Uploaded October 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
No, it’s not a BlackBerry (or a Treo) – this is an Android phone, built by one of the most revered mobile manufacturers for a time when social networks were still fun places to share status updates with friends and family. It was a more hopeful time, when phones were sold with pastel post-it notes and the notion of a dedicated Facebook button didn't send customers running for the door. Erm, well actually ... maybe that last bit isn't quite true.
The year was 2011, and the phone was the HTC Status (a.k.a. the HTC ChaCha, a.k.a. the HTC ChaChaCha, a.k.a. ... the phone that got me my first job as a gadget blogger. Welcome back to When Phones Were Fun!
[ABOUT WHEN PHONES WERE FUN – HTC STATUS / CHACHA]
This is the latest in a series of MrMobile videos exploring the mobile tech world's most vibrant period in design and experimentation. In “When Phones Were Fun,” Michael Fisher re-reviews cellphones from the golden age of mobile, the decade-long span from the turn of the century to approximately 2013.
This episode was produced with an HTC ChaCha purchased through eBay by MrMobile. MrMobile does not offer manufacturers the opportunity to preview, edit or approve content before publication. Neither HTC nor any other manufacturer provided compensation in exchange for this coverage.
[CHAPTERS]
00:00 Not a BlackBerry – but a Facebook Phone
00:53 Naming nightmare
01:50 A refreshing alternative (even back then!)
02:51 An era of specialized smartphones
05:08 QWERTY just makes (HTC) Sense
07:04 The Facebook button
08:12 Phone photos, 2011-style
08:58 Fun, but a failure
11:22 How the ChaCha got me my job
12:35 Outro & Disclosures
[SOCIALIZE]
facebook.com/themrmobile
instagram.com/themrmobile
instagram.com/captain2phones
threads.com/themrmobile
threads.com/captain2phones
twitter.com/themrmobile
twitter.com/captain2phones
https://mrmobile.tech
[DISCLOSURES]
Additional information concerning MrMobile’s ethics policy can be found here: https://mrmobile.tech/ethics
No, it’s not a BlackBerry (or a Treo) – this is an Android phone, built by one of the most revered mobile manufacturers for a time when social networks were still fun places to share status updates with friends and family. It was a more hopeful time, when phones were sold with pastel post-it notes and the notion of a dedicated Facebook button didn't send customers running for the door. Erm, well actually ... maybe that last bit isn't quite true.
The year was 2011, and the phone was the HTC Status (a.k.a. the HTC ChaCha, a.k.a. the HTC ChaChaCha, a.k.a. ... the phone that got me my first job as a gadget blogger. Welcome back to When Phones Were Fun!
[ABOUT WHEN PHONES WERE FUN – HTC STATUS / CHACHA]
This is the latest in a series of MrMobile videos exploring the mobile tech world's most vibrant period in design and experimentation. In “When Phones Were Fun,” Michael Fisher re-reviews cellphones from the golden age of mobile, the decade-long span from the turn of the century to approximately 2013.
This episode was produced with an HTC ChaCha purchased through eBay by MrMobile. MrMobile does not offer manufacturers the opportunity to preview, edit or approve content before publication. Neither HTC nor any other manufacturer provided compensation in exchange for this coverage.
[CHAPTERS]
00:00 Not a BlackBerry – but a Facebook Phone
00:53 Naming nightmare
01:50 A refreshing alternative (even back then!)
02:51 An era of specialized smartphones
05:08 QWERTY just makes (HTC) Sense
07:04 The Facebook button
08:12 Phone photos, 2011-style
08:58 Fun, but a failure
11:22 How the ChaCha got me my job
12:35 Outro & Disclosures
[SOCIALIZE]
facebook.com/themrmobile
instagram.com/themrmobile
instagram.com/captain2phones
threads.com/themrmobile
threads.com/captain2phones
twitter.com/themrmobile
twitter.com/captain2phones
https://mrmobile.tech
[DISCLOSURES]
Additional information concerning MrMobile’s ethics policy can be found here: https://mrmobile.tech/ethics
![My Year With The Foldables That Brought Flip Phones Back [Into The Fold Episode 8]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/XnHJhBNpWb4/mqdefault.jpg "My Year With The Foldables That Brought Flip Phones Back [Into The Fold Episode 8]
Sponsored by Surfshark VPN. Go to https://Surfshark.deals/mrmobile - Enter promo code MRMOBILE for 83% off and 3 extra months FREE!
