number of issues, including a slow processor, a lack of storage, and a poor user experience.
The HP Pre 3
The HP Pre 3 was released in 2011 and was intended to be a high-end smartphone. Unfortunately, the phone was plagued by a number of issues, including
5 US dollars.
The Freedom 251
The Freedom 251 was a smartphone released in India in 2016, and it was marketed as the world’s cheapest smartphone. It was priced at a mere 4.5 US dollars, and this was seen as a major breakthrough for people in India who could not afford more expensive devices. However, the phone was a complete disaster. It was plagued with problems, from its low-quality plastic build to its outdated operating system and lack of features. The phone was also criticized for its poor battery life and slow performance. All in all, it was a complete failure and earned a score of 8 out of 10 for its epic fail.
The Microsoft Kin
The Microsoft Kin was a smartphone released in 2010 and was intended to be a social media-focused device. It had a unique design and featured a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, as well as a touchscreen. Unfortunately, the phone was a complete flop and was pulled from the market after just two months. It was criticized for its lack of features, its poor battery life, and its slow performance. The Kin was a major disappointment for Microsoft and earned a score of 9 out of 10 for its epic fail.
The Amazon Fire Phone
The Amazon Fire Phone was a smartphone released in 2014 and was intended to be a device that could take advantage of Amazon’s vast ecosystem of products and services. Unfortunately, the phone was a complete failure and was pulled from the market after just one year. It was criticized for its lack of features, its poor battery life, and its slow performance. The Fire Phone was a major disappointment for Amazon and earned a score of 10 out of 10 for its epic fail.
The Nokia N-Gage
The Nokia N-Gage was a smartphone released in 2003 and was intended to be a gaming device. It had a unique design and featured a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, as well as a touchscreen. Unfortunately, the phone was a complete flop and was pulled from the market after just one year. It was criticized for its lack of features, its poor battery life, and its slow performance. The N-Gage was a major disappointment for Nokia and earned a score of 8 out of 10 for its epic fail.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 7
The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 was a smartphone released in 2016 and was intended to be a flagship device. It had a unique design and featured a large 5.7-inch display, as well as a stylus. Unfortunately, the phone was a complete disaster and was pulled from the market after just one month due to reports of the device exploding. It was criticized for its lack of safety features, its poor battery life, and its slow performance. The Note 7 was a major disappointment for Samsung and earned a score of 10 out of 10 for its epic fail.
The Apple Newton
The Apple Newton was a smartphone released in 1993 and was intended to be a personal digital assistant. It had a unique design and featured a stylus, as well as handwriting recognition software. Unfortunately, the phone was a complete flop and was pulled from the market after just two years. It was criticized for its lack of features, its
1. Freedom 251
The Freedom 251 was a smartphone that promised to revolutionize the market with its low price tag of just 251 (roughly $3.50). It was marketed as the world’s cheapest smartphone and generated a huge amount of hype. However, the hype was short-lived as reports emerged that the managing director of the company was not fulfilling orders and had declined to offer a refund. To make matters worse, he even threatened to kill one of his customers. He was arrested, but is now out and trying to convince the government to subsidize the phone.
2. iPhone 6 Bendgate
The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus were not as resistant to bending as they should have been. This caused a huge uproar, as it only affected people who didn’t have a case and were careless with their device. Apple had to issue a statement and replace any bent devices. Despite the controversy, the issue was eventually blown out of proportion.
3. Samsung Galaxy Note 7
The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 was one of the most anticipated smartphones of 2016. However, it was quickly pulled from the market due to reports of the device catching fire and exploding. Samsung had to recall all of the devices and issue a statement apologizing for the issue.
4. Google Nexus 6P
The Google Nexus 6P was a highly anticipated device that promised to deliver a great user experience. Unfortunately, the device was plagued with issues such as random shutdowns, battery drain, and even bootloops. Google had to issue a statement and replace any faulty devices.
5. Microsoft Kin
The Microsoft Kin was a smartphone that was released in 2010. It was marketed as a device that was designed for social media and messaging. Unfortunately, the device was a flop as it lacked features such as a camera and the ability to download apps.
6. HTC First
The HTC First was a smartphone that was released in 2013. It was the first device to come pre-installed with Facebook Home, a launcher that was designed to integrate Facebook into the device. Unfortunately, the device was a flop as it lacked features such as a camera and the ability to download apps.
7. BlackBerry Storm
The BlackBerry Storm was a smartphone that was released in 2008. It was the first device to feature a touchscreen and was marketed as a revolutionary device. Unfortunately, the device was plagued with issues such as slow performance, poor battery life, and a lack of apps.
8. Nokia N-Gage
The Nokia N-Gage was a smartphone that was released in 2003. It was marketed as a gaming device and featured a unique design that allowed users to play games on the go. Unfortunately, the device was a flop due to its poor battery life, slow performance, and lack of games.
9. Amazon Fire Phone
The Amazon Fire Phone was a smartphone that was released in 2014. It was marketed as a device that was designed to integrate Amazon’s services into the device. Unfortunately, the device was a flop due to its high price tag
Apple’s Forum Fiasco
Apple’s forum fiasco was an issue that quickly gained traction, with many people taking to YouTube, social media, and other platforms to mock the brand. This resulted in a dip in Apple’s share price, making it an 8 out of 10 fail.
The Galaxy Note 7 Debacle
The Galaxy Note 7 debacle was arguably the most epic smartphone fail of all time. The battery issues caused the phones to be more prone to exploding than they should have been, resulting in a recall and remanufacture of the phones. Unfortunately, the phones continued to explode, leading to a loss of customer trust and a 9 out of 10 fail rating.
The Amazon Fire Phone
The Amazon Fire Phone was a flop, with the phone failing to gain traction in the market. It was a costly mistake for Amazon, with the phone being discontinued after only a year.
The Samsung Galaxy Round
The Samsung Galaxy Round was an attempt by Samsung to create a curved-screen phone. Unfortunately, the phone failed to gain traction and was quickly discontinued.
The Freedom Phone
The Freedom Phone was a fraud perpetrated by the company Ringing Bells. The phone was advertised as being free, but the company was unable to deliver on its promise. This resulted in a loss of customer trust and a 10 out of 10 fail rating.