View source for Clamshell design

{{About|the electronics form factor||Clamshell (disambiguation)}}
{{Redirect|Flip phone|the recent generation|Foldable smartphone|the Brooke Candy song|Flip Phone (song)}}
{{Short description|Electronic device form factor}}
[[File:Clams on Sandy Hook beaches - panoramio.jpg|thumb|The clamshell form factor is based on (and named after) the hinged design of the [[clam]] species.]]
{{Multiple image
| total_width       = 300
| footer            = Two schools of clamshell design: bio-design influenced Apple ''[[iBook]]'' (1999) and [[Bento box]]-like IBM ''[[ThinkPad]]'' model 345C (1992)
| image1            = Clamshell iBook G3.jpg
| image2            = THinkPad345C.jpg
}}
'''Clamshell design''' is a [[form factor (design)|form factor]] commonly used in the design of [[electronic device]]s and other manufactured objects. It is inspired by the [[Morphology (biology)|morphology]] of the [[clam]]. The form factor has been applied to [[handheld game console|handheld game consoles]], [[mobile phone|mobile phones]] (where it is often called a "'''flip phone'''"), and especially [[laptop]] computers. Clamshell devices are usually made of two sections connected by a [[hinge]], each section containing either a [[flat panel display]] or an [[alphanumeric keyboard]]/[[keypad]], which can fold into contact together like a [[bivalve shell]]. 

Generally speaking, the [[user interface|interface]] components such as keys and [[computer display|display]] are kept inside the closed clamshell, protecting them from damage and unintentional use while also making the device shorter or narrower so it is easier to carry around. In many cases, opening the clamshell offers more surface area than when the device is closed, allowing interface components to be larger and easier to use than on devices which do not flip open. A disadvantage of the clamshell design is the connecting hinge, which is prone to fatigue or failure.{{Citation needed|date=October 2022}}

The clamshell design is most popularly recognized in the context of mobile cellular phones. The term "flip phone" is used more frequently than "clamshell" in colloquial speech, especially when referring to a phone where the hinge is on the short edge – if the hinge is on a long edge, more akin to a laptop (e.g., [[Nokia Communicator]]s), the device is more likely to be called just a "clamshell" rather than a flip phone.{{Cn|date=May 2025}} In the 1990s and early 2000s, what is now called "flip" phones were more commonly known as "folder" or "folding" phones, whereas "flip phone" referred to a now obsolete form factor most notably seen on the [[Motorola MicroTAC]].<ref name="mobile-review" />{{Better source needed|reason=The current source is insufficiently reliable ([[WP:NOTRS]]).|date=May 2025}} [[Motorola]] itself held the "Flip Phone" [[trademark]] until 2005.<ref>US trademark #2157939, cancelled February 26, 2005</ref>

==Early examples in tech==
{{Multiple image
| total_width       = 300
| footer            = The Motorola [[Motorola MicroTAC|''MicroTAC'']] was one of the first hinged mobile phones (1989)
| image1            = Telefono cellulare, ETACS - Museo scienza tecnologia Milano 09740 02.jpg
| alt1              = closed
| caption1          = 
| image2            = MicroTAC.jpg
| alt2              = open
| caption2          = 
}}

A "flip phone" like communication device appears in chapter 3 of [[Armageddon 2419 A.D.|''Armageddon 2419 A.D''.]], a science fiction novella by [[Philip Francis Nowlan]], which was first published in the August 1928 issue of the pulp magazine ''[[Amazing Stories]]'': "Alan took a compact packet about six inches square from a holster attached to her belt and handed it to Wilma. So far as I could see, it had no special receiver for the ear. Wilma merely threw back a lid, as though she was opening a book, and began to talk. The voice that came back from the machine was as audible as her own."<ref>[https://gutenberg.org/files/32530/32530-h/32530-h.htm] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210525034313/https://gutenberg.org/files/32530/32530-h/32530-h.htm|date=2021-05-25}} Armageddon 2419 A.D.</ref> Also from science fiction, ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series]]'' featured a regular plot device called the "[[Communicator (Star Trek)|Communicator]]" which influenced the development of early clamshell mobile phones such as the [[Motorola MicroTAC]] and [[Motorola StarTAC|StarTAC]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Vaughan |first1=Kendra |date=27 July 2023 |title=Infinite Diversity or Infinite Opportunity: a Look at Star Trek and its Cultural Influence |url=https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/history-in-the-making/vol16/iss1/15 |journal=History in the Making |volume=16}}</ref> The acronym "TAC" is an abbreviation of "Total Area Coverage" and was first used for the Motorola [[DynaTAC]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=DynaTAC Cellular Telephone |url=https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object/nmah_1191361 |access-date=2025-05-26 |website=[[National Museum of American History]]}}</ref>

