Mobile Phone - The Evolution

Today, the average cell phone user unlocks their device over one hundred times a day. Most of us take our mobile phones for granted these days, but these devices have a long and interesting history.

The first cell phone to be invented was designed to make communication more accessible than it had ever been in the past. While they might not be the biggest name in the industry today, the first cell phone was actually designed by Motorola. The development of mobile begins with their success story in 1973 when they produced the first working handheld mobile phone. This cell phone was known as the DynaTAC 8000X. However, it was still a prototype at this point, and it would take around ten years and $100m in development costs for the first handheld mobile phone to finally be released to the market in 1983.

This led to brick phones gaining traction in the following years, and in 1987, the Mobira Cityman 900, the first cell phone from Nokia, was released to the market. The following year, the SH-100 was released as the first cell phone from Samsung. By 1989, the world had the first flip phone, another from Motorola known as the MicroTAC 9800X.

Over the next few years, flip phones would become more advanced and grow to be the most in-demand type of cell phone in many areas.

What is the Definition of a Smartphone?

The term smartphone refers to a handheld electronic device providing a connection to a cellular network. Smartphones were first introduced by IBM but have since expanded, with various companies now offering smartphones including big names like Samsung and Apple. While smartphones were originally intended to be a device that allowed people to communicate via both phone and email on the same device, they now offer much more than that, allowing people to access the internet, send text messages, video call, use various apps and games, and much more.

The world’s first smartphone was created in 1994 by IBM. It was nicknamed ‘Simon’ and offered features that were revolutionary at the time such as a touchscreen, a built-in calculator app, and email. Since then, smartphone functionality has continued to improve, with Apple releasing the ground-breaking iPhone in 2008. By this point, there were over three and a half billion mobile connections worldwide.

Buying a Cell Phone

These days, having a smartphone is no longer a luxury, and is a necessity for most people. With so many different cell phones, carriers, and retailers to choose from, it can sometimes be overwhelming to figure out how you are going to buy a new smartphone. To help you cut through all the information that is out there and find the best cell phone for you, we’ve got the answers to some of the most common questions about buying cell phones that you might have.

Where Can You Buy an Unlocked Phone?

These days, an unlocked phone is a good idea because it allows you to easily change mobile carriers if you find a better deal. The good news is that most retailers now sell unlocked phones due to the high demand, even if you buy your phone with a plan from some carriers. Big vendors also sell brand-new unlocked phones that you can purchase outright, and you can also buy them directly from the manufacturer.

Can You Buy a Cell Phone Without a Plan?

While most people tend to go for a cell phone with a plan for the convenience, you can buy a smartphone handset without having to sign up for a plan. You can buy phones outright from various manufacturers and retailers, without having to sign up for a lengthy contract. This gives you more freedom to look for SIM-only deals that suit you.

Do You Need a SIM Card for an Unlocked Phone?

You will need to get a SIM card on the network that you want to use. If you have an unlocked phone, you can choose any carrier that you like. You will need to get a SIM card from the carrier to start making calls, using data, and sending text messages.

Can You Buy Smartphones Online?

Yes. In fact, buying online can often be the best way to save money on your next smartphone as there are often more deals and special offers available. The only downside, however, is that you cannot try out the cell phone in person before you buy, so it might be worth heading to a store to do this if you want to try different handsets and find the best one for you.

Which Mobile Phone is Best to Buy?

In general, the iPhone and the Samsung Galaxy range are considered to be the best phones to buy if you want a good smartphone. You can get the latest flagship models, or if you want to save money you can opt for one that was released a couple of years ago. The price of these smartphones tends to drop drastically when a new model is released, but the slightly older models are still very good options that will provide everything that most people need in a smartphone.

Samsung Galaxy and Apple iPhone are known for good battery life, excellent features, high-quality cameras, and a stylish design. Both are excellent choices, so it really comes down to which operating system you prefer. Apple iPhones run on their own operating system, iOS, which is exclusive to Apple and works seamlessly with other Apple products such as iPads and MacBooks. On the other hand, Samsung’s Galaxy range runs the Android operating system from Google.

What’s the Best Brand Phone?

