If you’re reading this, you’ve probably got your own cell phone.
Throughout the 21st century, our need for and reliance on phones has grown exponentially.
You may have even said, “I can’t live without my phone!”
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a few times in the past.
In a way, this truly is the case.
Today, we work, shop, communicate, and learn via our phones.
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But how did this mammoth industry begin?
Where did cell phones start, and where will they go next?
It wasn’t until this year that everything changed.
Motorola engineer Martin Cooper created this revolutionary machine called the DynaTAC 8000X.
The DynaTAC 8000X weighed over a kilogram and had a length of over nine inches.
Today’s phones weigh between 150 and 200g, a stark contrast to the DynaTAC 8000X.
But at this point, any cell phone was a breakthrough.
But either way, a call was made, and cell phones became a reality.
We had a long way to go before attaining the kind of technology present in today’s phones.
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Even then, the DynaTAC 8000X was just a prototype and wasn’t available publicly.
So, when did cell phones become available to the public?
In 1987, Nokia-Mobira released its first cell phone, the Mobira Cityman 900.
But this was also incredibly expensive.
In 1992, Motorola released the International 3200, the first digital mobile phone.
This was vastly more affordable than the DynaTAC 8000X, but it cannot connect to GSM networks.
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In 1999, Nokia released the 7110 at a much more feasible price of $475.
After the 7110, cell phones started dropping in price, making them more affordable to the common person.
In 1965, Eric Johnson of the Royal Radar Establishment (RRE) created the first finger-controlled touchscreen.
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However, this was not a phone and was never made commercially available.
This was a personal digital assistant (PDA) with touchscreen and cell connection capabilities.
Many consider this to be the first smartphone, but this wasn’t the start of the smartphone revolution.
Before the smartphone boom, someone must first create the first modern smartphone.
This kind of modern smartphone came about in 2006 with the LG Prada (or LG KE850).
LG announced the upcoming release of the Prada in late 2006, and sales began in May 2007.
The screen was just 240x400 pixels, but its touch capability was big news.
LG sold over a million units within 18 months of the initial release.
However, another smartphone maker will soon outshine this groundbreaking gadget.
2007: The Smartphone Age Begins
Today, billions of people around the world own a smartphone.
But this wasn’t the case in the late 2010s.
At this point, the smartphone industry boomed with the release of the first-ever Apple iPhone, the A1203.
Apple has been around since 1976 and mostly made consumer electronics, such as the iMac and the iPod.
But, in the mid-2000s, Apple made history when the iPhone.
Nobody knew then that this line of smartphones would become the most popular worldwide.
But sincethe original iPhone was way ahead of its time, it became insanely popular.
However, the iPhone wasn’t the only smartphone people bought at this time.
Between 2006 and 2010, various telecommunications companies made their first move in the touchscreen smartphone space.
By 2011, smartphones were commonplace, with many manufacturers releasing new models annually.
But the goal wasn’t to recreate old phones.
If you want to know more, you should check out our explanation ofhow foldable screens work.
It didn’t take long for bigger names to hop on the bandwagon.
In 2019, Samsung launched the Galaxy Fold.
However,Samsung delayed the release of the Galaxy Fold to implement further improvements.
And despite the delay, the company still received a lot of criticism after its release.
Most importantly, some users noticed creases and cracks in their screens shortly after purchase.
The capability of the phone is already nothing short of astounding, but we’re not done yet.
What does the future hold for cell phones?
Future phones will undoubtedly be smart, so we’ll refer to them as smartphones in this section.
There are a lot of rumors and theories going around as to what future smartphones might look like.
Embedded in your wrist?
There’s no denying expectations are high.
In reality, smartphones will likely evolve in less of a sci-fi manner.
For example, the ramp-up to 6G has already begun, with estimates for its release landing around 2030.
Smartphones may even one day become more eco-friendly.
All we can do for now is excitedly theorize.
There’s no knowing what incredible advancements we may see in smartphones in the near future.
But let’s hope the price tag doesn’t get any higher.
