When Phones Were Fun: Samsung's Forgotten RAZR Rival

[@majtechtings]

So stoked that during a week infested with apple vision pro reviews? Michael decides to bring back when phones were fun. Soooo refreshing.

[@jijokoshyksjijo3989]

true that❤

[@AidanTheCross]

Agreed.

[@thesparingdonkey30]

Holds true to what he has decidedly set out to do more of this year (and last year). Refreshing indeed.

[@Matanumi]

Funny because these of phones are arguably more useful than the Vision Pro is now

[@kopkiwi08]

Dudes hands down the best tech reviewer on the Tube.

[@rxpt0rs]

Glad to see another episode in the series! Some of my favorite videos on the channel!

[@TheMrMobile]

Some of my favorite to make, as well! Thanks for watching.

[@ArthurZakaryan23]

It's crazy how far ahead flip phones were in Japan. I purchased a few Sanyo and Toshiba phones from the early to mid 2000s and they were watching live TV and doing video calls long before FaceTime was a thing. The Sanyo Katana was a Japan model remade for the US market, I had that too through Sprint.

[@Matanumi]

Japan's just far ahead period..... But also that means that love and romance is more messed up there then it is here (but the west is catching up)

[@Kromiball]

Japan really has tomorrow's mind in yesterday's clothing

[@AdamJRichardson]

In this same period Best Buy had some "secret" non-Best Buy branded niche stores, including some that sold almost exclusively unlocked Japanese market phones. I don't recall the name of them now - they were an experiment. I visited one in Chicago and the stuff they had was way more advanced than what we could get in the US at the time (pre iPhone)

[@q_2676]

I remember my classmate in high school had a pink vodafone flip phone from japan. that was 2006 and her phone can do video calls(but too expensive in the philippines at that time) and has built in tv app that she configured to local channels in the philippines. The screen also swivels to its back for easier viewing when watching the tv and videos.

[@michaelmayers3622]

Key word was

[@MaglevM5]

Man I became emotional and shed a tear in nostalgia of the 2000s - seeing the pictures that Michael shared. I have some VGA to 1MP pics of my own and my life, somewhere in my external hard drive from my college days. When cameras spun, ringtones rocked, and phones were fun. 💯 Thanks for the refreshing nostalgia, Michael!

[@fosibro4951]

I was -5 years old in 2000 😭😭

[@nickduplooy8845]

I'd move them somewhere safe, if I were you. Personally, all the pictures I ever took are backed up on the cloud as well as solid state drives. Those shitty pics are irreplaceable

[@MaglevM5]

@nickduplooy8845 Yeah, I know man. Just been very lazy.. although it's important and worth the time. Given how timeless the pictures are.

[@user-ks4eh4je8h]

Id like to imagine that being in your 20s during the noughties was a much more enjoyable experience than in the 2020s

[@chrisgoat6435]

Time to put them on Mdiscs instead of risking them being gone from some hd.

[@HumbertoSaabedra]

I sold these at a Sprint Radio Shack Kiosk in the mid-2000s after my attempted career in motorsport flamed out. I sold through them quickly when I showed off the rotating camera and upsold quite a few Power Vision plans for unlimited picture messaging. I had a Samsung A920 for an employee phone and (ab)used the built-in tethering for my nascent mobile and tech blogging career. Thanks for bringing fond memories flooding back.

[@jakevance27]

This is one of the best series of videos on KZbin, and one of the few things I always stop everything to watch immediately.

[@mrniceone17]

The 2000s song references just hits homerun! ❤❤❤

[@josephtafur]

7:46 you know this was taken in 2006 when Waldenbooks was still in business

[@zubayerhossain3755]

When cameras spun, ringtones rocked, and phones were fun :") :") :") I'm choking in tears right now out of sheer nostalgia, everything had such distinct personalities and design, and you'd look forward to what new and different thing you'd experience... And all those photos took me to a time that I'd experienced as a kid, always yearning for it, but would never be able to experience as a young adult. I really wish I could experience a time as an adult in the 2000s or 2010, when things were simpler...