Early examples of the form factor's use in electronics include the 1963 [[Brionvega]] TS 502 radio, the [[Grillo telephone]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Institution |first=Smithsonian |title=Grillo (Cricket) |url=https://www.si.edu/object/grillo-cricket%3Achndm_1987-91-3 |access-date=2025-06-15 |website=Smithsonian Institution |language=en}}</ref> which first appeared in Italy in the mid 1960s, and the [[Brionvega#Gallery|Soundbook]] portable radio cassette player, which was introduced in 1974 (the designer [[Richard Sapper]] was responsible for all three of these, and was subsequently involved in the design of IBM computers<ref>{{Cite web |title=IBM Archives: Interview with Richard Sapper |url=https://mediacenter.ibm.com/media/IBM+ArchivesA+Interview+with+Richard+Sapper/1_0rps7aqf |access-date=2025-05-21 |website=IBM Mediacenter |language=en}}</ref>). The form factor was first used for a portable computer in 1982 by the [[laptop]] manufacturer [[Grid Systems Corporation|GRiD]] (who had the patents on the idea at the time)<ref>{{US patent|D280511}}</ref><ref>{{US patent|4571456}}</ref> for their [[Grid Compass|Compass]] model.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Marsh |first=Allison |date=2020-05-29 |title=NASA's Original Laptop: The GRiD Compass |url=https://spectrum.ieee.org/nasas-original-laptop-the-grid-compass |access-date=2022-10-02 |website=IEEE Spectrum |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=GRiD Compass Laptop Computer Prototype |url=https://collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/18732295/ |access-date=2022-10-03 |website=Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum |language=en-us}}</ref> In 1985, the [[Ampere WS-1]] laptop used a modern clamshell design.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbh1XP4kCT4 Japanese PCs (1984)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170707091011/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbh1XP4kCT4 |date=2017-07-07 }} (13:13), ''[[Computer Chronicles]]''</ref><ref>Bob Armstrong, http://cosy.com/language/cosyhard/cosyhard.htm {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080513135722/http://cosy.com/language/cosyhard/cosyhard.htm |date=2008-05-13 }}</ref><gallery widths="150" heights="150">
File:Vintage Emerson Clamshell Travel Alarm Clock, AM-FM, Model 31P7C (8329706158).jpg|Emerson ''Cordless Travel Clock Radio'' (model 31P70), Japan (1960s)
File:20090704-1971 StarTrekTOSCommunicatorReplica.jpg|[[Communicator (Star Trek)|StarTrek ''Communicator'']] (replica of late 1960s design)
File:Radioricevitore a transistor, portatile - Museo scienza tecnologia Milano 10074.jpg|[[Brionvega]] ''TS 502'' radio, [[Museo Nazionale Scienza e Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci|Museum of science and technology]], Milan (1963)
File:Radioricevitore a transistor, portatile - Museo scienza tecnologia Milano 10074 07.jpg|{{ill|Brionvega TS 502|lt=Brionvega ''TS 502''|it|Radio Cubo ts522}} (closed)
File:Telefono automatico a batteria centrale (BCA) - Museo scienza tecnologia Milano 08219 01.jpg|[[Grillo telephone|''Grillo'' telephone]], Museum of science and technology, Milan (1965)
File:Radioregistratore a musicassette, a transistor - Museo scienza tecnologia Milano 10088 dia.jpg|[[Brionvega]] ''Soundbook'' portable radio cassette player, Museum of science and technology, Milan (1974)
File:GRiD Compass at National Air and Space Museum (2).jpg|[[Grid Compass|GRiD ''Compass'']], [[National Air and Space Museum]] (1982)
File:Home computer portatile - Museo scienza tecnologia Milano 14618.jpg|IBM ''[[IBM PC Convertible|PC Convertible]]'' (model 5140) Museum of science and technology, Milan (1986)
</gallery>

