10 bizarre Android telephone options we’ll by no means see once more

Modern Android smartphones are extremely refined, highly effective, and succesful. Within the high-end phase specifically, handset makers are capable of squeeze unbelievable compute energy into glossy, luxurious chassis. That being stated, to get so far, we have additionally needed to sacrifice a lot of {hardware} options that had been as soon as a staple of the Android cell ecosystem.

Wanting again, my first Android phone from 2011 featured a number of {hardware} additions that, within the 12 months 2026, have gone all however extinct. I would personally love for these components to make a comeback, although I do not see this occurring anytime within the short-to-medium-term future. Listed here are ten telephone options specifically which might be, in all chance, destined to stay relics of the previous.

3.5mm headphone jack

For wired audio connectivity

When Apple axed the three.5mm headphone jack from its iPhone 7 sequence again in 2016, the writing was on the wall for the century-old analog port. Initially, there have been loads of teething pains within the cell area — which was shortly dominated by dongles and adapters — however fast-forward to as we speak, and most of us now depend on Bluetooth-powered true wi-fi earbuds and headphones for all our audio-consumption wants. However, the lack of the headphone jack stays a ache level for audiophiles the world over, and it sadly additionally spelled the tip of the “move the aux” street journey period.

microSD card slot

For cheap storage top-ups

Whereas some telephone makers by no means supplied a microSD card slot to start with — I am taking a look at you, Apple and Google — others like Samsung relished in its utility. Expandable and user-replaceable storage was a mainstay of the early Android world, permitting customers to high up their ROM capability with out breaking the financial institution within the course of. Whereas it is true that the common microSD card is slower than the most recent UFS flash storage constructed into trendy handsets, the comfort issue alone has me eager for the great previous days when memory card slots were a given.

Sizzling-swappable battery

For refueling instantly

Again within the day, most Android telephones had detachable again plates that offered quick entry to their respective battery packs. This was extremely handy, because it allowed customers to hold round charged-up secondary batteries for swapping out as wanted. It additionally meant that previous, worn out batteries could possibly be simply changed with out having to disassemble the telephone, which was a pleasant bonus. Whereas the European Union has legislation in place to require producers to outfit merchandise with user-serviceable batteries beginning in 2027, it doesn’t look like hot-swappable power packs themselves are part of this laws — although we’ll should see how this pans out within the years to come back.

Notification LED

For staying on high of alerts and standing updates

Earlier than we had always-on displays (AODs), notification LEDs had been the go-to means of retaining tabs on missed notifications from throughout the room. Most Android telephones featured a fundamental LED inside their bezels, however some fashions included extra superior modules with RGB colours, distinctive pulsing results, and extra. In the present day, the spirit of the notification LED lives on by Nothing’s varied Glyph Interface and Glyph Matrix shows, although there’s one thing in regards to the simplicity of a fundamental LED gentle that no trendy handset can fairly measure as much as in my eyes.

IR blaster

For controlling infrared equipment

For an (admittedly transient) time frame, nearly each Android telephone shipped with a devoted IR blaster. This small module allowed customers to manage varied family home equipment utilizing a devoted app on their telephones, even working as an alternative TV distant management in a pinch. Some telephones nonetheless characteristic IR blasters as we speak, however, aside from the OnePlus 15, the overwhelming majority of those handsets aren’t obtainable within the North American market. For higher or worse, the times of pranking your pals by altering the TV channel remotely are in all probability over for good.

Rear-facing fingerprint sensor

For unlocking earlier than your telephone is out of your pocket

For some time, the pattern throughout the Android area was to ship telephones with rear-facing capacitive fingerprint sensors. This placement made a ton of sense, permitting you to basically unlock your gadget together with your index finger whereas concurrently pulling it out of your pocket, and even appearing as a makeshift trackpad for flattening the notification shade when unlocked. Lately, under-display optical and ultrasonic fingerprint sensors rule the roost, and it appears unlikely that rear-facing items will ever make a comeback. Capacitive fingerprint sensors themselves nonetheless exist on foldable phones and on tablets, however they are typically embedded throughout the energy button, as an alternative.

Capacitive keys

For navigating within the pre-gesture period

In Android’s infancy, capacitive keys had been the de facto management paradigm for navigating throughout the working system. These touch-sensitive keys typically lit up at the hours of darkness, and featured haptic suggestions when tapped for added tactility. For some time, the usual configuration was house, menu, again, and search, however some producers bucked this pattern by implementing their very own button format as an alternative. Capacitive keys had been outdated by on-screen navigation keys, and later by gesture programs. Going again to tapping and prodding feels each retro and warmly acquainted as we speak, however such buttons are unlikely to ever return to the mainstream.

Dwelling button

For going house the old school means

For the longest time, a devoted, bodily house button was commonplace on Samsung Galaxy telephones, in addition to on another Android manufacturers’ handsets. Just like Apple’s iPhone house button of the time, the button did precisely what you’d count on it to do: it took you again to your house display screen. In as we speak’s gesture-based navigational paradigm, the house button feels somewhat antiquated, however there’s additionally one thing oddly satisfying about pressing down on a physical switch to exit a cell utility.

Trackball / Trackpad

For scrolling and panning with out display screen smudges

Early Android telephones adopted in BlackBerry’s footsteps by providing a devoted trackball for navigating their interfaces with out having to depend on their contact screens. To keep away from show smudges, the trackball (and later the optical trackpad) was a really perfect software that obtained the job executed. In fact, capacitive touch screens and multi-touch gestures would shortly conquer the tech world, and trackballs quickly turned a vestigial {hardware} part that finally stopped making the reduce totally.

Bodily keyboard

For effectively typing out your emails

Earlier than the discharge of the unique iPhone, the notion of delivery a smartphone with out a bodily keyboard was an absolute absurdity (just ask then-Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer). Enterprise professionals beloved clacking on their BlackBerry keyboards to churn out emails on-the-go, and early Android telephones embraced this similar ethos. In fact, as soon as it turned clear that on-screen digital keyboards might get the job executed with out sacrificing on-screen actual property or chassis thickness within the course of, the physical phone keyboard’s days were numbered.