20 Forgotten Smartphone Innovations That Disappeared as Quickly as They Arrived

Home Technology 20 Forgotten Smartphone Innovations That Disappeared as Quickly as They Arrived

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By Joe Burgett - June 16, 2025

The relentless pursuit of innovation in the smartphone world has sparked a constant stream of new features and bold ideas. Every year, manufacturers unveil technologies designed to revolutionize our digital lives—some capturing the imagination of millions, while others quietly slip into obscurity. What once seemed destined to become standard often vanishes as quickly as it arrived, leaving only a trace in tech history. In this article, we’ll revisit 20 intriguing smartphone innovations that once promised to reshape our devices, but ultimately disappeared from the mainstream “almost” overnight.

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1. Modular Phones

20 Forgotten Smartphone Innovations That Disappeared as Quickly as They Arrived — [Image via The Verge]

The prospect of modular smartphones once generated enormous excitement. Concepts like Google’s Project Ara promised users the ability to swap out components, such as cameras, batteries, or speakers, to tailor their devices to their specific needs. However, technical hurdles and a lack of widespread support doomed these efforts. Project Ara was ultimately canceled before reaching consumers, and other modular attempts, like the LG G5, failed to gain traction. Despite initial hype, the dream of truly customizable phones quickly faded into tech obscurity. However, customizable phones are still a dream.

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2. 3D Displays

For a brief moment, 3D displays promised to transform how we viewed content on our phones. Devices like the HTC Evo 3D and LG Optimus 3D offered glasses-free 3D visuals, aiming to bring a new dimension to handheld entertainment. However, the novelty wore off quickly as users faced eye strain and a lack of compelling 3D content. Manufacturers soon abandoned 3D screens, leaving this innovation as a short-lived curiosity.

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3. Physical Keyboards

For years, physical keyboards were synonymous with productivity, especially on devices like BlackBerry and early Android smartphones. Tactile keys provided speed, accuracy, and a satisfying typing experience that many professionals swore by. However, as touchscreen technology evolved and virtual keyboards became more efficient, demand for physical keys plummeted. The decline of BlackBerry, once a giant in the mobile world, symbolized this shift (sorry, President Obama). Touchscreens ultimately rendered physical keyboards obsolete, marking the end of a memorable chapter in smartphone history.

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4. Curved Phones

When curved phones such as the LG G Flex and Samsung Galaxy Round debuted, they promised improved ergonomics and enhanced durability. The gentle curve was touted as more comfortable for calls and resistant to bending. Despite these claims, real-world benefits proved minimal, and the design failed to resonate with most users.

A similar approach was attempted with televisions, as curved TVs were expected to be revolutionary. However, the idea, while nice, never really offered anything significant. Therefore, it is understandable that this feature did not persist in phones. Flat phones soon returned as the industry standard, leaving curved phones as a brief, experimental detour in the history of smartphone design.

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5. Removable Batteries

There was a time when removable batteries were a beloved feature, letting users swap out depleted batteries for fresh ones on the go. This offered convenience, especially for power users and travelers. However, as phone designs became slimmer and water resistance became a priority, removable batteries started to disappear. Today’s flagship smartphones almost universally use sealed battery designs, making quick swaps impossible. Battery replacements are now a distant memory for most users, especially since batteries have been designed to last longer, and new chargers have been developed to charge phones faster than ever.

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6. FM Radio Tuners

Once a staple in many early smartphones, FM radio tuners allowed users to tune into local broadcasts without using mobile data. This feature was especially valued in areas with limited connectivity. However, as streaming apps gained traction and manufacturers sought to cut costs, FM radios gradually disappeared from most devices. Listening to live radio on your phone now often requires a data connection.

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7. Pop-Up Cameras

For a short period, pop-up selfie cameras, such as those on the OnePlus 7 Pro and Vivo Nex, captured attention by eliminating display notches for a seamless screen. The engineering was impressive and felt futuristic. Yet, worries about long-term durability, dust, and water resistance quickly surfaced. The mechanical parts were vulnerable to wear and potential damage. With the rise of hole-punch and under-display cameras, pop-up cameras faded away, remembered as a clever but short-lived experiment.

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8. Built-in Projectors

The concept of built-in projectors, showcased by devices like Samsung’s Galaxy Beam, promised a new way to share presentations, videos, and photos anywhere. It sounded revolutionary for work and play. However, the excitement was short-lived. These projectors suffered from limited brightness and rapidly drained battery life, making them impractical for everyday use. This innovative feature soon disappeared, leaving only a faint glow in tech history.

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9. Pressure-Sensitive Displays

When Apple introduced 3D Touch and Huawei followed with Force Touch, these pressure-sensitive displays promised to revolutionize how we interact with our phones. By sensing varying levels of pressure, users could access quick actions and hidden menus. Despite the innovation, most users found pressure gestures unintuitive and difficult to discover. Software support from app developers was also limited. Apple and others eventually phased out these features, returning to standard touchscreens.