== In mobile phones ==
[[File:Ericsson-gf-768.jpg|thumb|Candybar form factor [[Ericsson Mobile Communications|Ericsson]] model GF-768 with flip down keypad cover (1997)]]
The clamshell design is known to have been applied to some [[mobile phones]]. The popular contemporary term "flip phone" typically describes a clamshell cell phone where the upper part of the device folds out to reveal a display and keypad. Historically the term was different: "flip" earlier used to refer to a type of candybar phone with a folding cover, folding downwards to reveal a keypad – the modern definition for these are 'flip down'.<ref name="mobile-review">{{Cite web |title=Mobile-review.com Форм-факторы мобильных телефонов, часть первая |trans-title=Mobile Phone Form Factors, Part One |url=https://mobile-review.com/articles/2007/form-factors.shtml |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=mobile-review.com}}</ref> Such a design originated on [[GTE]] landline phones,{{Fact|date=May 2025|reason=The Grillo telephone may pre-date the GTE models (see above)}} who held the trademark 'Flip Phone' until [[Motorola]] acquired it,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2004-11-25 |title=Mobile Phone News: Motorola tries to secure flip phone trademark, designer gets caught in battle – Garry Haltof |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3457/is_n36_v14/ai_18702256 |access-date=2025-05-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041125014136/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3457/is_n36_v14/ai_18702256 |archive-date=25 November 2004 }}</ref> a few years after releasing the [[MicroTAC]], the first cell phone in this form factor.<ref>{{cite news |last=Tynan |first=Dan |date=2005-12-24 |title=The 50 Greatest Gadgets of the Past 50 Years |url=http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,123950-page,2/article.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080702124844/http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,123950-page,2/article.html |archive-date=2008-07-02 |access-date=2006-09-10 |work=[[PC World (magazine)|PC World]] |page=2}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Sams Telephone Pictures Collection – Post Liberalisation |url=http://www.samhallas.co.uk/collection/post_lib.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080610104637/http://www.samhallas.co.uk/collection/post_lib.htm |archive-date=2008-06-10 |access-date=2008-07-07 |website=www.samhallas.co.uk}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |year=1996 |title=Motorola tries to secure flip phone trademark, designer gets caught in battle |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3457/is_n36_v14/ai_18702256 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120629230955/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3457/is_n36_v14/ai_18702256 |archive-date=2012-06-29 |access-date=2008-07-07 |work=Mobile Phone News}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=2004-06-14 |title=Nokia takes on clamshell rivals |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3804685.stm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100109104405/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3804685.stm |archive-date=2010-01-09 |access-date=2010-05-02 |work=BBC News}}</ref> Phones in this style were relatively common in the mid and late 1990s, other known examples being the [[Ericsson T28]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ericsson T10S mobile phone {{!}} Museum of Design in Plastics |url=https://www.modip.ac.uk/artefact/aibdc-002883 |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=www.modip.ac.uk |language=en}}</ref> On the other hand, symmetrical clamshell designs that unfold upwards such as the [[Motorola StarTAC]] were in earlier years variously referred to as "folder" type or style, or "folding" phones,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Motorola Unveils 2002 Lineup |url=https://www.phonescoop.com/articles/article.php?a=-67 |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=Phone Scoop |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=rediff.com: Samsung launching 18 digital products in India |url=https://www.rediff.com/money/2001/aug/14sam.htm |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=www.rediff.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Admin |date=2003-11-05 |title=Samsung offers phones for business and pleasure |url=https://www.dfnionline.com/brand-news/gifts-electronics/samsung-offers-phones-for-business-and-pleasure-05-11-2003/ |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=DFNI |language=en}}</ref> before the term "flip phone" entered common usage during the 2000s to refer to these.

Clamshell phones also include other variations that are not typically referred to as "flip phone". The [[Treo 180|Palm Treo 180]], Motorola A760, and [[Motorola MING]] are examples of clamshells where the exterior is a display cover, and the display is on the lower part – this was common on some [[Personal digital assistant|PDAs]] and PDA-style smartphones in the 2000s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Motorola unveils first Linux smart phone |url=https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/motorola-unveils-first-linux-smart-phone/ |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=CNET |language=en}}</ref> Motorola also developed such a phone with a [[touchscreen]] in 2008, the [[Motorola Krave|Krave ZN4]], but touch displays in this style were uncommon.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Motorola KRAVE ZN4 – Mobile Gazette – Mobile Phone News |url=https://www.mobilegazette.com/motorola-krave-zn4-08x10x14.htm |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=www.mobilegazette.com}}</ref> The [[Nokia Communicator]] series is an example of clamshell that look like a miniature [[notebook computer]]. Also, some clamshells were made in an unconventional wider style, such as the fashion-oriented [[Xelibri|Siemens Xelibri 6]] and the [[Alcatel]] OT-808 with a full QWERTY keyboard. In addition, some experimental clamshells look like the typical 'flip phone' but have additional mechanism and forms (like rotating displays), for example [[Nokia N90]], Samsung P400 and LG G7070.<ref name="mobile-review-2">{{Cite web |title=Mobile-review.com Форм-факторы мобильных телефонов, часть вторая |url=https://www.mobile-review.com/articles/2007/form-factors2.shtml |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=www.mobile-review.com}}</ref>

