No they didn't. The most popular form factor for phones before the iPhone was the thick flipphone, because it was easier to hold and use in one hand. Second mos

No they didn't. The most popular form factor for phones before the iPhone was the thick flipphone, because it was easier to hold and use in one hand. Second most popular right before the iPhone's introduction was likely the slide QWERTY layout, such as the Motorola Sidekick or Karma. It kept the smaller form factor of the candybar phone with the capabilities and keyboard of an early smartphone like the Blackberry Curve. Those were both "big brick" phone form factors that survived until around 2013. The iPhone popularized the broad slate form factor, which was quickly adopted by pretty much everyone wanting to field an Android phone from then on.