Smartphone facts for kids

A person using a Samsung Galaxy S3 smartphone.

A smartphone is like a mini-computer you can carry in your pocket! It combines a regular mobile phone with many computer features. Unlike older phones, smartphones have powerful parts and smart software. This lets you do lots of things. You can use apps, browse the internet, watch videos, play games, and take photos. Of course, you can still make calls and send texts!

Smartphones have many tiny parts inside called integrated circuits. They also have special sensors that apps can use. These include sensors for direction, movement, and even air pressure. Smartphones also connect wirelessly using Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or satellite navigation. Some newer phones can even send messages by satellite when there's no regular phone signal.

After the iPhone became popular in the late 2000s, most smartphones started looking similar. They became thin with big touchscreens. These screens let you use your fingers to control things, like zooming in or out. You can also download or buy many different apps from online stores. Smartphones let you save things online (cloud storage) and use voice assistants. You can even pay for things with your phone! Smartphones have mostly replaced old devices like personal digital assistants (PDAs) and portable music players. They have also taken over some of the fun of handheld game consoles.

Better parts and faster wireless internet (like LTE) have helped smartphones become very popular. In 2022, over 1.4 billion smartphones were sold around the world. By 2020, more than 75% of people worldwide used a smartphone.

How Smartphones Started

Early smartphones were mostly made for business people. They tried to mix the features of a PDA (a small digital organizer) with a mobile phone. But these early phones were big, had short battery life, and slow internet. Over time, these problems were solved.

In the 2000s, new phone systems like BlackBerry, Nokia's Symbian, and Windows Mobile became popular. These phones often had full keyboards or touchscreens. They were good for checking emails and using the internet wirelessly.

The First Smartphone

The IBM Simon and its charging base (1994)

In the early 1990s, an engineer named Frank J. Canova at IBM realized that tiny computer chips and wireless tech could fit into small, handheld devices.

The very first device that could truly be called a "smartphone" was a test model named "Angler." Frank Canova developed it in 1992. A better version was sold to people in 1994 by BellSouth. It was called the Simon Personal Communicator. Besides making and receiving calls, the Simon had a touchscreen. It could also send and receive faxes and emails. It came with an address book, calendar, calculator, and notepad. It even had ideas for future apps like maps and news!

Mitsubishi Electric made the IBM Simon. It used a liquid-crystal display (LCD) screen. The Simon didn't sell well. It was big and its battery didn't last long. It used older battery types, not the ones found in modern smartphones.

The word "smart phone" wasn't even used until a year after the Simon came out. It first appeared in writing in 1995. The company Ericsson first used the term "smartphone" in 1997 for a new phone idea called the GS88.

Popular Smartphone Brands Today

Smartphone Sales Over Time

Since 1996, more and more smartphones have been sold each year. In 2011, 27% of all photos were taken with smartphone cameras. By 2012, a study showed that 4 out of 5 smartphone owners used their phone to shop online.

In early 2013, global smartphone sales passed the sales of simpler phones. In 2013, over 1 billion smartphones were shipped worldwide. This was a big jump from 725 million in 2012. Smartphones made up 55% of the mobile phone market in 2013, up from 42% in 2012.

However, in 2013, smartphone sales started to slow down for the first time. In early 2016, sales dropped by 3% compared to the year before. This happened because the market in China was becoming full. A report showed that fewer than 10% of people in the US spent $1,000 or more on smartphones. This is because they are expensive, and new features aren't always super exciting. Also, brands like Huawei, Oppo, and Xiaomi started offering similar phones for less money. In 2019, smartphone sales dropped by 3.2%, which was the biggest drop ever. China and India were still buying many smartphones, helping to keep sales up. Experts think that the spread of 5G internet will help new smartphone sales grow again.

How People Use Smartphones

Some devices that smartphones have largely replaced: (from top-left) portable media players; compact digital cameras; in-car satellite navigation systems; personal digital assistants.

The popularity of touchscreen smartphones and mobile apps led to a big change. Instead of carrying a separate phone, organizer, and music player, most people now carry just one device: a smartphone.

Smartphones have replaced simple cameras for taking photos and videos. Stand-alone GPS devices and paper maps are also used less often.

Playing games on smartphones has become very popular. Many people use their phones instead of handheld game consoles. People often choose not to have a home phone line anymore, preferring to use only their smartphones.

Music and video streaming apps have grown fast. They let you listen to music or watch shows on your phone instead of using a radio or TV. Many people also check the time on their smartphones instead of wearing a watch. They use their phone's alarm clock instead of a separate alarm. Smartphones are also great for taking notes and writing things down. It's easy to search through your notes later.

In many parts of the world where technology is still growing, smartphones are the first and only way people get online. This is because they are easy to carry. The cameras on smartphones can also be used to take pictures of documents. You can then send them by email or message instead of using an old fax machine.

Payment apps on smartphones mean people use wallets, credit cards, and cash less often. Mobile banking apps let you deposit checks just by taking a picture of them. This means you don't need to go to an ATM or bank. Guidebook apps can replace paper travel guides, restaurant guides, and museum audio guides.

Things to Think About with Smartphones

Social Effects

Some people might feel very attached to their smartphones. They might get worried if they are separated from their device. A "smombie" (smartphone + zombie) is a person walking while looking at their phone. They might not pay attention to where they are going, which can be dangerous. This is becoming a bigger issue. In Chongqing, China, they even made a special "mobile lane" for people walking and looking at their phones. The city of Augsburg, Germany, put traffic lights in the ground for people who are distracted by their phones.

Using Phones While Driving

A New York City driver holding two phones

A user consulting a mapping app on a phone

Using a mobile phone while driving is common but risky. This includes making calls, sending texts, playing media, browsing the internet, playing games, or using maps. It's considered dangerous because it causes distracted driving. Being distracted while driving a car can lead to accidents. In 2010, a US report said that 995 people died because of drivers distracted by phones.

A 2011 study found that over 90% of college students surveyed texted while driving.

A sign in Southside Place, Texas, warns against using mobile phones while driving during certain hours.

Accidents caused by drivers talking on their phones are now treated like other careless driving acts. In the United Kingdom, since 2007, drivers caught using a handheld phone get penalty points on their license and a fine. Japan bans all phone use while driving, even hands-free devices. New Zealand has banned handheld phone use since 2009. Many states in the United States have banned texting while driving.

Health and Well-being

There's a lot of talk about how smartphones affect our thinking and mental health.

Using smartphones late at night can make it hard to sleep. The bright screen and blue light can mess with your body's sleep cycle. Some people also use their phones as alarm clocks, which can keep them from getting enough sleep.

Security Concerns

Bad software, called malware, can spread easily through unsafe app stores. Often, this malware is hidden in fake versions of real apps. These fake apps are then shared through other app stores.

See also

In Spanish: Teléfono inteligente para niños