=== Origins ===
[[File:Telefono cellulare, GSM - Museo scienza tecnologia Milano 09735 02.jpg|thumb|The [[Motorola StarTAC|Motorola ''StarTAC'']] (1996)]]
The earliest notable clamshell phone was Motorola's StarTAC introduced in 1996. An iconic product, it was extremely compact and light for its time, and it flipped upwards to reveal a standard display and keypad on the lower part and a speakerphone on the upper. The StarTAC series was the first example of a fashionable mobile phone against the usual products of its time. For the rest of the decade, this 'flip up' clamshell style in mobile phones was mainly a product of Motorola only, and in 1999 the company released its next generation 'Vader' clamshell, [[Motorola V3688|Motorola V series]], which again achieved popularity and was even smaller than the StarTAC.<ref>{{Cite web |last=AG |first=Fink & Fuchs |title=Jahreschronik 1999: Neuer Markt und der Millenium Bug |url=https://finkfuchs.de/chronik/jahreschronik-1999-neuer-markt-und-der-millenium-bug/ |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=finkfuchs.de |language=de}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=WAP FORUM- What's New – News |url=https://wapforum.org/new/May05Motorola.htm |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=wapforum.org}}</ref> It was the first flip phone (in the West) with the now-conventional design of a display in the upper part of the device and a keypad on the lower.

At the same time as Motorola's V series, the form factor took off in Asia: the StarTAC was extremely popular in South Korea, which led to [[Samsung Electronics]] developing its first 'flip phone' clamshell, the SCH-800, released domestically in October 1998 to tremendous success. In 1999, Samsung released the silver-colored [[Samsung A100|A100 'Mini Folder']] phone in South Korea to even greater success. Meanwhile in Japan, [[NEC]] released the silver N501i flip phone in March 1999 for use with the new [[i-mode]] mobile Internet service. Both Samsung and NEC popularised the flip phone in their respective countries.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://jpn.nec.com/profile/corp/history.html|title=NECの歩み}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=大人気「N」ブランドの折りたたみケータイ「N503iS」 |url=https://www.itmedia.co.jp/mobile/articles/1704/19/news093.html |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=ITmedia Mobile |language=ja}}</ref> Cited benefits of the form factor compared to regular candybar phones were the ability to have a larger display in a smaller device, as well as not having the risk of buttons being accidentally pressed, and the subjective view that they were fashionable.<ref>{{Cite web |title=モバイルCATCH UP |url=https://www.watch.impress.co.jp/mobile/column/catchup/2000/03/21/ |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=www.watch.impress.co.jp}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2004-07-13 |title=Emerging shapes of mobile phones |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/emerging-shapes-of-mobile-phones/articleshow/775571.cms |access-date=2025-05-20 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}</ref>

