Music phones

One of my absolute favorite categories of devices. Honestly, if we’re being fair, practically any mobile phone starting from the second-generation network era can play music in one form or another. A beeping monophonic ringtone is also music, albeit a very peculiar kind. What we’re talking about here are phones that, in addition to their primary functions, could also serve as MP3 players.

There used to be a big emphasis on this—perhaps partially for image and branding purposes. Nevertheless, music phones, even those that were technically identical to their “non-music” counterparts, often came with much more appealing swag boxes by default. These included higher-quality headphones, larger memory cards, a sync cable in the box (let’s not forget those terrible times when everyone had their own proprietary connectors), and sometimes even funny little vouchers for free content downloads from various services.

Below, in chronological order, are the devices that defined the competitive landscape for several years to come.

2005: Big music brands enter the stage

2006: Hi-end offerings hit the shelves

2007: Music phones become a fashion category

2008: Moments of inertia after iPhone rocked the world

2009: Steady decline

2011: End of an era of music phones as its own category

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