Showing 1–12 of 19 results
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BenQ P31 Unreleased Prototype: Nokia 6708’s Hidden Twin
Quick ViewThis unit is an ultra-rare BenQ P31 engineering prototype, representing one of the most historically significant missing links in Symbian UIQ development. Originally conceived around 2003-2004 as BenQ’s entry into the high-end touchscreen smartphone market, the P31 was built on Symbian OS 7 with UIQ 2.1 and designed as a compact, stylus-driven business device. It never reached commercial release, and only a very small number of early engineering samples were ever produced.
This unit stands out immediately. It carries no BenQ branding, no label, no IMEI sticker, and no certification markings whatsoever, confirming it as a direct engineering lab device belonging to the EVT or very early DVT phase. Even more extraordinary, it boots with Nokia startup logos, revealing its role in one of the most unusual collaborations in Symbian history: the transformation of the BenQ P31 hardware platform into the commercial Nokia 6708.
During development, Nokia needed a UIQ device for Asian markets but did not want to engineer new UIQ hardware from scratch. Instead, Nokia evaluated the P31 as a potential base. This unit belongs to the narrow transitional window where Nokia UIQ firmware branches were loaded onto BenQ hardware to test compatibility, performance, and UIQ adaptation. Evidence of this includes Nokia boot screens, Nokia font structures, early Nokia overlays for PIM apps, and firmware variant directories corresponding to internal Nokia identifiers such as E582 or UIQ test builds. This type of cross-firmware contamination is almost never seen outside internal Symbian development environments.
Hardware examination indicates the original P31 layout: touchscreen with stylus input, UIQ key structure, OMAP-based platform, VGA camera module, and early UIQ 2.1 software stack. The matte prototype plastics, generic shielding, unbranded flex cables, and absence of final molding marks clearly separate it from the later Nokia 6708 retail hardware. Meanwhile, the Nokia firmware elements confirm the device was active during the validation period before Nokia redesigned the shell, finalized the PCB revisions, and prepared the 6708 for market release.
Historically, the BenQ P31 is known from documents, press mentions, and UIQ SDK references but extremely few physical units survive. Most were destroyed when BenQ cancelled its Symbian efforts and shifted to Windows Mobile and Siemens acquisition projects. Estimates based on engineering validation patterns suggest fewer than 40 to 80 EVT devices were made, with only a fraction entering Nokia testing flows. Units that display Nokia boot elements but retain full P31 prototype hardware are believed to number in the low single digits, making this unit one of the rarest Symbian UIQ artifacts in private hands.
Beyond rarity, this unit captures an entire unspoken chapter of smartphone evolution. It demonstrates how early OEM partnerships shaped device portfolios, how Symbian UIQ was adapted beyond Sony Ericsson hardware, and how Nokia explored touchscreen ecosystems prior to its Series 90 and later platforms. The P31 shows that Nokia was more deeply involved in UIQ experimentation than publicly acknowledged, using BenQ hardware as a bridge to enter UIQ markets quickly. It also highlights the technical flexibility of Symbian OS 7 and UIQ 2.1, which could be made to run on foreign hardware architectures with relatively limited porting.
For collectors, this unit sits at the highest echelon of prototype rarity. It is a never-released engineering platform, positioned between two manufacturers, with firmware that exposes internal development layers normally hidden inside corporate labs. It is a device that not only predates the Nokia 6708, but directly influenced its existence. As a result, this BenQ P31 prototype is not just a smartphone; it is a critical historical artifact documenting the intersection of BenQ’s abandoned Symbian ambitions and Nokia’s strategic adaptation of UIQ technology.
This unit, with its untouched prototype housing, label-free chassis, stylus support, UIQ interface, and Nokia boot sequences, stands as one of the finest surviving examples of transitional Symbian engineering hardware. It is a cornerstone piece for any top-tier collection focused on prototypes, UIQ development, or cross-manufacturer Symbian evolution.