=== Popularity ===
[[File:Motorola v60g sold by cingular wireless for the united states in 2002 - oct 2022.jpg|thumb|[[Motorola V60|Motorola ''V60'']] folded (2001)|280x280px]]
After the millennium, clamshell-style cell phones experienced a boom globally, with Samsung especially being influential in this development whose line of silver flip phones were positively received as being stylish.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Norris |first=Ashley |date=2001-12-13 |title=Six of the best |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2001/dec/13/gadgets.electronicgoods |access-date=2025-05-20 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> The Samsung [[Samsung A100|SGH-A100]] made its debut in Europe in 2000 and in the same year the company released locally the A200 'Dual Folder', which was the first clamshell phone with an external display – allowing users to see who is calling without opening the phone – a feature that would become industry standard. Marketed as "Blue-i" (referring to the blue backlit circular external display), the model was released in Asian markets in 2001 while other regions got the A300 model.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Redaktion |first=ZDNet de |date=2001-06-25 |title=Dual-Display-Handy mit WAP-Funktion |url=https://www.zdnet.de/2089908/dual-display-handy-mit-wap-funktion/ |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=ZDNet.de |language=de-DE}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Blue i-ed phone – ProQuest |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/229670629 |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=www.proquest.com | id={{ProQuest|229670629}} |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2001-06-08 |title=Samsung Electronics: Mobile Phone – ads & awards |url=http://samsungelectronics.com/mobile_phone/ads_awards/trade_shows/cebit_2001_press.html |access-date=2025-05-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010608174915/http://samsungelectronics.com/mobile_phone/ads_awards/trade_shows/cebit_2001_press.html |archive-date=8 June 2001 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Matura |first=Jan |date=2001-07-09 |title=Samsung SGH-A300 mobilní šperk (recenze) |url=https://www.idnes.cz/nastaveni-souhlasu?url=https%3a%2f%2fwww.idnes.cz%2fmobil%2ftelefony%2fsamsung-sgh-a300-mobilni-sperk-recenze.A010705_0035240_telefony |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=iDNES.cz}}</ref> Motorola released the [[Motorola V60]] in 2001<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2002/feb/14/gadgets.shopping | title=Let's roll with it | work=The Guardian | date=14 February 2002 | last1=Norris | first1=Ashley }}</ref> with a metallic body and an external display, a handset that became very popular in the US and was noted for looking luxurious.<ref>{{Cite web |title=UMTS im Formel-1-Wagen – WELT |url=https://www.welt.de/print-welt/article440674/UMTS-im-Formel-1-Wagen.html |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=DIE WELT |language=de}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=A Motorola retrospective (photos) |url=https://www.cnet.com/pictures/a-motorola-retrospective-photos/ |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=CNET |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Himanshu |title=The company that invented the mobile phone – a glimpse at Motorola's history |url=https://www.gsmarena.com/sunday_filler_the_company_that_invented_mobile_phone__a_glimpse_at_motorolas_history-blog-13829.php |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=GSMArena.com |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2001-05-17 |title=Motorola Canada to serve up Bluetooth phones |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/technology/motorola-canada-to-serve-up-bluetooth-phones/article1181933/ |access-date=2025-05-20 |work=The Globe and Mail |language=en-CA}}</ref>
[[File:T-Mobile Samsung SGH-T209 7 010.jpg|thumb|Samsung ''SGH-T209'']]
The new style of flip phones were initially seen as solely fashion products,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mobile-review.com Sony Ericsson Z200 or a new kind of the youth model |url=https://www.mobile-review.com/preview/se-z200-en.shtml |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=www.mobile-review.com}}</ref> but by 2002 and 2003 they were dominating sales in Asia while being trendy elsewhere.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Dodson |first1=Sean |last2=Norris |first2=Ashley |last3=Mathieson |first3=S. A. |last4=Dodson |first4=Contributions from Sean |date=2003-10-02 |title=What's new |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2003/oct/02/gadgets.onlinesupplement |access-date=2025-05-20 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> The [[Samsung SGH-T100]] released in 2002 was the first flip phone with a color screen and it enjoyed global popularity.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2002-09-19 |title=Samsung mobile aims to tempt buyers |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/2268270.stm |access-date=2025-05-20 |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Samsung Phone A Global Hit |url=https://www.lightreading.com/business-management/samsung-phone-a-global-hit |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=www.lightreading.com |language=en}}</ref> Motorola presented its first with a color display in the [[Motorola T720|T720]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/12/10/motorola-t720-review | title=Motorola T720 Review | date=10 December 2002 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.idnes.cz/mobil/telefony/motorola-t720-prvni-motorola-s-barevnym-displejem-se-povedla-preview.A020913_5161753_telefony | title=Motorola T720 – první Motorola s barevným displejem se povedla (Preview) | date=16 September 2002 }}</ref> Samsung also released the first [[3G]] ([[UMTS]]) flip phone in Europe, the SGH-Z100.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mobile-review.com January 2003: New products. Part 1 |url=https://www.mobile-review.com/itogi/2003/january-np-en.shtml |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=www.mobile-review.com}}</ref> Eventually many other manufacturers, mainly Asian (such as [[LG]], [[Sharp Corporation|Sharp]] and [[Sanyo]]) as well as the likes of [[Siemens]] were offering clamshell products globally.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Norris |first=Ashley |date=2003-09-27 |title=Korean giant looks to stand out |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2003/sep/27/gadgets |access-date=2025-05-20 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Wiley |first=M. |date=2002-12-10 |title=Motorola T720 Review |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/12/10/motorola-t720-review |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=IGN |language=en}}</ref> [[Nokia]], the largest mobile phone manufacturer, had initially been reluctant to develop clamshell phones;<ref>{{Cite news |date=2005-02-22 |title=Nokia's battle to stay world's number one |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4257999.stm |access-date=2025-05-20 |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.spglobal.com/marketintelligence/en/mi/country-industry-forecasting.html?id=106596154|title=ame-Day Analysis Nokia Cuts Q4 Outlook, Warns of Falling Industry-Wide Sales in 2009}}</ref> it shipped its first such product in early 2004, the Nokia 7200, with unusual [[textile]] covers.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nokia 7200 – Mobile Gazette – Mobile Phone News |url=https://www.mobilegazette.com/nokia-7200.htm |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=www.mobilegazette.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Q1 2004 earnings release |url=https://www.nokia.com/system/files/files/q1-2004-earnings-release-pdf.pdf |website=Nokia}}</ref> Nokia's products were more distinct with its rectangular corners and experimented with different styles as seen on the 7200, [[Nokia 2650|2650]] and 6170, although in 2005 the company released its first "Asian" influenced flip phone with rounded corners and a silver color, the [[Nokia 6101]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nokia 6101 review: The Asian way |url=https://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_6101-review-40.php |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=GSMArena.com |language=en-US}}</ref> [[Sony Ericsson]] also shipped its first flip phone, the Z600, in 2004, with the company mainly targeting women in its future flip phones ('Z' series).

