brick
n. countablen. an electronic device that no longer works because of a serious software error. It is as useful as a heavy block of clay because it cannot turn on or do anything.
n. a consumer electronic device, such as a smartphone or router, that has become completely non-functional due to corrupted firmware or a failed software update. Informal in register; typically implies the hardware is unrecoverable through standard user methods.
The phone became a brick after the update failed.
I tried to install a custom operating system on my tablet, but a power outage during the process turned it into a brick.
While most software glitches are easily rectified with a factory reset, a corrupted bootloader can effectively turn an expensive piece of hardware into a useless brick.
Commonly used as a predicate nominative after the verb 'to be' or 'to become'.