Many people have witnessed the evolution of cell phones from the first cell phone invented by Motorola in 1973 to the smartphones released by many brands today. In today’s highly competitive market for cell phones, most people will discuss the appearance, the chips, the cameras, and other hardware as well as the operating system of the phone, but very few will talk about the packaging of the phone. Cell phone packaging has also gone through several changes along with the phone, and as a packaging practitioner, I’d like to share with you how it has evolved over time.
Material
There is no doubt that the unique appearance of the packaging is one of the most important aspects of the red sea market for cell phones. As cell phones are generally high-value items, if they are damaged, they will suffer significant losses, so it is also important to consider whether the packaging is sufficiently strong to provide adequate protection. It is also important to consider the sustainability of the packaging. A technology-based enterprise should take responsibility for protecting the environment while providing convenience to its users. Due to these factors, from the first generation of cell phone packaging through the majority of present-day cell phones, the paper has been used as a raw material for packaging. It is low in cost, and the printing and processing technology is mature sufficient to realize various types of designs. Furthermore, in comparison with other materials, it demonstrates good resistance to compression and breakage. Most of the paper materials can be reused, it is also very environmentally friendly. As a result, paper packaging for cell phones continues to be the norm at present.
Paper is a generic term for a wide variety of materials made from fibers, but it is actually divided into a number of different types. The packaging industry commonly uses paper such as grey board, corrugated board, cardboard, kraft paper, coated paper, specialty paper, etc. If you are unfamiliar with the packaging industry, you may not have any idea what it is all about. However, the focus of this article is on cell phone packaging, and I will not discuss the differences one by one here, but if you are interested, you can read my other article <Common types of paper used in packaging>.
Corrugated box
Corrugated board was the primary raw material used in the early days of cell phone packaging. Typically, corrugated boards are composed of three layers: a face liner, a pleating paper (called a flute in the industry), and an inner liner. Because of its hollow structure, the corrugated board has the greatest thickness of any paper material of the same weight, which means it provides a better cushioning effect and is more resistant to breaking and compression. Corrugated boards are also inexpensive and have a greater cost advantage when manufactured in mass, while the processing technology for the corrugated boxes was relatively mature at the time, so corrugated packaging has an absolute advantage. For the inner tray, corrugated board, plastic, and sponges were all available. Furthermore, as a result of environmental protection, the overall molded pulp tray solution was introduced, but due to its rougher surface and low density, it was not widely utilized.
Molded pulp box
Later, as technology developed, molded pulp material’s flatness, texture, and strength were greatly improved. Therefore, there are a number of cell phone brands that have launched molded pulp packaging, the most representative of which is HTC. When the coated paper is laminated on the surface of the box, a beautiful printing effect can be achieved, and a variety of hot stamping, printing, lamination, and other special effects can also be used, cell phone packaging has become more luxurious.
Grey board box
However, as the technology of rigid boxes made of grey board began to mature, its relatively low cost and its ability to produce comparable strength and texture with the molded pulp box, the molded pulp box was gradually replaced by grey board boxes, which have since become the preferred material for phone packaging. Grey board is formed from recycled waste paper, which has excellent flatness and then covered with smooth coated paper, which is visually appealing and extremely environmentally friendly. Apple has been using this type of packaging for their iPhones since the first phone they introduced in 2007. The latest iPhone 14 also uses this type of packaging, made of grey board.
One of its patents must be mentioned here. Apple’s box has the shape of a top-and-bottom box, and if you hold the top box with one hand, the bottom box will slowly fall within 3-8 seconds. The principle is to use its sealing to control the amount of air entering to control the speed of the drop of the bottom box, thereby eliminating the possibility that the bottom box containing the phone could fall due to a momentary inattention to pick up the top box, resulting in damage to the phone, as well as providing a more satisfying feeling of opening the package. Initially, the inner tray was made with corrugated board, but the following generation used a plastic inner tray to provide more reliable support for the phone.
Plastic box
In order to demonstrate the brand’s uniqueness, there is also a part where plastic is used for packaging box material. Although the appearance and structural strength of these packaging boxes have been improved, they not only cost more but are also less environmentally friendly. Therefore, it is relatively rare for brands to use this type of packaging.
The above is a brief overview of the evolution of cell phone packaging in recent years. If you have any additional words, please feel free to leave a comment below. As time passes, I believe that cell phone packaging will become more lightweight and environmentally friendly.