[@mstolfe13]

I can’t believe you made this video … I LOVED my a900! It was my last non-smart phone too. Had it through most of high school before the BB pearl and man, that flip camera was COOL. I could download! Apps! I could browse! The internet! The front screen was color! Not to mention a genuinely good build quality. Thanks so much for highlighting a truly excellent mid-00s phone.

[@TweakFreakNL]

Hands down that the "When phones were fun" saga is enjoyable and entertaining to watch. I know that it takes quite some time to make a video, but I'd love to see Michael doing deep dives of the phones that changed the way we use them and/or had special features that were unusual for that time period, but are normal now. And it also shows us that back then, every company used proprietary connections, whereas now, we can use USB-C most of the time. Same goes for the LGR Oddware saga (among his other things). It shows us, how daring some of the companies / models were back in the day. And that how much it has changed in almost 20 years later. 20 years ago, you'd had a phone that could only call and text and if you'd be very lucky, it had a camera and some multimedia things too. But most of the people had a phone just to call, a camera to take pictures, a camcorder (with tapes and later SD cards) to record videos and a music player, to play music. And now, we have a complete powerhouse inside our pockets that can handle all of those things in one device. Heck, you can even program the ECU of a car through your smartphone now too! When it comes to physical media buttons, the Nokia N95 pops up in my head (and also has been in one of the previous episodes). Michael, don't ever change your format and how you present it. You're one of the few genuine creators, that let us remind how much we've grown into using our phones for everything and how different phones were back then (since a lot of the old phones ends up either on a scrap yard or donations). And not to forget, you're learning the new kids about how tech was back then. P.S. My very first "smartphone", was the LG KU990i Viewty and I had that phone 14 years ago.

[@UnknownName5050]

“I don’t remember this video” *posted 14 minutes ago* Oh yeah that’s why

[@brickman409]

this was funny and weirdly relatable

[@UnknownName5050]

@@brickman409 we're all in a the loop hoping the algo spits out something good lol

[@smsmuadmoulana]

​@@UnknownName5050 this is sooooo true.

[@thedarkknight1971]

Although a DIE HARD Nokia fan (owning 40+ different models) I DO REMEMBER the days I had the chance to use the great Samsung SGH-D600 & SGH-D900 slider phones! They were little powerhouses!, the the D900 was designed to be slimmer, the main fault was the bar at the bottom edge of the keyboard that hampered typing a little... 😎🇬🇧

[@ChristianShaw1989]

I kinda wish we had physical media buttons again. Not that we need them, but they are fun

[@Wimmle]

Get a Zippo lighter or a nice Opinel pocket knife I'm with you I'm missing the tactile feeling of stuff

[@Sonic6293]

I use an app on Android called Button Mapper that allows me to use my volume buttons for media controls. You can configure a double press or a long press for extra actions such as launching apps, keypresses, media controls and more.

[@Danominator]

Yes we DO need media buttons. A lot of the stuff I have has shortcuts based on holding down the volume buttons for skipping tracks, but it's really not the same.

[@ricardoi.3275]

It's a missed opportunity for HMD/Nokia: Bring back the good old Xpress Music phones on Android with color stripes and music buttons.

[@accidentalpatient4152]

​@@Sonic6293that's just so finicky though, more finicky than things used to be

[@cefre00]

There was another KZbinr, reviewing, or rather remembering older phones, but he stopped doing videos. I am just very thankful for your dedication to the topic, my favorite KZbin series. :) I have a drawer full of old and not so old Nokia and Lumia devices, so I can really appreciate the effort here. Btw, maybe a tribute video now that Nokia Mobile is done for good? ;)

[@chitrangdamehra8222]

This is literally my comfort series to watch. I actually spent my entire weekend binge watching all the episodes again on a loop.

[@Danominator]

Glad to see you're hopping back into your new plan of variety this year by bringing this series back. I think it will pay off for you in the long run as it seems you really enjoyed making one of these again!

[@NevaehBeatez]

Those photos, despite being yours, bring back so much nostalgia for my youth. 2006 wasn't the greatest time in my life but boy do I miss the simplicity and innocence

[@sedated2000]

What surprises me the most is that you kept the photos that didn't even remotely turn out well. I don't keep those for 3 seconds, let alone 18 years. I'm impressed.

