There’s been evidence of informal use of the word brick in this sense since the mid-2000s, the idea being that the device’s lack of functionality makes it no more useful than a brick. This usage was possibly inspired by the slightly earlier use of brick to refer to outdated or particularly unfashionable-looking mobile phones, phones that were large, bulky and block-shaped, therefore resembling a ‘brick’ (I remember them well!).

There’s been evidence of informal use of the word brick in this sense since the mid-2000s, the idea being that the device’s lack of functionality makes it no more useful than a brick. This usage was possibly inspired by the slightly earlier use of brick to refer to outdated or particularly unfashionable-looking mobile phones, phones that were large, bulky and block-shaped, therefore resembling a ‘brick’ (I remember them well!).