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Benq Siemens EF81: Prototype in Black
Quick ViewBenQ-Siemens EF81 – Unreleased Black Prototype
A rare glimpse into an alternative design direction for the BenQ-Siemens EF81. This prototype features an unreleased black finish and a radically different keypad design compared to the commercially available model.
Its brushed-metal keypad, flat layout and distinctive red markings are particularly striking, bearing an interesting resemblance to the styling later seen on the Nokia N76.
Beyond the unusual appearance, this unit carries a prototype identification label marked “NOT FOR SALE”, further highlighting its pre-production status.
An intriguing piece of BenQ-Siemens history, offering a glimpse of a design variation that never made it to the retail market.
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Ericsson Futaba | Unreleased Prototype
Quick ViewEricsson A2618 offers WAP and SMS technology, it becomes the fourth Ericsson mobile phone with WAP function (the other belongs to MC218, R320 and R380).
Based on a new platform ‘Michelle’, it features a sensuous “S-curve” design and contains the latest developments in software and functionality.
The address book could store up to 100 telephone numbers and associated names in the phone’s memory with voice activated dialling and short cut keypad dialling for the first 9 entries. The call lists recorded the last 20 dialled, answered or missed calls.
The A2618s included time and date functions, an alarm clock, a stop watch, call timers and basic function calculator. It could also send and receive SMS text messages and allowed levels of personalisation by selecting from a range of pre-loaded ring tone melodies, by composing your own ring tone and by changing the external covers.
Three games were also provided on the phone, Tetris, Erix and E-Maze. Finally, limited Internet access was provided to mobile services using the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) over an SMS bearer.
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Ericsson Futaba | Unreleased Prototype
Quick ViewAn extremely rare, never-released Ericsson prototype: a 2.5 GHz engineering unit labelled “Not Type approved”, made in Sweden (label: KRH 901 80 EP2, 06W38).
Fully functional. Tested in a live call on the Orange network, and to my surprise both the earpiece and the microphone work perfectly. Both screens still carry their protective films.
The original battery is swollen, so the phone was powered with another battery from the collection. Good to know: it takes the same battery as the Ericsson T66.
Overall condition: good.
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Motorola Aura R1 Unreleased Prototype : Engineering Design S/N 0303
Quick ViewA masterpiece from Motorola’s most ambitious luxury project, this is an extremely early pre-production Aura prototype, created before the final 2008 model and never meant to leave the design labs. It carries full engineering markings – “Prototype – Not For Resale”, “Do Not Photograph”, and a personalized engineer-assigned S/N (0303) – making it a true artifact of Motorola’s internal design history.
Unlike the retail Aura, this prototype features a unique diamond-etched metal housing, a larger mechanical gear window, unreleased keypad styling, and early internal board architecture. It represents the original mechanical vision for the Aura’s iconic rotating display mechanism – built more like a Swiss watch movement than a phone.
Surviving prototypes of the Aura are almost mythical. One with unreleased design, internal engraving, and full confidentiality markings is beyond rare – a museum-level piece and a highlight for any high-end mobile collection.
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Motorola E18 Ivory Unreleased Prototype: The Lost Luxury
Quick ViewThe Motorola E18 Ivory is one of the rarest and most intriguing unreleased devices ever created by Motorola. Designed as a luxury slider phone with high-end materials and a unique dual-stop sliding mechanism, the E18 represented a bold and experimental direction that Motorola never brought to market. This prototype was intended to compete in the ultra-premium segment, with the stainless steel production version carrying a projected retail price of around 2000 eur;, placing it far above standard Motorola models of the era.
This unit is an Ivory prototype in mint, as new, fully working condition, making it an exceptionally rare survivor. Very few E18 units were ever completed, and prototypes were typically scrapped, destroyed, or left non-functional. Having a working device in such preserved condition is considered unicorn-level rarity among Motorola collectors.