[@rocketRide007]

The pictures you showed from this phone made me really sad than it should have. So nostalgic. Majestic.

[@MaglevM5]

Same here. I became emotional and it reminded me of how much fun the 2000s (technically the 90s were the most fun, but the 2000s were pretty good too) were when we were not slaves of our current "smartphones".

[@zubayerhossain3755]

Bro, tell me about it! They've made me yearn for a time I remember fondly and vividly, but didn't experience as an adult. A time when we weren't rules by smartphones or algorithms...

[@Itomdajey]

I loved this phone! The camera, playing music while it was closed, the style.

[@michaelgrayson409]

Instantly clicked. This was the phone that got me through undergrad.

[@mehedihassanshishir5615]

it reminds me the good old days when that one relative who owned a Nokia device and it was used as the main source capturing moments and picture like these actually was awesome

[@selfishbirch]

I'm younger than Michael and this phone and tech era felt like it's developing with me. I learned how to multiply - phones got color screens, I've lost my baby teeth - phones got cameras, I've acquired boobs - phones got bluetooth, understood eggplant - phones have touchscreens now, got my heart borken for the first time - phones have memory slots, my first kiss - phones are smart now. This neverending development, underdelivery, flashiness, specialness. As a tech girl then and tech woman now, I feel connection to these devices. There was never such thing as "let me look at your phone. may i browse music? send me this funny pic" again, but in this era. Thanks for bringing it again

[@AndrewJVN]

I had the a900 when I was in NYC. Most ppl I worked with had even more basic phones at the time and I was one of the coolest ppl around that had a phone that could play music. I racked up a horrendous bill from sprint due to the mentioned overpriced song cost in the store, but loved that phone for its place in time. Keep up the great work with this series and making this old man feel young again.

[@skyMcWeeds]

I love these when phones were fun series. Its like taking a time machine and going back to when things were simpler and not so complicated. Sure there were tons of downsides to these phones but they were high tech back in the day. Makes us appreciate what tech we have now and how far we have come. I still have my ol' Razr its one beautiful phone and I use it to disconnect from the hurly burly of our busy online lives.

[@kcnairnair7299]

This is ONE reason why I stay hooked to this channel.

[@iMestie]

I love your "When Phones Were Fun" videos! Please, never stop making them!

[@MrSincerity88]

Possibly one of the most original series on TechTube. I love it. Thank you

[@186gravity]

it's always nostalgic whenever you have episodes like this in your channel, Michael. Love this one :)

[@CarpeNoctum95]

Michael, you need to make a whole sub series of 'When Phones Were Fun', featuring the Nokia 'N' series phones. So many cool phones from back in the day.

[@ujaku_]

My favorite MrMobile content are these time machine pieces. Cheers, Michael! Pure nostalgia for me, I loved this phone. I still remember having the opening sequence of Radiohead's Myxomatosis as my ringtone on this device.

[@DarkFiber23]

I can't wait to see a video on the Samsung Alias 2. At the time, the e-ink keys felt light-years ahead of the competition and truly like the ultimate evolution of the dumb-phone, flip-phone concept. I was blown away by it. Funnily enough, I still feel this way.

[@DanielleWhite]

6:50 - I know that patio! A few weeks ago my girlfriend and I went to the bookstore around the corner from the and ended up having lunch at the Tex-Mex place that occupies location today. I totally missed this phone at the time and exactly for the reasons you said - Sprint really didn't offer great coverage in the part of Pennsylvania and then North Carolina where I lived for those years.

[@Scientist_Salarian]

Best series on KZbin, no question! It’s funny how many vivid memories are tied to my pre-smartphone cellphones. Those pictures, man… I had so many just like them. Back when life was simple and fun. I’d love to see a deep dive into the Samsung Juke sometime. Keep it up!

[@matteusunderpressure7835]

My getaway from Apple Vision Pro.. I am a huge Apple fan, but it's just so much! Love Michael's Nostalgia Vibe!

[@papibakalov]

I've said it before and I'll say it again: you are my favourite KZbinr when it comes to tech and "When Phone Were Fun" is my favourite segment. Suggestion (because I don't remember if you ever reviewed it, I think you didn't) - could you make a video of the Nokia 8800 and its derivatives? It is still to this day one of my favourite designs from that era, I just could never afford it! Great stuff as always!

