The Sidekick was the first phone built around messaging rather than calling, and its swivel-open screen and full keyboard still have no real modern equivalent. Collectors buy them for the hardware, because almost nothing about the original experience survives — none of them can be activated on a modern network. This is a guide to the models, the prices, and the one part that always breaks.
The models worth knowing
- Sidekick (2002): the original Danger Hiptop. Historically the most significant and the hardest to find in working condition.
- Sidekick II (2004): the model that made the design famous, with a better keyboard and camera.
- Sidekick 3 (2006): trackball, media player, microSD. Often considered the peak of the line.
- Sidekick LX / 2008 and Sidekick LX 2009: larger displays, more refined, more common.
- Sidekick 4G (2011): a Samsung-built Android device wearing the name. Different lineage, and the only one running an OS still recognisable today.
What condition means for value
- The hinge is the failure point. Test the swivel; a loose or cracked hinge drops value sharply.
- Screens suffer from delamination and dead pixels after two decades in storage.
- Original battery, charger, and box raise value substantially — batteries that still hold charge are increasingly rare.
- Limited editions and artist-designed variants command real premiums; standard-colour units in average condition trade for modest sums.
- Prices are set by collector demand rather than utility, so they move with nostalgia cycles, not spec sheets.
If you actually want a keyboard phone today
The honest answer is that nothing replaces it. Physical-keyboard phones are a niche served mainly by rugged and enterprise handsets, plus a small run of keyboard cases and Bluetooth accessories for modern phones. If the goal is fast typing on a current network, a Bluetooth keyboard paired to a normal phone gets closer than any surviving Sidekick.
Whatever you carry alongside the collection, we rank every plan on price and coverage.
Compare phone plans →Frequently asked questions
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Jean writes ShopCellPlans' reviews. He compares carrier plans using each carrier's own published prices, its FCC broadband labels and reporting from named outlets, and ranks them on the bill you actually get, taxes and fees included, not the price on the ad.