Apple and Samsung are generally considered to be the best brands of smartphone to go for, although there are some top contenders out there that have been making waves in the past few years such as Huawei and Honor. Apple or Samsung are the most popular options and might be ideal for you if you want to get a smartphone from a well-known brand that you should have no problem with finding accessories for or getting support for when you need it from third parties. Google Pixel is another up and coming brand of smartphone that is also becoming more and more popular and is generally considered to be one of the best value for money handsets if you are looking for a more affordable smartphone that offers features that are comparable to those offered by Apple and Samsung without the high price tag.

Types of Phones for Sale

Today, there are mainly smartphone handsets available for sale. While you can still find some traditional brick phones and flip phones available, these are often sold second-hand and are difficult to find through mobile phone manufacturers or retailers. With the development and advancement of smartphones, along with more smartphones being affordable, it’s no surprise that the demand for basic call and text-only handsets has plummeted. These days, you are going to be hard-pressed to find a cell phone that is not a smartphone or at least does not connect to the internet. And with smartphones available at various price points including several budget ranges, it often makes much more financial sense to buy a smartphone compared to a basic cell phone.

Cell Phone Deals – What You Should Know

When looking for a new smartphone, you are likely to come across a lot of special offers and deals. Some of these are on smartphone plans, for example, you may be able to get the first few months free or half price if you sign up to a specific plan. However, make sure that you check the price for when the offer period is over, as this is what you are going to be paying for the majority of the time that you are in the contract. It can be easy to get sucked into signing up for a new plan based on the special offer for the first few months without giving a huge amount of thought to how much you are going to be paying thereafter.

If you are looking for a cheap phone that you want to buy outright, then Amazon is a great place to look. All you need to do is visit the site, search for cell phones, and see what’s available. You can sort from the cheapest to the most expensive to make it easier for you to find the best prices. Or, you can wait for special offers and deals like Prime Day, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday to see what kind of phone deals become available on the marketplace. Once you have found a phone that suits your needs, just select and pay for it to have it shipped to your address. You can find both new and refurbished phones on Amazon, and there is customer support along with a refund or replacement option if the phone you receive doesn’t work as expected.

Family plans and deals might be another offer to consider when you are looking for a new smartphone. With a family plan, you can usually have several smartphones set up on one plan with one easy monthly payment, making it the ideal option for couples and families with kids who all have their own phone. Usually, this will include a set number of minutes, texts, and data for each phone, and is often cheaper compared to buying separate phones or separate phone plans for each person.

SIM only deals are another deal that you might be interested in for your new smartphone. As the name suggests, these plans come with just a SIM card and there is no phone included, so this might be ideal for you if you are hoping to purchase an unlocked handset outright and are not interested in a smartphone with a plan. SIM only deals are often much cheaper compared to standard phone plans, and some are contract-free, meaning that you can end them easily without any charges at any point.

What to Consider When Choosing a New Phone

Buying a new smartphone can be tricky. If you prefer Apple iPhones, then it can be easier as there are fewer models to choose from compared to Android phones. If you are an Android lover, then hundreds of models come out every year, making it much harder to decide on the right option for you. There are several things that you should consider first if you are looking to buy a new smartphone. These include:

Decide on an Operating System

iOS and Android are the two main operating systems available for smartphones today. iOS is exclusive to Apple devices, so if you want to use this operating system you will have a much smaller selection of phones to choose from. On the other hand, Android is used by all other smartphone brands today including Samsung, Google Pixel, and Huawei, which are popular options among Samsung users. There are several factors that might go into choosing the right operating system for you including the devices that you currently use. For example, iOS might make sense for you if you use a MacBook daily or are an iPad user, as the two are easier to sync. Personal preference, including what you like using most and what you are used to, is also often a major deciding factor.

Consider Battery Life

It’s important to consider how long the smartphone’s battery is going to last once you have charged it. Milliamp hours are used to measure battery capacity, which refers to the size of the battery. However, unfortunately it doesn’t really indicate how long the phone will be able to last on a charge. In fact, it can be tricky to determine how long you can expect a phone to last on a full charge as there are many different factors that can impact the battery life including the display, the things you do on your phone such as playing games, and the network usage. The good news is that there are lots of phone reviews out there so you shouldn’t have much trouble finding a review that details the battery life based on different usage.

