The good smartphone model partnerships, ranked

Realme not too long ago launched a Coca-Cola themed smartphone, marking the most recent in an extended line of collaborations between telephone manufacturers and firms exterior the tech sphere. There have been a great deal of these smartphone partnerships over time, giving us some cool (and infrequently not-so-cool) merchandise. However which collabs resulted within the greatest telephones and/or equipment? We’ve ranked the best smartphone-plus-brand partnerships.

(Simply to make clear, we’re not camera-related partnerships like Nokia and ZEISS or HUAWEI and Leica, however quite tie-ups between cell corporations and different manufacturers normally.)

This wasn’t the primary case of a smartphone model teaming up with a carmaker, as we’d already seen HUAWEI/Porsche and OPPO/Lamborghini previous to this. However OnePlus and McLaren actually delivered respectable wares throughout their partnership.

The tie-up solely yielded two McLaren Version telephones, specifically the OnePlus 6T McLaren and the OnePlus 7T Professional McLaren fashions. Each gadgets delivered distinctive aesthetics in black and orange colours, however the OnePlus 6T mannequin unarguably introduced extra to the desk. We bought 30W wired charging right here (in comparison with 20W in the usual 6T) in addition to 10GB of RAM (versus 6GB to 8GB). Toss in a particular plaque, black and orange charger, and a booklet detailing the auto model’s historical past, and it wasn’t half-bad for $699 at launch.

HUAWEI’s collab with Porsche Design kicked off again in 2017 with the Mate 10 sequence. Nevertheless, this was typically one of many extra disappointing model partnerships as Huawei’s Porsche-branded flagships normally solely featured a unique design and a sky-high worth. However we did typically see greater than a token effort.

Maybe the apex of this deal was 2018’s Mate RS. This handset featured a large worth hike over the P20 Professional, however you bought wi-fi charging, a QHD+ display, two fingerprint scanners (one unreliable in-display sensor and one rear scanner), extra storage, and a skinny bezel in lieu of a notch. In any other case, probably the most you might hope for on subsequent Porsche releases was an upgraded secondary digital camera with a wider aperture. Nonetheless, the Mate RS makes up for the in any other case overhyped partnership.

The Xiaomi Civi sequence of smartphones is basically geared toward girls, so the combo of the most recent Civi 2 handset and a cute model like Hiya Kitty is sensible. And the China-only Xiaomi Civi 2 Hiya Kitty Version positively works in follow.

A bunch of Hiya Kitty faces adorned the again of this telephone and turned crimson in daylight due to a photochromic again. It’s not the primary time we’ve seen rear covers that change when uncovered to daylight, however it’s nonetheless actually nifty. You’d additionally get a themed cowl and stickers, so it’s not probably the most spectacular particular version general, however the telephone itself is exclusive.

Samsung joined forces with Pokémon in 2022, bringing a number of nifty equipment to customers. For starters, we bought a very cool Poké Ball carrying case for Galaxy Buds earbuds. However we additionally bought equipment like a Pokémon cowl for the Galaxy Z Flip 4 and a watch strap for the Galaxy Watch 5.

The most important draw back to this proposition is that we didn’t get any correct particular version telephones right here. It could’ve been neat to see a Pikachu-themed Galaxy Z Flip 4 or PokéDex-style Galaxy Z Fold 4. However some would possibly argue {that a} cowl case is a significantly better concept.

Our most up-to-date smartphone/model partnership got here through Realme and Coca-Cola earlier this yr. This took the type of a finances Realme 10 Professional 5G with a two-tone black-and-red shade scheme on the again. However the software program customizations actually make this one stand out due to a customized UI, customized ringtones, and even the sound of a can of Coke being opened as a digital camera shutter impact.

The extras aren’t something to jot down house about, comparable to a customized SIM tray instrument formed like a Coca-Cola bottle cap, the Realmeow mascot, and stickers. But it surely’s nonetheless a fantastic particular version telephone for the ~$255 price ticket.

OnePlus really collaborated with Marvel on no less than two telephones over time. We bought the OnePlus 6 Avengers Version again in 2016, that includes a glass again with a Kevlar-like sample beneath it, in addition to a great-looking Iron Man case and a random medal.

Nevertheless, the OnePlus 10T Marvel Version stepped issues up by together with an analogous Iron Man case in addition to a Captain America Defend Pop-Socket, and a Black Panther telephone stand. Neat. Only a pity that the precise telephone itself didn’t seem like something particular.

There are token model partnerships, after which there are tie-ups that go above and past. Fortunately, the latter is strictly what we noticed with Samsung and Star Wars in 2019.

Samsung provided a Star Wars Version Galaxy Word 10 Plus in a crimson and black shade scheme, full with Kylo Ren imagery and a Mild Saber-like S Pen. And sure, the telephone made a Mild Saber sound impact if you eliminated the S Pen from its storage slot. This customization prolonged to the software program, giving us a customized UI, wallpapers, and extra. The addition of extras like a case and customized Galaxy Buds solely sweetened the deal much more.

There have been lots extra partnerships over time, with OnePlus and Cyberpunk, Iqoo and BMW, and OPPO and Gundam being three honorable mentions. What’s your favourite collaboration?