[@SmudgyRules]

I always catch myself watching most of these with the dumbest smile of nostalgia on my face.

[@GautamKeishamisdead]

Phones have changed a lot in a very short time. I still remember oogling over the v3i at its launch and the satisfaction I got when I finally got the device after about 4 years. Even after 4 years of its launch, it was as suave as the time it launced.

[@jerkytoo8184]

That was an exciting era for mobile phones and this throwback series brings back a lot of memories. Sometimes the changes were incremental, but sometimes they were made a big splash. The Razr made a big splash, as the iPhone would do a few years later, and took more of the attention even when better phones came out later, again as the iPhone would do later.

[@Incognito980]

The specific Razr imitator that I had was the Sanyo Katana. I felt so lame having it while my friends had the Razr. But now I appreciate what Sanyo did. And it was pink ❤️. I love your channel and seeing a community that loves these devices. I hope they come back.

[@HowManyPoco]

I'd been eagerly awaiting a new episode for a while, and it's finally here! Thank you for continuing to make these videos MrMobile, they're always so fun to watch, as well as informative. Can't wait for the next one!

[@dparke70]

This was my first phone senior year of high school. This really brought back memories thanks man.

[@Thisath100]

Such a good video! If you never want to review modern phones again, and just want to focus on these videos every so often, I'm right here for it. You are a master of this craft.

[@Willy.Whispers]

Man, you just reminded me Ive still got photos on a memory card from 21st birthday, taken on a Nokia 6600!

[@ozonenightmare]

I remember this phone VERY fondly. They should have kept the "Blade" name, which would have suited this gorgeously sleek flipper. The mid placed swivel camera was awesome, and the UI touches you mentioned were fantastic. I loved this phone so much I held onto it until I basically had to upgrade because I'd driven it into the ground. I vividly remember it as a phone that felt fantastic to physically hold and enjoy as a well designed piece of hardware. Great video that brought back a lot of fond memories.

[@joweeholmes]

This was my first contract phone and I was ABSOLUTELY in love with it! I remembering buy The Cable Guy movie from the store and my friends were so jealous that I could watch movies on it! What a time to be alive!

[@freshvintage]

Thanks for the trip down the mid-2000's memory lane! The look and feel of your old photos really took me down the nostalgia memory lane 💯

[@OmegaSoypreme]

Bro, why you gotta remind me that 2006 was 18 years ago? I just turned 38 last week, so that hits particularly hard right now! 😅

[@zogiamasula5354]

I absolutely LOVE Mr. Mobile’s dedication to retro tech preservation 🥰🥰

[@ericbazinga]

So glad to see this series return. I've had this festering nostalgia towards the 2000s lately, and I'm not really sure why (probably just general disassociation with internet culture nowadays and feeling like I don't fit in, that and I grew up in the 2000s), and this video definitely scratched that itch for now. Hope to see more soon!

[@infj2177]

Love the series. Michael, you should make a video about on orthodox Nokia asymmetrical phones that were a fashion statement and yet nobody copied, like 7610, 7260, 7270, 7280.

[@DJ_Darkstar]

This made me go back into the Wayback Machine to look up first brand new phone I ever bought that advertised itself as the world's thinnest phone over the Motorola Razr and the Kitana... June 20,2007 (according to my blog entry) I bought the Samsung M610, similar to the m900 but Nick thinner and lighter. It was plastic, no media controls on the face, had an amazing screen I watched Sprint TV on , played some pretty high res games on was fast enough to also use as a hotspot for my Dell Axim Pocket PC. The rotating 2mp camera was just great to have and it really was record-breaking for how ridiculously thin it was... Until 3 months later when the Razr 2 came out.

[@Johnny_Socko]

Samsung M610 was my last and best "dumbphone"! I specifically sought it out after reading reviews stating how thin it was. And luckily, I was already on Sprint. Like all Samsungs of the era, it was extremely well-made.

[@DJ_Darkstar]

@@Johnny_Socko mine too! After that it was the m800 Samsung Instinct ... They advertised it as an iPhone killer... But it wasn't Android. After that I went HTC and got the Evo 4G.

