Ericsson GF768

Year: 1997
Prototype level: Non-Final
Codename: Emma

Overview

The Ericsson GF768 was one of Ericsson’s most colourful phones of the late 1990s and the company’s first handset with a flip cover. Developed with a strong emphasis on design, it was offered in a wide range of bright colours including yellow, red, blue, orange, light green, electric blue, green and grey. Ericsson’s own history of the model describes how the design evolved through numerous prototypes before production was finalised. 

The specimen in this collection is an early development unit with a completely black, unfinished front cover. The printed ABC letters and other symbols normally found around the keypad are also absent, further showing that the exterior had not yet been finalised. The phone is fitted with a final grey GF768 flip, creating an unusual combination of unfinished prototype hardware and a production component.

The contrast is particularly interesting on a phone whose final identity was so closely associated with its bright colours and carefully developed exterior design. This specimen therefore captures the GF768 at a much earlier stage, before the colourful production finishes and printed details had been applied.