[INTO THE FOLD EPISODE 8: MRMOBILE’S GALAXY Z FLIP 5G & MOTOROLA RAZR 5G LONG-TERM REVIEW]
When I first put on the MrMobile vest in 2016, I could never have predicted that by the end of the decade, the flip-top future tech I coveted as a kid would warp from novelty into fully-usable smartphones.
Since I bought the first Samsung Galaxy Fold in January 2020, I have exclusively carried foldables as my personal phones. Today my daily carry includes a Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 for weekdays, stepping down to the smaller Galaxy Z Flip and Motorola Razr 5G on weekends. And over time I’ve noticed a funny thing: while I can get more work done on phones like the Fold 2, I find the flips so convenient, so … fun ... that even during the week I sometimes slip one of these into my side pocket instead of the Fold.
So as we approach a second summer of Folds and Flips, I want to share my experience from the past year of actually using flip phones in our modern era: from nostalgic whimsy to screen-splitting heartbreak. I’m Michael Fisher and this is your Galaxy Z Flip 5G and Motorola Razr 5G long-term review.
[SUBSCRIBE TO MRMOBILE]
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSOp...
[ABOUT INTO THE FOLD EPISODE 8: MRMOBILE’S GALAXY Z FLIP 5G & MOTOROLA RAZR 5G LONG-TERM REVIEW]
This is the eighth in a series of episodes exploring the many facets of life on a folding screen. From the best foldable phones of 2020 to the bleeding-edge world of folding-screen laptops, Into The Fold is MrMobile’s showcase for the most exciting movement in mobile technology since 2007!
Episode 8, a long-term review of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5G and Motorola Razr 5G, was produced following nine months with a Motorola Razr 5G and ten months with a Galaxy Z Flip 5G (preceded by six months with a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4G). Device origins as follows:
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2: 1 month review sample provided by Samsung. Long-term tester purchased by MrMobile/Future PLC.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4G: 1 month review sample provided by Samsung. Long-term tester purchased by MrMobile/Future PLC.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5G: 1 month review sample provided by Samsung. Long-term tester purchased by MrMobile/Future PLC.
Motorola Razr 5G (Graphite): Long-term review sample provided by Motorola.
Motorola Razr 5G (Liquid Mercury): Personal device purchased by Michael Fisher.
MrMobile does not accept compensation from the manufacturers of the products he reviews in exchange for producing content. No payment was provided and no manufacturer or carrier was afforded a preview or copy approval rights concerning this review. The lone sponsor of this video is Surfshark VPN.
[LINKS]
Hugh Jeffreys [web]:
https://www.hughjeffreys.com/
Hugh Jeffreys [YouTube]:
https://www.youtube.com/c/HughJeffreys/featured
Hugh Jeffreys [Twitter]:
https://twitter.com/HughJeffreys
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3: News, Release Date, Specs, and Rumors! [Android Central]:
https://www.androidcentral.com/samsung-galaxy-z-flip-2
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip Review: Love For All The Wrong Reasons [Android Authority]:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MASYxevIIvY
Galaxy Z Flip [Reddit]:
https://www.reddit.com/r/galaxyzflip
[SOCIALIZE]
http://facebook.com/themrmobile
http://instagram.com/themrmobile
http://twitter.com/themrmobile
http://mrmobile.tech
[DISCLOSURES]
This post may contain affiliate links, which afford Future plc a commission should you make a purchase. This does not affect MrMobile’s editorial content. See Futures disclosure policy for more details: https://www.futureplc.com/terms-conditions/
Additional information concerning MrMobile’s ethics policy can be found here: https://mrmobile.tech/ethics
#galaxyzflip5g #motorolarazr5G #galaxyzflip #motorolarazr #razr #zflip #foldable #foldingphone #flipphone #intothefold #samsung #motorola $smartphone")
