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That window to the phone's soul - its back - is seeing a design inspiration resurgence lately and, after awarding the best phones of 2023 according to less important metrics, we'd be remiss not to rank all the beautiful phone rears that people judge our net worth and value as a person by.
We kid, but while for its owner a phone is mainly the screen they stare at all day long, for those strangers we need to impress with the latest and greatest it is the back that brings immediate recognition, much to our chagrin or gratification. Let's rank all that junk in the trunk that made us pause before we slapped a case on it!
PhoneArena back beauties and beasts of 2023
A quick scroll through our PhoneArena 2023 Awards reveals exciting rear looks of phones that are not only stuffed to the gills with technology, but are also design inspirations. From transparent bodies to DSLR camera lookalikes, gone are the days of boring monochrome flat glass phone backs. A great back has to exude either style or a bit of wack, but in all cases it has to attract attention and immediate model recognition, so what are the standouts?
Oppo Find X6 Pro
Style AND substance
If you don't want to go too Marina Abramovich with your flagship phone styling, while still keeping yourself on the head-turning and artsy side, you can't do much better than Oppo's 2023 Find X6 Pro flagship.
Its giant round camera island with Hasselblad branding is centered at long last, and ticks all the right head-turning and flagship camera phone recognition boxes. Oppo, however, added a rather unorthodox and beautiful two-tone styling and made it so that its original case matches the back design to the leather letter.
It doesn't matter if the case is on or off, the two-tone faux leather and aluminum back is just as stylish for anyone to look at and marvel. A rather brilliant idea and one look at the phone's back attracts attention to the point that folks have exclaimed "now that seems like a phone with a capable camera!" Yep, Oppo has ticked so many great phone back boxes with the X6 Pro that it makes us wonder what does it have in store for us come X7 Pro time!
Nothing Phone 2
LEDs & Guts
There aren't many phone backs as visually striking as those of Carl Pei's Nothing Phone line these days. The OnePlus co-founder decided to go it alone and redefine phone usage with their Nothing brand.
Unlike the somewhat Quixotic efforts by the "Father of Android" Andy Rubin and his Essential Phone undertaking that had similar ambitions and did titanium designs before it was cool, the Nothing Phone 2 is nothing short of looks and brains for the money.
Instead of using fancy and expensive build materials, Carl Pei envisioned it a head-turner in a more ingenious way, by simply making the phone's rear plate mimic transparency. One look at the back of the Nothing Phone 2 and it immediately becomes clear what the brand and model are. A second look brings a glimpse of the well-arranged internals, not to mention the cool LED game that the translucent back is running all over. Kudos for making a one of a kind phone line, Carl!
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Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5
When cover screen is all-screen
We'd be remiss not to install the 2023 foldable display clamshell by Samsung as one of the best entrants in this year's pantheon of head-turning back designs. Not to be outdone by Oppo and Motorola which made big, actually usable cover screens cool, Samsung decided to go all in and splatter organic light emitting diodes across the whole upper half of the Galaxy Z Flip 5.
While this ushered it in the era of widgets, notification interaction, and main camera viewfinder on clamshell phone backs, it also precludes it from installing larger camera sensors like Oppo did with the Find N3 Flip that still offers a big cover screen on the rear. Better enjoy the view before Samsung changes its mind about what its clamshell rears should look like yet again!
Snatch the Galaxy Z Flip 5 and save big on Samsung
$399
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$600 off (60%)
The Galaxy Z Flip is now available at the Samsung store with trade-in credit for $600 less. If you want everyone's eyes to be on you every time you take out your phone (and not break the bank), now's your time to get the Galaxy Z Flip 5.
Snatch the Galaxy Z Flip 5 with an Amazon gift card: now
$150 off (12%)
The Galaxy Z Flip 5 is now available at Amazon as well. Currently, the retailer sells it alongside a $150 Amazon gift card. The price is for a fully unlocked device with 512GB of internal storage space.
Who's that person holding a big iPhone with three corner cameras? Richy Rich has made it in the world, but is it the latest one with the periscope square? Nah, not going out with this wannabe rocking a 13 Pro Max still!
Apple stays comparatively boring with its phone backs and hardly deserves a ranking here on design merits alone. It, however, eschews frequent changes simply because its designs quickly become a recognition staple and a status symbol. It only prods and nudges here and there just to set one generation apart form the other enough to transfer all that recognition to the owner of its latest and greatest.
That, or it wants to sell cases. Whatever the reason, it works, so the iPhone 15 Pro Max's back with a transparent MagSafe case on is the ultimate symbol of... whatever its owner decides... picking the baton from the 14 Pro Max before it. What do you think, why aren't the iPhone's backs as exciting as the other ones listed here but still carrying street cred like little else?
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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena since 2010, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.
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