While considering the battery life, it’s also important to think about how the phone is charged. Today you can get smartphones with both wired and wireless charging. Wired charging tends to come as standard in all smartphones, but lots of the newer models also offer a wireless charging option which is more convenient, although slower. Charging speed is measured in watts, and many smartphone companies are constantly improving charging technology so that you can achieve a full charge in a shorter period of time. You will need to get the right charging cable and/or wireless charger to make sure that you are achieving the fastest charging speeds for your phone.

Camera

Another important feature that most people are interested in exploring before they buy a smartphone is the camera. The camera quality is becoming more and more crucial as people are turning to their phones for photography and videography instead of buying separate cameras. However, while there are specs to look at, it is often best to try a camera out to determine the quality before you decide if it’s a good choice for you. This is because regardless of the specs, how good an image looks can be quite subjective.

Network Support

A new network generation tends to come out every decade or so. Right now, 5G has recently been deployed and is the latest network generation. However, if you want to use this faster network, then you need to be close to. 5G cell or tower, along with having a phone handset that supports 5G networks. To make things even more complicated, there are also different 5G network types. These are known as Sub-6 networks and can travel further distances even though they are not as fast. On the other hand, the mmWave networks are much faster, but not quite as reliable. If you want to be able to connect to different types of networks while you are using your smartphone, then you should check that the handset you are interested in will support it.

Storage

Another crucial factor to think about when choosing the right smartphone handset for you is the storage. This refers to how much stuff you can store on the device. Generally, devices are getting larger storage with each new release. There is also the option to store your photos and other files on your phone in the cloud, so you might not necessarily need a lot of physical storage. For most people, cloud storage is ideal for music, photos, videos, and other files, while the only things that they store on the phone itself are the apps. However, with that being said, apps are getting larger, so how much storage your handset has is still an important aspect to consider.

If you are not sure how much storage you are going to need for your new handset, then it is a good idea to find out how much you are currently using. You can usually find this option in the settings menu of both an iOS and Android handset. How close you are to the limit will usually help you determine how much storage you can go for on your new device. If you are an Android user, then some Android handsets allow you to use a MicroSD card slot to expand your storage. This allows you to add additional room for your apps and files on the phone if needed.

Processor

Since smartphones are essentially a small computer, the processor is an important spec to look at when you are buying a new handset. As with any computer, the processor in a smartphone will significantly impact how well it is able to handle tasks. If you only want to browse the web or scroll through social media apps, then the processor might not be a hugely important feature for you to focus on. However, if you use your phone a lot for playing resource-heavy mobile games or do a lot of multitasking, then a decent processor is a must. There are several companies that manufacture processors for smartphones. Apple make their own processors, so you should have no problems if you are going for an iPhone. For Android users, you may have a handset with a processor made by Samsung, Qualcomm, MediaTek, and others, depending on the brand.

RAM

Random Access Memory or RAM refers to where your phone stores apps and files for the short term. The more RAM your phone has, the more room there is to keep apps, files, and code open for easy and fast access. RAM is a super-fast storage type that is much faster compared to the main storage that comes with your phone. In general, more RAM is a better option, although you will also need to consider how well your phone handles the RAM. For example, although they only have around 4GB of RAM, this should not put you off buying an iPhone as they perform very well due to Apple optimizing how well the operating system and other components work with it. On the other hand, since Android handsets are not all made by Google, they do not have any say in how Android uses RAM and may need more to improve performance.

Display Size

Finally, the display size is another thing that most people find important when buying a new smartphone. This is usually a matter of personal preference and comfort. A larger display might be ideal if you play a lot of games or often watch shows and movies on your phone. On the other hand, if portability and being able to easily fit the phone in your pocket is something that is important to you, then you might prefer a smaller display. Today, you can usually find phone displays that range from around five inches to just under seven inches, although larger phones known as ‘phablets’ are also available for those who prefer them.

Today, we’ve come a long way from the first cell phone made by Motorola. With more smartphones added to the market each year, it’s important to know what you look for if you’re hoping to buy a new one.