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IrelandMrwhosetheboss's phone history becomes a trip down memory lane
His only new upload has reached 7.5 million views, with viewers remembering Razrs, unusual hinges and the indestructible Nokia.
Mrwhosetheboss
Story of No. 94 on the daily chartNo. 7 on the Tech chart
Why this story? The channel's weekly summary: what went up this week, what is drawing views now, and where the channel stands among similar channels.
I Tested 42 Years of Phones!
Next story: Mrwhosetheboss reaches 23.1 million subscribers
Things we can learn from the video
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- 1:16The Motorola DynaTAC illustrates early mobile compromises: a large handset and just 30 minutes of talk time.
- 5:49IBM's Simon combines a resistive touchscreen, stylus, built-in apps and a puzzle game.
- 8:07The Nokia 9000 Communicator unfolds into a keyboard-equipped organiser, with Ben Wood recalling its impact.
- 22:18The original iPhone arrives without 3G; Arun explains how the App Store later expanded its possibilities.
- 29:08The Galaxy Note brings a large screen and stylus into the story of increasingly capable pocket devices.
- 34:26Arun traces folding phones from Samsung's troubled first Galaxy Fold launch to the 2026 handsets.
The Nokia hits the floor, and viewers reserve their concern for the floor. That familiar joke has found a home beneath Mrwhosetheboss's "I Tested 42 Years of Phones!", the sole new upload in a week that gave Arun Maini's audience plenty to reminisce about.
Borrowing historic handsets from the Mobile Phone Museum, Arun works through devices that once made the future feel tangible. The IBM Simon has a stylus and touchscreen; the Nokia 9000 Communicator opens to reveal a keyboard. Museum founder Ben Wood joins remotely to recall the astonishment that pocket-sized computing inspired.
The comments add another history alongside the specifications. Viewers remember their first Motorola Razr, miss the era of odd hinges and distinctive shapes, and notice the PlayStation hardware changing in the background. Others turn the usual upgrade question on its head: across decades, the differences are rather easier to spot than between annual releases. The video includes a sponsored VPN segment.
At roughly 7.5 million views, the retrospective is also the channel's busiest video right now. The preceding 3D-printed-tech experiment remains active, followed by September's "Which AI is smartest?" Those three subjects make a fairly recognisable Arun combination: where technology came from, what you can make with it, and what it might do next.
Subscribers held steady over the week, while daily views are below their usual level. Across the nearby gadget channels, Kyle Krueger had a particularly active week and Unbox Therapy was quieter than usual. Mrwhosetheboss added slightly more weekly views than Linus Tech Tips, with the phone collection supplying its largest new audience.
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What viewers say
I was worried when he dropped the vintage phone.... until I realised it was the 3310. Then i was worried about the floor.
@yogirajkolhatkar5236See it on YouTubethe ultimate "should you upgrade" video
@macvinceSee it on YouTubeTotal blast from the past, I’m a millennial and my first phone was a razor.
@JasonBaker-d4l5tSee it on YouTube
6 more comments
Put this video in the youtube archives. People from 2060 will be blown away
@jkabu_See it on YouTubePhone history ❌ Play station evolution in the background ✅
@LocalfootySee it on YouTubeI smiled through this entire video. Back when phones weren't just identical glass rectangles—every single one had a soul, a weird hinge, and a story. What a trip.
@anzabonanza3855See it on YouTubeAs a phone collector and also the founder of the subreddit r/vintagemobilephones, I enjoyed this video quite a bit. You managed to give a very profound and in-depth look into the world of mobile telephony and how it came about, without ever sounding cheesy or gimmicky. Dear Arun, the retro phone community salutes you! 🫡
@itxofficial8281See it on YouTubeSo now, at 51 yo, I find out that my dad's Motorola antenna was a lie? That's outrageous!
@marvinbhSee it on YouTubeImagine what the phone will look like in 42 years if it only took 42 years from the first phone to the newest model with such significant advancements.
@linalumturiSee it on YouTube
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The videos drawing views on Mrwhosetheboss right now
- Channel
- Mrwhosetheboss
- Subscribers
- 23,100,000
- Channel views, last 7 days
- 28,256,774
- Videos published this week
- 1
- Video published
- November 9, 2026
- Video views so far
- 7,492,218
- Views on its first day
- 2,978,314
The numbers
Here is how the phone retrospective and the wider channel performed this week.
💡 Test your knowledge
Which handset in Arun's retrospective opens to reveal a QWERTY keyboard?
Arun demonstrates the Nokia 9000 Communicator's keyboard and organiser features during the museum-assisted retrospective.