The defining feature of the E18 is its dual-stop slider mechanism. The first sliding step reveals a set of function keys, while the second sliding step exposes the complete T9 keypad. This layered mechanical design is unlike any mass-produced Motorola phone and reflects a level of engineering experimentation seen only in internal development devices. The combination of compact size, premium detailing, and complex mechanical motion makes the E18 one of the most innovative unreleased designs Motorola ever attempted.
Equipped with a 3 MP camera, premium external materials, and a sleek luxury aesthetic, the E18 Ivory was planned as a flagship device aimed at high-end buyers. Its design blends minimalist clean lines, luxury cues, and an advanced sliding system that offers a distinct tactile experience. The overall look and feel suggest that Motorola intended the E18 to stand alongside boutique luxury brands rather than mainstream consumer models.
Because the E18 project was cancelled before launch, surviving prototypes are extremely scarce. Most did not reach a stable operational state or were never finished to production quality. A mint, fully operational Ivory prototype is almost impossible to find, and it represents one of the most important pre-production artifacts in Motorola’s history. This device stands as a rare window into a luxury direction the company never pursued, making it a true collector trophy and a highlight in any high-end mobile phone collection.
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Nokia 3128 Prototype “ID SAMPLE”: BenQ Hybrid | Unreleased Colour Light Blue
Quick ViewThis device is one of the strangest, most intriguing Nokia 3128 variants ever uncovered. Externally it follows the familiar engineering path of the 3128 platform, but once powered on, everything breaks the pattern. There is no Nokia branding in the software, no Nokia splash screen, no Series 40 heritage, instead it boots into a BenQ-style interface, complete with custom icons, Chinese menu structures, and UI elements never found on any released Nokia product.
The label inside reads “ID SAMPLE”, marking it as a pre-production identity unit used for internal validation during Nokia’s ODM sourcing phase. These ID Samples were not mass-produced, not distributed to carriers, and not meant to survive outside the labs. The combination of Nokia hardware and a BenQ firmware stack indicates that this device comes from the period when Nokia briefly explored outsourcing complete handset UI development to third-party Asian manufacturers before ultimately abandoning the idea. The handwriting is a timestamp from the engineering team: “August 16, 2004.” It marks when this specific prototype was logged, flashed, or validated.
The software screens match early prototypes from unreleased BenQ flip designs, particularly those associated with the never-released BenQ A-Series Asian clamshells, hinting that this firmware was being evaluated on Nokia shells for cost and speed benchmarking. The UI animations, iconography, and color palettes align far more with BenQ’s internal 2004-2005 development than with anything Nokia ever shipped.
A detail that further confirms how early this unit is, the SIM card lock mechanism is completely missing, leaving the slot open and unfinished exactly as seen on raw factory evaluation samples. Even more telling, the device reports an IMEI of 0000000, a clear sign of a pre-IMEI-burning engineering stage where the radio stack and identity fields had not yet been finalized.
The mysterious “cmg” sticker seen on the display is consistent with internal testing labels used during configuration management, marking the unit for firmware staging or UI evaluation. These stickers usually identify a branch, a module, or a build handler inside the engineering workflow and marks it as a monitored experimental build – exactly the kind of anomaly this prototype represents.
All the elements together, the missing SIM lock, the IMEI 0000000, the absent Nokia splash, the BenQ interface, the “ID SAMPLE” marking, the prototype hardware architecture, and the inconsistencies between software and chassis, place this device among the rarest 3128 developmental anomalies, far more unusual than standard prototypes or early F-series units. It is a tangible piece of the abandoned Nokia-BenQ convergence experiments, where Nokia evaluated whether foreign UI stacks could run on their hardware to accelerate low-cost market entry.
A true one-off laboratory hybrid, and one of the most unusual pre-production Nokia 3128 derivatives ever documented.
