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Android

The evolution of the cell phone

By Jessica Learish June 21, 2017, 4:13 PM PDT

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The evolution of the cell phone

Things have changed

Peterfactors/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Things have changed

As we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the very first iPhone, let’s look back at the phones that got us to 2007 and the progress manufacturers have made since.

Peterfactors/Getty Images/iStockphoto
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The evolution of the cell phone

1983: Motorola DynaTAC 8000x

thawornnurak/Getty Images/iStockphoto

1983: Motorola DynaTAC 8000x

The first commercially available mobile phone in history was introduced by Motorola in 1983. It cost $4000 and was approximately the size of a shoe box.

thawornnurak/Getty Images/iStockphoto
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The evolution of the cell phone

1986: Motorola 4500x

Garry Knight/Flickr

1986: Motorola 4500x

A few years later, Motorola released another “mobile” phone. This one featured a handset attached to a 7.7 pound battery box. The 4500x was considered a luxury item at over $2000 retail.

Garry Knight/Flickr
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The evolution of the cell phone

1989: Motorola MicroTAC 9800x

Redrum0486/Wikimedia Commons

1989: Motorola MicroTAC 9800x

By 1989, phones were already getting smaller. This Motorola flip phone was designed to fit in a shirt pocket.

Redrum0486/Wikimedia Commons
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The evolution of the cell phone

1994: IBM Simon

Public Domain

1994: IBM Simon

This PDA-and-cell-phone hybrid is considered to be the precursor to the smartphone. In addition to working as a phone, the Simon had features like email, calendar, calculator and could even send and receive faxes.

Public Domain
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The evolution of the cell phone

1999: Benefon Esc

Jtact/Wikimedia Commons

1999: Benefon Esc

This was the first phone to feature built-in GPS. It was never commercially available in the United States.

Jtact/Wikimedia Commons
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The evolution of the cell phone

2000: Nokia 3310

Shutterstock

2000: Nokia 3310

This phone has become something of a cult favorite since its release because of its durability. In fact, there’s so much nostalgia surrounding this phone that it was recently reimagined.

Shutterstock
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The evolution of the cell phone

2002: Samsung N620

Samsung

2002: Samsung N620

This was the first phone to have polyphonic ringtones, which was a huge deal at the time.

Samsung
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The evolution of the cell phone

2004: Motorola RAZR

Shutterstock

2004: Motorola RAZR

Millennials across the country have Myspace photos floating around the annals of the internet with Motorola RAZRs clam-snapped to their clothes. The super-slim design and color screen launched the RAZR into a special place in cell phone history. It remains the best-selling clamshell phone in the world to date.

Shutterstock
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The evolution of the cell phone

2006: Samsung X830

Amazon

2006: Samsung X830

The music industry was already completely disrupted by the iPod by the time Samsung released this twist-open music-focused cell phone.

Amazon
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The evolution of the cell phone

2007: iPhone

Screenshot/Apple

2007: iPhone

In 2007, Apple brought rich-text email, full internet access via Safari and all of the functions of an iPod Touch to one device — the iPhone. Previous phones were only able to access plain-text email and parts of the internet via rudimentary WAP pages.

Screenshot/Apple
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The evolution of the cell phone

2008: HTC Dream

Akela NDE/Wikimedia Commons

2008: HTC Dream

A year after the iPhone was released, HTC introduced the first smartphone to run the Android operating system. It also featured a sliding screen that opened into a full QWERTY keyboard.

Akela NDE/Wikimedia Commons
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The evolution of the cell phone

2008: BlackBerry Curve 8330

Amazon

2008: BlackBerry Curve 8330

BlackBerry Messenger would let you know every time your other BlackBerry-toting friends were ignoring you. This was also (and continues to be) the phone of choice for many concerned with cybersecurity.

Amazon
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The evolution of the cell phone

2009: LG Xenon

Amazon

2009: LG Xenon

Ah, the LG Xenon… It was a pre-iPhone phone in a post-iPhone world. A quick look at the archive of Amazon reviews of this phone reveal a few common issues including a finicky LCD screen and a tendency to snap in half.

Amazon
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The evolution of the cell phone

2010: iPhone 4

Lichtmeister Photography Productions/iStockPhoto

2010: iPhone 4

The iPhone 4 was truly tiny and came in a futuristic, snowy white. The battery life was the best in its class when the iPhone 4 was released.

Lichtmeister Photography Productions/iStockPhoto
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The evolution of the cell phone

2011: Samsung Galaxy Note

Shutterstock

2011: Samsung Galaxy Note

Samsung took the phablet to the mainstream with its nearly tablet-sized Note. The Note series of cell phones hold a stylus called an S Pen in the body of the phone.

Shutterstock
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The evolution of the cell phone

2011: iPhone 4S

bedo/iStockPhoto

2011: iPhone 4S

Just a year after releasing the redesigned iPhone 4, Apple released the 4S with integrated personal assistant, Siri.

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The evolution of the cell phone

2013: Motorola Moto X

Amazon

2013: Motorola Moto X

The Moto X was the first Motorola phone released after Motorola was acquired by Google. It was received with generally positive reviews.

Amazon
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The evolution of the cell phone

2015: Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+

valio84sl/iStockPhoto

2015: Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+

In the mid-2010s, Samsung began wrapping the screen around the sides of their Edge series of smartphones.

valio84sl/iStockPhoto
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The evolution of the cell phone

2017: Nokia 3310 (again)

2017: Nokia 3310 (again)

The Nokia 3310 has been reimagined for anyone who is nostalgic for a simpler time, way back around 17 years ago. The feature phone now has a color display but the 2017 phone still uses T9 texting, the camera is still 2 megapixels and, most importantly, you can still play Snake.

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The evolution of the cell phone

2017: iPhone 8

Olixar

2017: iPhone 8

Comps of the 10th anniversary iPhone suggest that Apple will ditch the home button altogether in favor of on-screen navigation. Speculation and excitement continue to mount as whispers from Palo Alto suggest big improvements from previous iPhone models.

Also see

  • Gallery: The iPhone’s journey to its 10-year anniversary
  • Why Microsoft is partially responsible for the first iPhone, and other origin stories
  • iPhone turns 10: Why it’s still the smartphone to beat
  • 10 years supporting Apple’s iconic iPhone: An IT consultant’s reflections
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