[@abthewatcher04]

These videos still bring such a large wave of happiness and nostalgia even though I was wayyy too young when these phones were launched. Though still remember my mom's nokia phones and a simpler time when phones.......were fun!

[@yotoffotographer]

Reminds me of my fabulous Z540, with its Batman-y design, which was the primary reason I persuaded the phone shop to call me if they ever decided to get rid of it by cutting the price by at least a half. It was their last piece and it was just at that ridge of space and time when flip phones went nearly extinct. Amazingly, the shop did cut the price two weeks later and even more amazingly, they did call me, even though I knew no one there and it had been the first time I stepped onto their premises. The Z540 is still right up there on my shelf.

[@cnovalles73]

This is my favorite series on this channel for all the nostalgia and great storytelling and this is now my favorite episode in said series. I had the A900 and remember loving it! It was all the things this video described and did it all really well. The pics you posted only fueled the nostalgia and hit me, right in the feels. Great video!! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@M.L.Shaw.]

This is my favorite series in the tech space.

[@yogiepermana2623]

Aaaahhh, how good it was to capture the young version of you michael...😃

[@archwayportraits]

The a900 was my last traditional flip phone as well, and I still have it in a box somewhere! Loved this phone!

[@viralvideosunplugged]

Man i was wondering this series has finished. Thank you it's back

[@P4C800d]

Loved this! In Europe we had the SGH-Z510 (Z was Samsung's UMTS line at the time), but the real RAZR rival was the later Z620, truly a slim and powerful phone!

[@UniverseSalvation]

I didn't expect to be greeted by a Battlestar Galactica quote in a Mr. Mobile video! Always going the extra mile with top of the line production values!

[@subhaa_]

It always takes me to my childhood nostalgia backyard watching "when phones were fun"

[@derbagger22]

My obsession was not with phones at the time. I used phones to call and text. But I also had a first-generation video ipod. You should talk more about the 2G and 3G wireless cards for your computer. I drive for a living and I had my laptop with me all the time.

[@MHPersonal]

That was an incredible script, what a closing statement too!

[@BrianChristopherFranco]

I actually still have my A900 (Blade) and yes! It still turns on! I won't lie, all the sounds and menus really took me back... Every last one of them! It really was a great phone and I always turned the heads of razor owners! The flippy camera, the media buttons, the dual speakers, etc. Thanx for reminding me how great this phone was!

[@zubayerhossain3755]

A video that genuinely has made me stop and reflect so much, and take it all in. Incredible scripting and writing. A fresh air from all the other trendy topics flooding KZbin.

[@xliquidflames]

I had one of these! I was a sales rep in a RadioShack and bought the first one we got in stock. I loved my Blade. It was so cool back then. It was a head turner back then. People always asked me about it because the music controls and swivel camera kind of stuck out. They thought it was a new RAZR. Hearing those notification sounds again gave me chills. lol

[@mattl2481]

Whoa! I saw the Naro cinema on Colley picture and was shocked my town was graced with your presence, then your additional Norfolk pics confirmed it! You’re doing great work here! Keep it up!

[@nisrandom1014]

Oh my god Micheal! I love this series of videos. So calming and nostalgic.❤❤

[@arkangel6281]

Finally, this series is back!! It's so refreshing to see something else than the usual iPhone 15 Pro and Samsung galaxy S24 ultra reviews and comparisons!

[@bsoder13]

I worked at Sprint from 2005-2009! The nostalgia from this video was crazy good! I still own the A900 and it is a museum piece of tech. Loved this phone so much, thank you for the trip back to the future!

[@isaac_637]

I worked at Sprint when this phone was released and quantity was limited. Our manager wouldn’t let us upgrade anyone’s phone to this phone. You had to be a new customer or get a new line for current customers. Hated doing that because customers would want to upgrade and we “didn’t have the phone” but I’ll open a new line and suddenly “we got one in stock” 😒 I left the company around that time for those reasons. I started when it was Nextel and loved that company.

[@jakuburban6921]

Can't belive that Clicks has been in our sights half a year ago

[@SilverHairedEnby]

I was genuinely searching up info on this phone when i learned that this nickname was a thing, so i thank you for this video. Makes sense that it ultimately was only ever a nickname.

