Top 7 strange technologies for smartphones: from retractable cameras to DIY (video)

Among the strangest smartphones and experiments with latest gadgets — models from Google, Facebook, LG, Motorola.

The smartphone market has become a “testing ground” for some of the strangest technologies on the planet. Tech Radar writes about the innovations smartphones once received.

Facebook Phone, created by HTC for Facebook in the years before the Meta, not only brought the social network to the forefront of the phone, but also made it home screen Facebook Home was decorated with message elements and constantly downloaded updates and photos from friends. However, it soon became clear that no one needed Facebook. Few people remember Facebook Phone.

The OnePlus 7 Pro had a 16- megapixel retractable selfie camera lens. If the phone was dropped, the camera was automatically retracted into the case. But OnePlus quickly abandoned this. OnePlus also implemented a photochromic filter (along with other filters) in its flagship OnePlus 8 Pro.

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It could be used to see through some types of plastic, turning it into a pocket x-ray machine. However, the feature was too weird and the company disabled the filter.

LG previously released the Wing. It looked like a regular 5G smartphone, but the top screen rotated 90 degrees to reveal a “half” second display right below it. This action turned the phone into a kind of cross. Google offered users to assemble the phone independently from various parts.

Motorola tried to do the same with modular Moto smartphones, which allowed for snap-on backs, better cameras, giant speakers, and more. But they were not popular.

The Essential Phone tried to do the same, but with smaller modular additions like a 360-degree camera. The problem was that most consumers don't buy separate 360-degree cameras.