Unlike feature phones, smartphones run a mobile operating system (OS), which provides users with access to the Internet, e-mail, business applications, social media, music and video playback, GPS navigation, mobile payments, and other advanced services. They can also include a video camera, radio and FM radio receiver, near-field communication, and expandable storage.
Smartphones have a touch screen, a microphone, a speaker, and a digital or optical camera for taking pictures and videos. Most have a rechargeable battery and a microSD slot for memory expansion. Some offer Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, a USB port, and an infrared blaster. Those that run the Android and iOS mobile operating systems are most popular, with the latter surpassing the former in 2018.
The smartphone industry was dominated by PDAs in the mid-to late 1990s, such as NTT DoCoMo’s i-mode, Nokia’s Symbian platform, and Microsoft’s Windows CE/Pocket PC or Mobile OS. These were hybrid devices, combining existing handheld PDA software with basic phone hardware. Many had QWERTY keyboards or resistive touchscreen input, and focused on reducing device size while providing access to push e-mail and wireless Web browsing.
Starting with the Samsung Galaxy S3 in 2012, smartphones started incorporating front-facing cameras for video calling. In early 2013, the Apple iPhone 5 and HTC One M7 brought 720p HD front camera video, which was later upgraded to 1080p on both the iPhone 7 and Galaxy S6 in late 2016. In 2021, 2160p 4K video recording commenced with the OnePlus 6 and Samsung Galaxy S9. Earlier this year, the Moto G7 Power introduced a 2160p rear-facing camera.