Smartphone.....

"Smartphones" redirects here. For the song by Trey Songz, see SmartPhones (song).

Not to be confused with telephone.

Two smartphones: a Samsung Galaxy J5 (left) and an iPhone 6S (right)

Smartphones are a class of multi-purposemobile computing device. They include the capabilities of a mobile phone, but are distinguished from feature phones by their stronger hardware capabilities and extensivemobile operating systems, which facilitate wider software, internet (including web browsing over mobile broadband), andmultimedia functionality (including music, video, cameras, and gaming), alongside core phone functions such as voice calls and text messaging. Smartphones typically include various sensors that can be leveraged by their software, such as a magnetometer, proximity sensors, barometer, gyroscope andaccelerometer, and support wireless communications protocols such as Bluetooth,Wi-Fi, and satellite navigation.

Early smartphones were marketed primarily towards the enterprise market, attempting to bridge the functionality of standalonepersonal digital assistant (PDA) devices with support for cellular telephony, but were limited by their battery life, bulky form factors, and the immaturity of wireless data services. In the 2000's, BlackBerry, Nokia's Symbianplatform, and Windows Phone began to gain market traction, with models often featuringQWERTY keyboards or resistive touchscreeninput, and emphasizing access to push emailand wireless internet. Since the 2007 unveiling of the iPhone, the majority of smartphones have featured thin, slate-likeform factors, with large, capacitive screens with support for multi-touch gestures rather than physical keyboards, and offer the ability for users to download or purchase additionalapplications from a centralized store, and usecloud storage and synchronization, virtual assistants, as well as mobile paymentservices.

Improving hardware and faster wireless standards (such as LTE) have bolstered the growth of the smartphone industry. In the third quarter of 2012, one billion smartphones were in use worldwide.^[1] Global smartphone sales surpassed the sales figures for feature phones in early 2013.^[2]