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10. Infrared Blasters

For a while, infrared (IR) blasters enabled smartphones to function as universal remotes, allowing users to control TVs, air conditioners, and other appliances. Samsung, HTC, and other brands included this handy feature, making it easy to manage home electronics. Yet as devices became slimmer and smart home technology evolved, manufacturers quietly dropped IR blasters from new models. Connected home gadgets and streamlined phone designs ultimately made this once-popular feature obsolete.

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11. Dual-Screen Phones

Some manufacturers sought to push multitasking to new heights with dual-screen phones, such as the YotaPhone and ZTE Axon M. These devices offered unique features, including an always-on e-ink screen for reading and a second display for enhanced productivity. Despite the potential, high costs, software glitches, and a lack of compelling use cases, this limited their appeal. Dual-screen phones were quickly discontinued, leaving the concept for future foldable and flexible display innovations to refine.

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12. Slide-Out Gaming Controls

The Sony Ericsson Xperia Play and similar smartphones brought built-in, slide-out gamepads to mobile gaming enthusiasts, aiming to deliver a true console-like experience on the go. However, as touchscreen controls evolved and Bluetooth accessories gained popularity, the need for integrated hardware diminished. Dedicated gaming controls, once a staple of mainstream phones, have quietly disappeared, remembered fondly by a niche group of retro gaming fans.

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13. Mobile TV Tuners

In select markets, mobile TV tuners were built into handsets, allowing users to watch free-to-air broadcasts without using data. This seemed like a game-changer for live events and news while on the go. However, with coverage gaps, shifting viewing habits, and the explosive growth of mobile streaming apps, demand quickly dried up. Not to mention the rise of social media keeping people updated on news. Mobile TV tuners quietly disappeared, making way for the streaming era.

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14. Sapphire Crystal Displays

The promise of sapphire crystal displays was hard to ignore—these ultra-tough screens, as seen on the Kyocera Brigadier, offered remarkable scratch resistance and durability. However, the technology’s high cost and significant manufacturing challenges kept it from becoming the industry standard. Most smartphone makers opted to stick with strengthened glass, such as Gorilla Glass, leaving sapphire displays as a rare, premium experiment in smartphone history.

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15. Rear Touch Controls

Devices such as the Oppo N1 experimented with touch-sensitive rear panels, allowing users to scroll or trigger shortcuts from the back of the phone. While innovative, this feature often felt awkward and unintuitive, with most users sticking to the familiar front touchscreen controls. Rear touch controls soon vanished from the market, remembered as an interesting but ultimately impractical experiment.

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16. Rotating Cameras

Rotating camera modules, featured on phones like the Oppo N1 and Asus Zenfone 6, offered a clever solution for capturing high-quality selfies using the main camera sensor. While the innovation delivered crisp front-facing photos, moving parts inevitably led to durability concerns and potential mechanical failures over time. Punch-hole and under-display cameras soon became preferred alternatives, phasing out the rotating camera design.

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17. Built-in Stylus (Non-Galaxy Note)

Outside of Samsung’s successful Galaxy Note series, built-in styluses struggled to find an audience. Phones like the LG Stylo and HTC Flyer offered stylus input but never achieved mainstream popularity. As displays grew larger and finger-based touch controls improved, the need for a dedicated stylus faded for most users. Stylus-equipped phones—except the Note—quickly became a niche relic in smartphone evolution.

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18. Dual Front Speakers

Front-facing stereo speakers, especially those popularized by HTC BoomSound, once delivered impressively immersive audio right from your smartphone. These speakers were a favorite among music lovers and mobile gamers, offering clear and direct sound. However, as screens expanded and bezels shrank—and with the push for better waterproofing—manufacturers shifted back to single or downward-firing speakers. Dual front speakers are now a rare find on modern devices.

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19. Removable Memory Card Slots in Flagships

Once a beloved feature, removable memory card slots enabled users to easily expand their phone’s storage with microSD cards. Flagship models, including Samsung’s Galaxy S series, have mostly abandoned this option in pursuit of sleeker designs and improved performance. Cloud storage and larger internal drives now fill the gap, but many still miss the flexibility of expandable memory.

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20. Notification LEDs

Once a staple on many smartphones, notification LEDs provided a simple, colorful way to see alerts at a glance—no screen wake required. As always-on displays and detailed notification previews became standard, the usefulness of dedicated LEDs diminished. Notification LEDs are now mostly found on budget devices, quietly blinking away into a state of tech nostalgia.

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Smartphone Devolving Movement

The rapid evolution of smartphones drives both remarkable breakthroughs and short-lived trends. As we’ve seen with these 20 forgotten innovations, the industry constantly experiments—sometimes boldly, sometimes whimsically—to discover what truly resonates with users. While many features vanish as quickly as they appear, each one shapes the path forward, reflecting shifting demands and technological possibilities.

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