Term of the Moment
high resolution
Definition: smartphone
A combination cellphone and handheld computer that created the greatest tech revolution since the Internet. The two smartphone platforms are iPhone and Android. As of 2025, there are nearly seven billion smartphones in use, and half of U.S. citizens spend around four hours a day using them. See how to select a mobile device.
Most Versatile Device Ever
A smartphone does everything a personal computer can do, and because of its mobility, a whole lot more. Although screen size is a limitation, the increasingly higher resolutions and pixel density make text very readable. Although typing is more cumbersome than on a desktop keyboard, voice recognition continues to eliminate much of the tedium. See phablet.
Apps, Apps and More Apps
Like every computer, what gives life to the hardware is the software, and there are hundreds of thousands of mobile applications, both free and paid (see online app store). Most apps are created for both iPhones (iOS) and Androids. However, there are far too many in the same category, most of which offer very similar functions. For example, in 2020, there were more than 200 voice recorder apps in the iOS and Android app stores. See smartphone features, smartphone operating system and cellphone vs. smartphone.
A Dumb Phone and Smart Everything Else
Ironically, the least spectacular thing about a smartphone is the phone. A smartphone can cut out and drop calls like any cellphone, and the more users within a cell tower's reach at a given moment, the more likely the interruptions.
History
In 1994, IBM and BellSouth introduced the heavy and pricey Simon Personal Communicator, a phone/PDA touted as the first smartphone (see personal communicator). In the 2000s, BlackBerry was the corporate smartphone; however, in 2007, the iPhone changed the industry forever. See iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Phone, Symbian, feature phone and smartphone keyboard. See also smart TV.
The First Smartphone Platforms
Smartphones Grew Up
A Double Touchscreen
Moto Z Modular Smartphones
Ahead of Its Time
What's Inside
Most Versatile Device Ever
A smartphone does everything a personal computer can do, and because of its mobility, a whole lot more. Although screen size is a limitation, the increasingly higher resolutions and pixel density make text very readable. Although typing is more cumbersome than on a desktop keyboard, voice recognition continues to eliminate much of the tedium. See phablet.
Apps, Apps and More Apps
Like every computer, what gives life to the hardware is the software, and there are hundreds of thousands of mobile applications, both free and paid (see online app store). Most apps are created for both iPhones (iOS) and Androids. However, there are far too many in the same category, most of which offer very similar functions. For example, in 2020, there were more than 200 voice recorder apps in the iOS and Android app stores. See smartphone features, smartphone operating system and cellphone vs. smartphone.
A Dumb Phone and Smart Everything Else
Ironically, the least spectacular thing about a smartphone is the phone. A smartphone can cut out and drop calls like any cellphone, and the more users within a cell tower's reach at a given moment, the more likely the interruptions.
History
In 1994, IBM and BellSouth introduced the heavy and pricey Simon Personal Communicator, a phone/PDA touted as the first smartphone (see personal communicator). In the 2000s, BlackBerry was the corporate smartphone; however, in 2007, the iPhone changed the industry forever. See iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Phone, Symbian, feature phone and smartphone keyboard. See also smart TV.
These models were the first smartphone platforms on the market. Windows phones were discontinued, and BlackBerry phones ran Android until 2022. In its heyday, the BlackBerry's physical keyboard was its trademark.
When contrasted with today's phone screen sizes, it may be hard to remember how incredibly impressive the iPhone was when it debuted in 2007. See iPhone and Galaxy S.
In 2012, the Russian YotaPhone had an LCD screen in front and an E Ink screen in back. YotaPhones were the only smartphones visible in bright sunlight. See E Ink.
In 2016, Motorola introduced its Moto Z phones with snap-ons that added functions such as hi-fi speakers, a projector and, in this example, a professional Hasselblad camera. See Moto Z. (Image courtesy of Motorola Mobility LLC.)
In 2002, this Palm Treo ran the popular Palm PDA application along with email and Web browsing. See Palm. (Image courtesy of Palm, Inc.)
Split open a smartphone and you find the battery takes up most of the internal room. The system-on-chip (SoC) is the brains of the device, and takes very little space. See SoC.