Intriguing and compelling swivel phones from the distant and not-so-distant past

This Samsung device from olden days flaunts a pretty memorable and outstanding design, which is hardly ever seen in the giant's products. When folded, the phone comes in a pretty elongated rectangular shape, but swipe it right and it will reveal its mystery - an odd, two-column keypad, which surely gave texters a hard time. Navigating through the menus on the SGH-X830 was possible thanks to a circular button at the front. Samsung made sure everyone knew the SGH-X830 had Bluetooth support, as it shipped the device with its logo just above the circular key.

LG VX9400

LG had quite the peculiar devices back in the day, and the VX9400 is no different. What looks like a regular handset at frist sight could quickly transform to a T-shaped device that was capable of... playing TV. That's right, it was but the second phone that employed Qualcomm's MediaFlo broadcast technology. Apart from the notable support for TV playback, the LG VX9400 also toted a microSD card slot, a big loudspeaker, and stereo Bluetooth. It was even used by Tony Stark/Iron Man (played by Robert Downey, Jr.) in the eponymous 2008 Marvel title. 

Sony Ericsson W550

You might say a number of things for the Sony Ericsson W550, but thin would most probably not find its way among them. Measuring the whopping 0.89 inches (22.5mm) thick, the W550 "needs a personal fitness trainer", as our cons list for this 2005 phone jokingly suggests. We guess that was the price Sony Ericsson had to pay for implementing the swiveling mechanism inside the W550. Endowed with the Walkman audio-centric capabilities, the W550 could store a plethora of songs on its internal memory, which as a sufficient reason for Sony Ericsson to promote it as a device, suitable for teeneagers.

Nokia 7705 Twist

Nokia makes yet another entry into our pick with the downright bizarre 7705 Twist. Apart from its square-ish shape and swivel form factor, this not-so-long-in-the-tooth device also sported a... hole at its front. If we think hard enought, we would probably list several reasons why this has been necessary, but numerous reports on the Internet claim that said cavity was extremely handy for securing the phone standing - just put a pencil inside it and you were good to go! Well, not that we complain, but nowadays' phones can hardly come with something that would impress us as much.

Motorola Aura

The Aura is one of the most beautiful and compelling devices from the last decade, and we have often lauded it for its eye-catching design. It's a swivel phone with a disticntive circular display, made of sapphire crystal. The remainder of the phone was made of equally-premium materials, too - the body itself is made of stainless steel, while the buttons make use of anodized aluminum. The one-of-a-kind textures on the front are mechanically etched and the swiveling mechanism was often lauded as being extremely durable.