7 limited edition smartphones you won’t find in the US

Most smartphones are a bit boring nowadays, following pretty much the same design philosophy - glass front and back, and a metal frame. If you really want to be different and stray from the pack, there are only two options - a case or a limited-edition smartphone. And while we covered smartphone cases from several angles, those limited-edition models are somehow left behind the scenes. At least, up until now.

I know the title sounds a bit discouraging, but when there’s a will, there’s a way. Most of our picks are foreign models or a limited domestic market run, but in the era of eBay and Amazon, everything is possible. So, if you find your dream phone that expresses your inner self, you probably can get your hands on it, just with a tad more effort. But that’d make it even more exclusive, wouldn’t it?

Let’s start with the obvious destination when we talk about weird and quirky: Japan. It’s a country like no other and there are different demigods that write phone rules there. The obsession of the Japanese with flip-phones will be covered in another article, but today we picked a couple of interesting models from the far East for you.

Kyocera Card Keitai KY-01L

This DoCoMo exclusive feature phone represents Japanese minimalism at its best. Translation from Japanese is always tricky, but here’s the official description of this phone. “There's freedom in the way you carry it, and the way it fascinates others.” This thing is tiny at 91 x 55 x 5.3 mm, and also light - just 47 grams. The Card Keitai features a 2.8-inches e-ink display that won’t draw power when it’s displaying static images, which explains the minuscule 380 mAh battery. It’s the perfect digital detox phone, and it’s still available on the DoCoMo site for 31,680 yen (around $295).

Sony Xperia SO-04E Hatsune Miku Limited Edition

Well, this one is rather old, but we just can’t omit a Hatsune Miku phone when we talk about Japanese weirdness. Hatsune Miku is a pop-star sensation in Japan and if she looks like an anime girl to you, that’s because she sort of is. Hatsune chan is a vocaloid software simulation, but make no mistake, she sings at stadium-grade venues. To celebrate this virtual cutie Sony released a limited edition Xperia phone a few years ago. Specs are terribly outdated but Hatsune Miku is all over this phone. You can probably still find it and buy it, but there were only 32,000 made, so it’s a collector’s item by now.

Sharp SH-M02-EVA20

The last one from Japan, we promise. Speaking of manga and anime, we must mention the Sharp EVA edition. This phone was made so fans of the cult manga and anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion can finally be happy. At least for some time. Citing specs is pointless because this phone was made 5 years ago to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the series, but if you’re one of those Japanese culture obsessed otakus, finding such a phone is a must.

Moving to Korea then. Things are not looking any less weird there, as we’re still fairly close to Japan. We have a K-pop phone for you and a totalitarian dictatorship edition one. Here we go.