The [[Motorola RAZR V3|Motorola V3 (RAZR)]] is the most iconic product during the peak of the flip phone era, combining the clamshell form factor with a sleek and thin, silver-colored body (although it was also released in pink and other colors), and a flat etched keypad. The lack of a protruding external antenna also helped its style (although it was not the first product with this distinction).<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Schaumburg |first=Jyoti Thottam / |date=2005-11-10 |title=Wireless: The Spark Plug |url=https://time.com/archive/6675362/wireless-the-spark-plug/ |access-date=2025-05-20 |magazine=TIME |language=en}}</ref> The RAZR series was the best-selling phone in the United States for three years in a row (2005, 2006 and 2007).<ref>{{Cite web |title=iPhone 3G crowned most popular phone in U.S. |url=https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/iphone-3g-crowned-most-popular-phone-in-u-s/ |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=CNET |language=en}}</ref> It was highly influential during the mid-2000s and a large number of rival manufacturers imitated its physical characteristics in their own new products.<ref name="mobile-review-2"/> In Japan, domestic flip phones during this time were uniquely advanced and has been associated with the [[Galápagos syndrome]]. Flip phones were still ubiquitous here as of 2009, after it had already dropped in popularity in the West.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Tabuchi |first=Hiroko |date=2009-07-20 |title=Why Japan's Cellphones Haven't Gone Global |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/20/technology/20cell.html |access-date=2025-05-20 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Defining the Heisei Era: When communication in Japan went mobile |url=https://features.japantimes.co.jp/heisei-moments-part-8-communication/ |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=The Japan Times {{!}} Special Features |language=en-US}}</ref>

==== Flip smartphones ====
The Samsung SCH-i600 introduced in 2002 was one of the first [[smartphones]] in a flip phone form factor; it ran on Microsoft's [[Smartphone 2002|Windows Smartphone 2002]] software.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Samsung calls on MS Smartphone 2002 |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/samsung-calls-on-ms-smartphone-2002/ |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=ZDNET |language=en}}</ref> Another early smartphone in this form factor was the [[Kyocera]] 7135 from 2003 which ran [[Palm OS]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=PIC Closer Look: The Handhelds of CES |url=https://www.palminfocenter.com/news/4916/pic-closer-look-the-handhelds-of-ces/profile.asp?ID=1 |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=www.palminfocenter.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Kyocera Americas {{!}} News {{!}} KYOCERA 7135 Smartphone Equipped with Sherwood Personal Security's Mobile Security Protection Selected as Exclusive Wireless Handset in Highly Coveted Academy Awards Presenters Basket |url=https://americas.kyocera.com/press-releases/press-releases_20150319911.htm |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=americas.kyocera.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Kyocera 7135 Smartphone Available... |url=https://www.palminfocenter.com/news/4767/kyocera-7135-smartphone-available/ |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=www.palminfocenter.com}}</ref> and the [[Motorola MPx200]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Motorola MPx200 – Mobile Gazette – Mobile Phone News |url=https://www.mobilegazette.com/motorola-mpx200.htm |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=www.mobilegazette.com}}</ref> [[Panasonic]] introduced the first flip phone running [[Symbian]], the X700, in 2004.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Panasonic X700 review: Glossy Symbian |url=https://www.gsmarena.com/panasonic_x700-review-23.php |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=GSMArena.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Decline ===
[[File:Doro phone for seniors (16103442603).jpg|thumb|A [[Doro (company)|Doro]] flip phone released (2015)]]
Interest in flip phones declined during the late 2000s: this was first due to the growing popularity of [[sliders]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Peter |title=Counterclockwise: the rise, death and rebirth of the slider phone |url=https://www.gsmarena.com/counterclockwise_the_rise_death_and_rebirth_of_the_slider_phone-news-35034.php |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=GSMArena.com |language=en-US}}</ref> including 'slide-out [[QWERTY|QWERTYs]]' that offered a full keyboard in combination with a wider, landscape-oriented display.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2009-09-25 |title=Side-sliding QWERTY: exploring the Nokia E75, 5730 and LG KS360 |url=http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/features/item/side-sliding_qwerty_exploring_the_scale_nokia_e75_5730_and_lg_ks360.php |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=All About Symbian |language=en}}</ref> The typically narrow body of the flip phone was a design constraint for incorporating a QWERTY. It was also affected by the growing popularity of [[touchscreen]]-operated phones which started to be considered as more intuitive to use compared to traditional keypads.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Touch and Play? Investigating The Value of Touchscreens for Gamer Experience |url=https://pure.coventry.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/30521894/Binder1.pdf |publisher=University of Coventry}}</ref> The flip phone – designed in mind with a display on the upper part and a keypad on the lower part – was impractical for use with a touch display (which could also incorporate QWERTY [[virtual keyboards]]), so it fell out of favor when touchscreens became standard at the end of the decade.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-03-11 |title=The Invention and Evolution of Flip Phones |url=https://vertu.com/lifestyle/when-were-flip-phones-invented/ |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=vertu.com |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author1=David Nield |date=2015-02-16 |title=Flip phone sales are on the rise in Japan |url=https://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/flip-phone-sales-are-on-the-rise-in-japan-1284897 |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=TechRadar |language=en}}</ref>

