Samsung
T100

The T100 was a pivotal device for Samsung when it was announced at the CeBIT expo in Hanover, Germany, in early 2002. A clamshell device, it was the first to introduce an active-matrix colour thin-film transistor (TFT) LCD display. The striking display supported 4096 colours, far surpassing the 256 colours of predecessors such as the Ericsson T68. It also featured a monochrome outer display that showed incoming caller ID without opening the clamshell to see who was calling. For this model, Samsung chose the Yamaha MA-2 sound chip, enabling 16-tone polyphonic ringtones. This, along with the colour display, were the two unique selling points Samsung marketed in its TV ads around the world. While the T100 was a GSM dual-band model, it also had a CDMA sibling with a similar design that sold in markets like Korea, the USA, and Israel. The T100 went on to sell over 10 million units by 2003, earning it a place in Samsung’s corporate history, and now featuring on the company’s website. For Samsung, which at the time was selling around 53 million phones a year, it was a previously unimaginable success.