A handset device (10) includes a laminated front sub-assembly (15) and a rear housing (20) supporting the laminated front sub-assembly. In addition, in one example, an integrated circuit substrate (24), a battery (28), and a speaker (32) are held adjacent to each other in a non-stacked arrangement in the rear housing. In one example, the laminated front sub-assembly may include a sheet (32) having operative indicia coupled therewith and a user interface substrate (56) operatively coupled to the sheet. The laminated front assembly 15 can also include a display (52), such as an electrophoretic display, held between the user interface substrate (56) and the sheet (32).