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Nokia 5710 Unreleased Prototype B3.0: RM-187
Quick ViewThe Nokia 5710 (RM-187) prototype represents one of the rarest and most technically fascinating chapters in Nokia’s experimental design era. Built in Finland as a late-stage engineering sample, this unreleased device was intended to become the successor to the Nokia 5700 XpressMusic – and the final evolution of Nokia’s iconic twist-mechanism platform.
Carrying the markings “Prototype ? Property of Nokia ? Not for Sale”, this RM-187 unit showcases hardware that never reached production: a redesigned rotating lower module, a reinforced hinge, and an upgraded rotary connector meant to eliminate the flex-cable failures seen on earlier twist models. Every piece of internal labeling, from its pre-production QR matrix to the B-series hardware stamps, confirms its status as an authentic high-level engineering device.
Unlike the retail 5700, the 5710 was slimmer, structurally stronger, and technically more advanced – an ambitious internal attempt to create the third-generation twist phone, following the 3250 and 5700. Development was ultimately halted, making RM-187 the final Nokia twist platform ever constructed.
The result is a prototype that combines unfinished industrial design, experimental hardware, and a form factor that was already disappearing from Nokia’s roadmap. With no retail release and only a handful of RM-187 boards ever confirmed, this piece stands as a true collector’s artifact – a preserved snapshot of a daring design direction that Nokia never shipped.
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Nokia 6650 Prototype B1 6.2 : The lost first Nokia’s 3G Phone | Unreleased Black and Blue Colour
Quick ViewThe Nokia 6650 Prototype B1 6.2 represents one of the most important and fragile transition moments in Nokia history. This device is not just an early unit, but a full internal engineering prototype that captures the very first attempt to bring 3G technology into a classic Nokia candybar form factor.
An engineering device, not a consumer phone
The rear label clearly identifies this unit as Nokia internal property, explicitly marked PROTO and Made in Finland. The device uses a placeholder model designation XXXX, a standard practice for Nokia engineering hardware that was never approved for commercial sale. Hardware identifiers such as B1.6.2 and HWID 4122 place this unit deep inside Nokia internal testing cycles, well before mass production validation.
These labels were never meant to survive outside Nokia labs. Their presence confirms this phone was used strictly for internal testing, radio validation, and early software integration rather than marketing or carrier trials.
The unreleased early design language
This prototype showcases design elements that never reached the market. The blue front cover was never commercially released, while the black rear housing with its distinctive camera ornament remains completely unique to early prototype builds. When the Nokia 6650 eventually launched, it appeared only in a dark green colorway for both front and back, making this blue and black combination a lost design direction.
The body shape, materials, and external antenna confirm this device as the final Nokia candybar with an external antenna, closing an entire design era.
Early software and version identity
The software screen reveals version Vp1.301 dated 30-09-02, running on platform NHM-1 with PRI P1.1. This places the firmware only days after the official unveiling of the Nokia 6650 on 26 September 2002. The Vp prefix identifies a prototype firmware branch, used internally before public release software was finalized.
This version is not a commercial build and was never distributed outside Nokia engineering teams. It represents an unstable development snapshot used for functional validation rather than end user experience.
The startup warning and the two minute limitation
On boot, the phone displays a rare internal warning message stating that this is a Nokia prototype intended only for testing use, and that the software must be updated by the end of November 2002. This message is exceptionally rare and confirms the temporary nature of the firmware installed on the device.
Additionally, this prototype is restricted to a two minute operational window, a known internal safeguard used by Nokia to prevent prolonged use of unfinished hardware outside controlled environments. This limitation reinforces the fact that this unit was never meant to operate as a normal phone.
Why it truly matters
This prototype is the missing link between Nokias 2G legacy and its first step into the 3G world. It captures an unreleased design, unfinished software, and internal safeguards that almost never survive. More than a phone, it is a frozen engineering moment, documenting how Nokia experimented, tested, and iterated before rewriting its own future.
