Astro Slide is the first smartphone with a removable physical keyboard with 5G connectivity. We tried it during the ShowStoppers event, on the occasion of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. At first glance it looks like a normal Android smartphone with a large screen, but just pull out the physical keyboard and the memory runs back to the pre-iPhone era, when the Nokia Communicator was one of the most popular devices and sought after by technology enthusiasts. We do not in any way expect the Astro Slide to conquer significant market shares, but we do not doubt that a small but large circle of nostalgics will appreciate the idea and are willing to pay a premium price (almost $ 1000) in order to relive the glories of handhelds with physical keyboards.
by Andrea Nepori
shooting and editing by Stefano Scarpa