smart phones

Touchscreen pocket devices

Smartphones are mobile phones with computing capabilities—internet access, apps, cameras, and touchscreens.

The term emerged in the 1990s but became ubiquitous after 2007 when Apple's iPhone redefined the category.

Now the default phone type in much of the world, smartphone often appears as one word: I left my smartphone at home.

She's always on her smartphone.

Related

touch · 5G · swipe · charger · low battery · face unlock · screen time · cracked screen · screen protector · text · Android · tablet · apps · device · unlock · tap · ringtone · airplane mode

Opposites
technological sophistication

smart phonesfeature phones

Simple mobile telephones

flip phones · basic phones · landlines · rotary phones · brick phones

communication technology era

smart phonesrotary phones

Telephones with spinning number wheels

telegraphs · party lines · telephone booths · landlines · carrier pigeons

digital connectivity/simplicity

smart phonespen and paper

Basic tools for correspondence

analog watches · paper books · printed maps · books · typewriters

Family

smartphone

Familiarity
Top 200,000
Profile
Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G