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Nokia 7500 Prism Prototype B3.0: Engineering Sample | Unreleased Gray Colour
Quick ViewNokia 7500b Prism – RM-250 PROTOTYPE (Codename: SCORPION) – a genuine engineering sample from Nokia’s internal development program. Features prototype IMEI (004401?), HWID exposure, pre-final RF labeling, and early R&D markings. This unit also includes a rare, unreleased graphite/metallic grey prototype housing used only on SCORPION pre-production builds before final Prism colours were approved. A highly valuable and historically significant prototype from the Prism design era
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Nokia 7700 Prototype F5.0 Black | Unreleased
Quick ViewA true piece of Nokia history – the Nokia 7700 F5.0 Prototype, Type RAL-2, made in Finland and never released commercially. This is one of the most ambitious devices Nokia ever built: a full-touch “media communicator” years before the 7710 and long before modern smartphones adopted the concept.
This listing includes two fully working prototypes, one in black and one in white, both belonging to the late engineering stage (F5.0) and carrying the internal Model: M designation. These units were intended for final validation and software testing, featuring the hardware configuration closest to what a retail 7700 would have been – had it reached the market.
The 7700 became legendary precisely because it never launched, making functional prototypes extremely rare. To find two, in different colours, in working condition, is virtually unheard of and places this set among the top-tier collector items of early smartphone history.
Whether displayed as design icons or preserved as engineering artifacts, these devices stand as one of Nokia’s boldest steps toward the touchscreen era.
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Nokia 7700 Prototype F5.0 White | Unreleased
Quick ViewThe Nokia 7700 (Model – M Type RAL-2) is a smartphone produced by Nokia, announced in October 2003 but never released. It was produced as a prototype unit between 2003-2004 It was expected to be the first smartphone running the Series 90 GUI on Symbian OS and Nokia’s first pen-based device, intending to compete against handsets like Sony Ericsson P800. At announcement Nokia dubbed it a “media device.” Compatible with GSM/HSCSD/GPRS/EDGE 900/1800/1900 MHz networks, the 7700 featured a wide, 3.5-inch touch-screen colour LCD with a resolution of 640 x 320 pixels which is the first smartphone with 2:1 aspect ratio and supporting 65,000 colours. It had 64 MB of internal memory and a MultiMedia Card (MMC) slot. It also included an integrated VGA camera with a maximum resolution of 640 x 480 pixels, an integrated FM radio, Bluetooth, USB and Nokia’s proprietary Pop-Port interface for connectivity purposes.
The 7700 was to include a comprehensive application suite (such as a complete PIM suite, ‘full’ web browser, email client and an office suite comprising Word Processor, Spread-Sheet and a PowerPoint viewer) and supported Java MIDP 2.0 applications. It was also to be the first phone to support Visual Radio, and the first Nokia phone to support DVB-H mobile television with the addition of the Nokia Streamer SU-6 accessory. The Nokia 7700 was cancelled in mid-2004. Several theories for the cancellation were put forward at the time: Nokia was refocusing on ‘normal’ phones due to decreasing market share; the phone would be too late to market; and the phone was unattractive and bulky. It also featured ‘sidetalking’ like the N-Gage, a feature that had attracted a great deal of negative publicity. The Nokia 7710 followed shortly later with increased memory, a different design, no ‘sidetalking’ and other improvements. However, the 7700 was nevertheless used for further trials of DVB-H. As stated above, the Nokia 7700 was never released to the public. It was only released to Nokia’s R&D (Research and Development) groups. A few models, estimated 20, were distributed prior to Nokia’s decision to discontinue the model before full-on production. However as they were preparing to make the move into stores, the final product prototypes were available in every Nokia Dealer store for display and show-off, so an estimate on how many pieces there actually were is impossible to make, or how many remained in factories and services that were testing them. Pricing is thus very difficult to assess due to lack of official sales. Nevertheless, a few models were sold on eBay since Nokia’s announcement of discontinuation. The lack of independent data to verify the sale records on eBay has caused some to overestimate the actual cost of the model. The phone is nevertheless considered by a number of Nokia collectors to be a rare piece.