First, what is a smartphone? Turns out, the actual definition, no matter the source, is quite vague. Merriam-Webster concisely calls a smartphone “a cell phone that includes additional software functions (as e-mail or an Internet browser).” Oxford Dictionaries, on the other hand, gets a little more precise by saying a smartphone “is able to perform many of the functions of a computer, typically having a relatively large screen and an operating system capable of running general-purpose applications.”
Either way, there is a fine line between what is and isn’t a smartphone these days, even if the so-called “dumb” or “regular” phones can perform many of the same functions. Even the cheapest, low-end smartphones are distinctly different from their non-smart counterparts.
But where did it all begin? Who made the first smartphone? What were early model smartphones like? Below, you will find the evolution of the smartphone.