=== Contemporary era ===
{{Multiple image
| total_width       = 300
| footer            = [[Samsung Galaxy Z series|Samsung ''Galaxy Z Flip'']] foldable smartphones and [[NTT Docomo]] F-01M ''Raku-Raku'' phone (2019)
| image1            = Galaxy Z Flip3.jpg
| image2            = NTT docomo F-01M 001.jpg
}}
[[File:IS01 open.JPG|thumb|[[Sharp IS01]] smartphone by [[Naoto Fukasawa]] for [[Au (mobile phone company)|KDDI au]] (2010)]]
While flip phones had become largely obsolete in the 2010s, it was noticeably still relevant to a degree in Japan where various such products continued to be developed and offered by carriers such as [[Au (mobile phone company)|KDDI au]] and [[NTT Docomo]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=McNutt |first=Cory |date=2015-02-17 |title=AH Tech Talk: Japan Is Still A Huge Market For Flip Phones |url=https://www.androidheadlines.com/2015/02/ah-tech-talk-japan-is-still-a-huge-market-for-flip-phones.html |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=Android Headlines |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Adelstein |first=Jake |title=In Japan, People Are Flipping Out Over The Flip-Phone (Galapagos Phone): What's Old Is New Again |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/jadelstein/2015/03/05/in-japan-people-are-flipping-out-over-the-flip-phone-galapagos-phone-whats-old-is-new-again/ |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref> Outside these territories, flip phones continued to be marketed as a [[Niche market|niche]] by some manufacturers (such as Alcatel, Doro, Kyocera, LG and Samsung), typically as cheap, basic [[feature phones]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ten reasons to still consider a basic flip phone in today's smartphone world |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/ten-reasons-to-still-consider-a-basic-flip-phone-in-todays-smartphone-world/ |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=ZDNET |language=en}}</ref> that remain popular among specialized audiences who prefer their simplicity or durability over smartphones.<ref>{{cite news |last=Abrahams |first=Rebecca |date=2014-12-02 |title=Is Hollywood Going Back to Flip Phones? |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rebecca-abrahams/is-hollywood-going-back-t_b_6254356.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170513201527/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rebecca-abrahams/is-hollywood-going-back-t_b_6254356.html |archive-date=2017-05-13 |access-date=2014-12-31 |work=The Huffington Post}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=December 2, 2014 |title=High-profile stars find fashion in old-school phone tech |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/flip-phones-making-comeback-with-celebrities-and-fashion-icons/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141230170231/http://www.cbsnews.com/news/flip-phones-making-comeback-with-celebrities-and-fashion-icons/ |archive-date=2014-12-30 |access-date=2014-12-31 |work=Business Insider Australia}}</ref><ref name="pcmag-galaxyfolder">{{cite web |last1=Segan |first1=Sascha |date=March 22, 2017 |title=Samsung Galaxy Folder is a Flip Phone You'd Actually Want |url=https://www.pcmag.com/news/352550/samsung-galaxy-folder-is-a-flip-phone-youd-actually-want |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190420145653/https://www.pcmag.com/news/352550/samsung-galaxy-folder-is-a-flip-phone-youd-actually-want |archive-date=20 April 2019 |access-date=20 April 2019 |website=PCMag}}</ref>

