Awesome Phones

Veritasium explains how even a moderately skilled hacker can intercept and redirect a phone call or text message. But before that, you need to understand the history of phone networks and the flaws in their call-routing systems. It turns out that many calls are still routed using an antiquated system that dates back to the 1980s.

This whimsical charging pack from Trozk was designed to look like a retro brick-style cell phone straight from the 1980s. It packs a 20,000 mAh battery inside, offers PD3.1 fast charging via USB-C up to 140W, and can juice up three devices at once. Buy a pair and use them like walkie-talkies to chat with your pals.

The Edge Pro Core isn’t just a MagSafe iPhone mount and stand. It comes with a metal ring that lets you use it with practically any device, including Android phones. Grab a pair and you can mount or prop up a tablet. It measures just 0.1″ and can be folded for storage. It also pairs great with Rolling Square’s webcam light and wireless charger.

The Pixel 9, 9 Pro, 9 Pro XL, and 9 Pro Fold (a lot of pros here) are powered by the new Tensor G4 processor. They also have a new 48MP ultrawide camera, at least 12GB of RAM, and tons of AI photography features. The 9 Pro gets you the XL features but in the standard Pixel 9 size, while the 9 Pro Fold has a 6.8″ foldable inner display.

Like Crocs and cufflinks, flip phones are making a comeback. TCL’s Flip 3 is a nostalgic throwback to simpler times before smartphones, but with enough updates that Gen Z is here for it. Especially those on a tight budget with a desire to reduce screen time without giving up Bluetooth and video capability.

As one of its farcical efforts to prove their government’s awesomeness, North Korea has its “own” smartphones and cellular network. Half as Interesting takes a look at the Monty Python levels of inadequacy and surveillance in these devices and infrastructure. The upbeat music over all this brazen display of oppression makes the whole thing even more hilarious.

YouTuber bijru reminds us of the passage of time and just how influential the iPhone has been. Watch him take an entertaining look back at the crazy form factors of cellphones in the early to mid-2000s. There were lots of hinges, odd shapes, and janky attempts at features that we now take for granted, like gaming or simply web browsing.

Technology advances quickly, so the difference between today’s gadgets and those you could buy in the 1980s is dramatic. That said, the decade did give us early cell phones, portable tape players, VCRs, and personal computers. Twenty-something YouTuber Liam Thompson wanted to see what it would be like to live using only tech from the ’80s for a week.

After dropping iPhones into toilets and oceans, I’ve come to appreciate phones that don’t bankrupt me. The pre-paid TCL 40 XE 5G looks like a pricey smartphone and does a good job behaving like one too, but holey moley, the Android 13 phone is priced at $120, making it TCL’s most affordable 5G smartphone yet.

After realizing how much time he spends on his phone, JBV Creative was inspired to build an electro-mechanical artwork as a commentary on the distracted nature of today’s gadget-dependent society. The finished piece features a group of phone-holding figures that wobble along on a conveyor belt, smash into a wall, fall down, and do it all over again.

Keeping your phone dry during outdoor adventures — like kayaking, fishing, or reaching into a beer cooler — is easy with Chums’ Floating Phone Protectors. The detachable lanyard lets you carry it around your neck, and the bright colors make it easy to spot. Your phone slips inside where welded seams and a waterproof closure keeps it safe.

Given the environmental impact of making electronics, Apple wants to make more of its tech using recycled and recyclable components. Fully Charged Show host Robert Llewellyn toured an Apple facility to see its Daisy recycling robot. It can identify 23 different iPhone models and tear them apart to extract their materials.

An unnamed artist from China shows off a unique handmade phone case that’s so steampunk that its gears actually turn. It might not be the most practical design, but it sure looks awesome. We found a similar case you can actually purchase over on Etsy, or you could just glue some gears on your own and call it a day.

Remember when you were a kid and you pretended a banana was a telephone? Well, now you can talk to someone on the other end of the line thanks to the Banana Phone. This fruity accessory connects via Bluetooth, so you can make and receive calls on it. It doubles as a speaker, though bananas aren’t known for their acoustics.

Before cell phones, phone booths were the best way to get in touch when out and about. Enclosed for privacy, the confined glass spaces served as a useful prop for scenes of secrecy, suspense, revelation, and wonder in movies and TV. Little White Lies pays homage to the once-ubiquitous street fixture in this great video essay.

Frustrated with the hyperconnected world of smartphones, engineer Justine Haupt designed and built a custom cell phone that replaces the modern touchscreen with an old-fashioned rotary dial. She’s had so many requests from followers that she’s open-sourced the design and is offering a partial kit so you can build your own.