Android's 5 worst phones — total flops
Smartphones have changed everyday life by providing instant access to communication and information. However, even in a rapidly developing industry, there have been models that have gone down in history as technical and commercial flops.
SlashGear writes about it.
Samsung Galaxy Note 7
Despite the overall success of the Galaxy line, the Galaxy Note 7 is remembered for its battery fires.
In 2016, reports of exploding devices spread around the world, and although Samsung promptly recalled the series, the reputational losses were fatal: multibillion-dollar losses and a forever-damaged image of the model.
HTC First
HTC First was launched in 2013 as a "Facebook phone".
The company integrated the Facebook Home shell directly into the home screen, but the average specifications and intrusive social network scared off buyers. The project was launched late and quickly disappeared from the shelves.
Amazon Fire Phone
The internet giant tried to conquer the mobile world with the Amazon Fire Phone in 2014.
The device was priced like flagships, but offered a closed Fire OS ecosystem with a limited Amazon Appstore. The attractive features were not enough to justify the high price, and the model was on sale for less than a year.
BlackBerry Storm
BlackBerry developers responded quickly to the iPhone and introduced the BlackBerry Storm in 2008, the brand's first touchscreen device.
An underdeveloped screen with inaccurate touches and "raw" software ruined the user experience. The company lost its chance to catch up with competitors, and the Storm itself became a symbol of BlackBerry's downfall.
Kyocera Echo
Kyocera's experiment with the Echo dual display in 2011 proved to be premature.
Android didn't support two screens at the time, the battery was sorely lacking, and the noticeable strip between the displays spoiled the image. The innovative concept didn't have time to mature and remained just a curiosity on the market.
As a reminder, manufacturers of flagship smartphones strive to impress users with new features every year, but not all of these innovations are really useful. They often serve more to create a marketing effect than to improve everyday use.
We also wrote that the Galaxy S25 Edge has already appeared in some markets, but the demand for it has not yet met expectations. Samsung's history is full of examples of ambitious models flopping due to questionable engineering decisions or strategy mistakes.