In 2019, a new style of clamshell phones began to emerge using [[rollable display|rollable]] [[OLED]] displays, most often referred to as "[[foldable smartphone]]s". These also overlap with the slate form factor. Motorola unveiled the new [[Motorola Razr (2020)|Motorola Razr]] in November 2019, the first major product in this style, which uses a foldable display and a clamshell design reminiscent of its [[Motorola Razr V3|namesake line of feature phones]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gartenberg |first=Chaim |date=2019-11-13 |title=Motorola resurrects the Razr as a foldable Android smartphone |url=https://www.theverge.com/2019/11/13/20963294/motorola-razr-new-foldable-smartphone-android-hands-on-flip-phone-photos-video |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200108201435/https://www.theverge.com/2019/11/13/20963294/motorola-razr-new-foldable-smartphone-android-hands-on-flip-phone-photos-video |archive-date=2020-01-08 |access-date=2019-11-14 |website=The Verge |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Lowe |first=Mike |date=2019-11-14 |title=Motorola Razr review: The flip phone is back for 2019 |url=https://www.pocket-lint.com/phones/reviews/motorola/150059-motorola-razr-review-flip-phone-2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200201051655/https://www.pocket-lint.com/phones/reviews/motorola/150059-motorola-razr-review-flip-phone-2019 |archive-date=2020-02-01 |access-date=2019-11-14 |website=Pocket-lint |language=en}}</ref> Samsung released the [[Galaxy Z Flip]], and the series has since expanded. Not all "foldable smartphones", however, are clamshell: the company's [[Samsung Galaxy Fold|Galaxy Z Fold]], for example, uses a book-like vertical fold instead of a clamshell design.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Calore |first=Michael |title=Google Is Making a Folding Phone |url=https://www.wired.com/story/pixel-fold-specs-details-release-date/ |access-date=2025-05-20 |magazine=Wired |language=en-US |issn=1059-1028}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=online |first=heise |date=2025-03-21 |title=Liquid Metal: Apple aims to use it in the first foldable |url=https://www.heise.de/en/news/Liquid-Metal-Apple-aims-to-use-it-in-the-first-foldable-10324838.html |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=Mac & i |language=en}}</ref>

{{Clear}}

==Automotive==
[[File:1966 Jaguar E-type.jpg|thumb|Clamshell bonnet of a [[Jaguar E-Type]] (1966)]]
In automotive design, a '''clamshell bonnet''' or '''clamshell hood''' is a design where the engine cover also incorporates all or part of one of the [[fender (vehicle)|wings (fenders)]]. It is sometimes found in a car with a separate chassis such as a [[Triumph Herald]] or in cars based on a [[spaceframe#Cars|spaceframe]] where the bodywork is lightweight and carries no significant loading, such as the [[Ford GT40]] and [[Enzo Ferrari (car)|Ferrari Enzo]], where the whole rear end can be lifted to access the engine compartment and [[Suspension (vehicle)|suspension system]]. It is also sometimes seen in [[unibody]] cars, albeit much more rarely – such as the [[Mini Hatch|BMW Minis]] and [[Alfa Romeo GTV and Spider|Alfa Romeo GTV]].

It is also an informal name for General Motors full-size station wagons, manufactured from 1971 to 1976, that featured a complex, two-piece "disappearing" tailgate, officially known as the "Glide Away" tailgate.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://auto.howstuffworks.com/oldsmobile-cars.htm|title=How Oldsmobile Cars Work|date=20 June 2007|website=HowStuffWorks|access-date=14 April 2019|archive-date=4 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804020855/https://auto.howstuffworks.com/oldsmobile-cars.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Other uses==
[[File:Gameboy-Advance-SP-Mk2.jpg|thumb|Nintendo [[Game Boy Advance SP]] (2003)]]
[[File:Orton & Steinbrenner Co - Locomotive Cranes and Grab Buckets - Material Handling Machinery - Chicago and Huntingdon 06 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Clamshell grab bucket ({{circa|1914}})]]
[[File:Clamshell Pack 002.jpg|thumb|Plastic clamshell packaging]]
In addition to mobile phones; laptop computers and [[subnotebook]]s; handheld game consoles such as the [[Game Boy Advance SP]], [[Nintendo DS]], and [[Nintendo 3DS]] (though these are less frequently described as "flip" or "clamshell");{{Cn|date=May 2025}} objects such as [[pocket watch]]es, egg cartons, certain types of luggage, [[waffle iron]]s, [[sandwich toaster]]s, [[krumkake]] irons, certain types of heavy machinery, and the [[George Foreman Grill]] are all examples a clamshell design.

[[Bookbinding|Bookbinders]] build archival clamshell boxes called [[Solander box|Solander case]]s, in which valuable books or loose papers can be protected from light and dust.

The clamshell form factor is also commonly used in [[Clamshell (container)|product packaging]].

==See also==
*[[Dual-touchscreen]]
*[[Foldable smartphone]]
*[[Form factor (mobile phones)]]
*[[History of mobile phones]]
*[[Laptop]]
*[[Living hinge]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category multi|Clamshell|Flip phones}}
{{Mobile phones}}

[[Category:Animals in culture]]
[[Category:Design languages]]
[[Category:Electronic design]]
[[Category:Hinges]]
[[Category:Industrial design]]
[[Category:Telecommunications-related introductions in the 1960s]]
[[Category:Mobile phones]]
[[Category:History of mobile phones]]