[renegadesensei]

I miss variety in smartphone design.

Everything looks the same these days. Samsung and Apple endlessly copy each other and virtually every smartphone has the same phablet aesthetic now. I miss the variety in shapes, sizes, physical keyboards, gaming features, operating systems, etc.

[highace]

I'm cheering for the Razer Phone 2.

It has no notch, it isn't obsessed with a high screen-to-body ratio. It isn't that thin or particularly light.

But it does have a 120hz screen that nobody else has, and once you see it with your own eyes you'll be wondering why other manufacturers aren't pushing for it too. It does have unashamedly large stereo speakers for market-leading volume and clarity. It does have a unique glowing logo on the back, just like the old Macbooks. And it also has a 4000mah battery that'll last the whole day easily.

If you want a phone that's trying to break the meta, this is it.

[wilsonnb3]

Eh my iPad Pro has a 120hz screen and I couldn’t care less. I notice no difference when using my phones 60hz screen.

[appleiigs]

How's the build quality tho? Razer keyboards and mice I have bought were trash.

[forsakenkraken]

This ++, I massively miss my Nokia E71, there's been no decent replacement for it. Ok maybe the n900. But since then they're all the largely the same.

[tk75x]

The Nokia E71 was almost the perfect phone. Sturdy, offline GPS capability, dual SIM variant, comfortable hardware keyboard. The only thing holding it back was the OS and app ecosystem.

[larkeith]

While the variety was nice, I think the phablet aesthetic is most popular for good reason - the sheer amount of screen real-estate and convenience is really unparalleled.

What I could see in the future is built-in ways to expand functionality without loss of the current usability - imagine a phone with the ability to project images and a keyboard on a table, and recognize keystrokes, while still being just as good of a handheld device.

[lloyd-christmas]

> the sheer amount of screen real-estate and convenience is really unparalleled.

Personally, that's my exact complaint. I miss smart phones I could operate with one hand without straining my thumb to reach the opposite corner. I want a quality smart phone with a screen size ~4.5". I don't really want a screen larger than that. It would be nice if the big brands made a small version instead of a "normal" and "XL". The iPhone homepage currently has the motto "Welcome to the big screens". If I wanted a tablet, I'd buy a tablet.

[CosmicShadow]

I agree, I own a BlackBerry Passport which my wife just stopped using and every time I touch it I fall back in love with the design, it's just so damn cool, I wish more phones were weird and comfortable like that. I had a Priv, which was a bit different, but now that I have an S9+ I see every 2nd person with the same fucking phone I have, when before I was so much more unique and different.

[walterbell]

Blackberry KEY2 has a good design and gets monthly security updates, https://crackberry.com/blackberry-key2-review

[smcl]

I'm sure this will change - someone will come out with a phone that is weird and wonderful in a way that captures the imagination and we'll start to see the roundrect as uncool and ugly. I am the same as you - while I appreciate the engineering that goes into these amazing devices, the way we've just settled for a while on one boring style is pretty lame.

[Cthulhu_]

There's some attempts, but it's gimmicky - more cameras, foldable phones, etc. Nothing that really causes a revolution.

Oh, indentations like Apple did for the iphone x are apparently a design element now. :/