I feel like a lot of this trendy stuff comes out because it demos very well. The designer shows it off in a controlled setting, everyone's wowed and impressed and glad they hired a "good" designer, and nobody bothers to check whether it's actually useful at all. Someone should've pointed out the website is there to sell the product, not to showcase the FE guys's skills.
If you'd like to sell a phone, hire a web designer that shoots for real goals instead of trendy bullshit.