[@MrBaskins2010]

recently had a coworker talk about the blade for 10mins and i looked at them as if they had three heads lol. thank you for this blast from a past I was a part of but totally missed.

[@johnrivera2467]

I watched this excellent video with a lot of nostalgia as I bought the A900 at launch and actually still have it. I was just looking at it a few days ago and then I come across this video.

[@carolovo]

Right now, i’m patiently waiting for my Clicks for iPhone. And my phone will be fun again. Thank you, Michael, for keeping the flame burning. We love tech.

[@VernJ-ry3ec]

Came to this video this video from the Sanyo one when dude startred talking about Razr clones and remembered I had this phone. Yes, even down to the Sprint logo. He said it was his last dumb phone that was his daily driver and realized it was the same for me too when he said that. I used this phone from mid/late 2006ish, maybe early 2007 to around 2008/early 2009. I was given a palm treo 700w which I started using then maybe 2/3 months later I bought a blackberry 9630 and dailyed that for 3 years until 2012. The Palm and Blackberry were smart phones in a sense but not what we think in terms of modern smartphones. In 2012 I bought my first, what we would call modern smart phone, galaxy s3. Man, this video bought back me back. Loved that phone.

[@vanielthefirst]

been DYING for another video in this series!!

[@markfacebook]

I remember around 07-09 having a Sanyo Katana LX on my family's sprint plan. So mad that it didnt allow for music playback, but I still loved that phone.

[@Rose_19911]

only just discovered this page, it’s just brilliant - thank you

[@JDelta87]

I remember having this phone (still do in a box somewhere) when I was on Sprint. It was durable and my favorite feature phone. This video takes me down memory lane for sure.

[@mobilephonesandtech]

Beautiful and impressive phone of the time. Especially love the UI design of the Sprint phones of 2005-2007.

[@juliancanalesphoto]

I'm so happy this series is back, and because of you also starting off with Sprint as your wireless carrier way back when, I feel like we share a sense of nostalgia together when you do these reviews! Great work as always

[@Ram_Bri]

Just started watching and I’m so glad you’re still adding videos to this series. Keep going Mr. Mobile. The Nextel one hit home. Thank you 🙏

[@hp6r]

Wow, even for 2006, the picture quality was really foldable level, lol. I do remember 2005's K750i and Nokia 6630 being miles better but much thicker too 😅

[@lucianrajah]

Very happy this segment is back :)

[@belltolls1984]

I used a Samsung Convoy for years until finally switching to an an iPhone 4S; I plugged it in yesterday and it still works.

[@Sb129]

I remember this one, that outside was distinct enough for me to immediately remember it on sight.

[@fakkerdakker]

I have to say, that my favorite phone during those days was the MotoMing A1200. Absolutely loved that phone.

[@DannysVids444]

Those phones bring back memories. Nostalgic 😢

[@lannynavitka8949]

I had that phone in 2006 and I took it with me around the world. It was the best phone on any continent.

[@seeranos]

Samsung had the coolest phone ive ever used in 2007 with the U740 Alias. I loved that thing. If I hadn't gotten a Droid by the time the Alias 2 came out, I would have definitely held on to that thing until today.

[@emilianstefan4424]

My guy suffers from incurable nostalgia. I feel you, man.

[@lgndk11r]

4:30 to think this is way before 5G, browsing, or free video calls. Two batteries a day is just insane!

[@BaconBePropane]

I had the Razr V3 and the upgraded models only available to Cingular-AT&T customers, as well as their watered down Samsung Blade. At the time, Cingular wasn’t the preferred network for Samsung, but had a few options. They were both wonderful phones, but the Razr series was really my favorite. If I had the Sprint Blade, I would have been happier after watching your videos.

[@wjadams2]

I rocked the blade for several years as a Sprint customer. Such a great phone. I "upgraded" it to the Instinct, or rather the extinct.

[@CamboSpace]

When Phones Were Fun is always my favorite.

[@skygaz3r]

I had the Samsung A800 in college n remember the joy of holding such a tiny clamshell phone in my hand! It was a time when the smaller the phone, the cooler it is 😅 this really took me back!