How long have there been cell phones? Development over time

In this article we explain to you how long mobile phones have been around. The development of mobile phones began in the last century and is still an exciting process that brings new innovations to the market every year.

1983 - How long have cellphones been around?

The first cell phone was the Motorola Dynatac. It was released in 1983 and was the first cell phone to be bought commercially. You could use the phone for a maximum of 30 minutes and it took 10 hours to charge. Back then, only business people or the rich could afford the cell phone. It cost a whopping $ 3995, making it a real status symbol.

1994 - SMS on cell phones becomes commercial

The SMS was introduced in 1994 more than ten years later. Motorola built the Motorola StarTAC two years later. It was the first cell phone to have a flip mechanism and vibrating alert. It also weighed less than 100 grams and was very slim. The price was now also affordable for the upper class at $ 1000. As a result, more and more people were using cell phones and the network expansion was constantly being pushed forward.

1996 - Multifunction mobile phones see the market

At the same time, Nokia also released Nokia Communicator in 1996. It was used to receive and write faxes and e-mails. Since it was possible to work on the go, the cell phone was bought a lot and Nokia secured more shares in the cell phone sector. The mobile operators were now under double pressure, because customers now also needed comprehensive Internet reception.

1999 - The first cell phone with a camera

In 1999 the Toshiba Camesse, the first cell phone with a camera, was introduced in Japan. T9 also appeared this year and significantly accelerated SMS traffic. From 2002, more and more cell phones got integrated cameras and the devices became cheaper. As a result, more people were using cell phones and young people could also afford the devices at once. A completely new market segment was opened up.

2007 - Apple breakthrough

The new breakthrough came in 2007 with the iPhone. Here, Apple defined the smartphone as we know it for the first time. Suddenly, cell phones could edit photos, browse the web comfortably and at the same time be a navigation system. And all this with a cell phone that looked chic and fit comfortably in your pocket. The software was also groundbreaking at the time. Gestures with two fingers or smooth scrolling were hardly used until the iPhone.

The future of cell phones

Mobile phones have evolved since the introduction of smartphones. The touchscreens were getting bigger, biometric recognition options like fingerprint sensors were added and a smartphone is as fast as a computer these days. In the future, cell phones will likely take on the role of computers and bring many more innovations.

In the next practical tips, we will show you how long e-mails have existed and how long CDs have existed.