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The First Ever Portable Mobile Phone
The Motorola DynaTAC 8000X was the world's first portable mobile phone, released in 1983. -
Dawn of Consumer Handsets
GSM was first introduced in Europe in 1991, with the Orbitel TPU 900 being the first to market, but it wasn't until 1992 that mobile phones were no longer limited to corporate use. -
Splash of Color
Despite only offering four colors, the Siemens S10 was the first to bring mobile phone displays to life in 1997. The GlobalHandy, the first gadget without an external antenna, was released the same year by Hagenuk. -
Growth
Nokia introduced the 7110 in 1999, which was the first device to use WAP (a means of accessing information over a mobile wireless network). Sharp released the world's first camera phone, the J-SH04, a year later. It was only available in Japan at the time, but it marked the beginning of the public's infatuation with phone photography. However, it wasn't until 2002, with the release of the Sony Ericsson T68i and its clip-on camera, that western markets became interested in camera phones. -
Mobile Data Revolution
In March 2003, 3G enabled download rates of up to 2MBS, with "3" being the first to offer the service in the UK. RIM's famous BlackBerry devices, such as the 8100 Pearl, were instrumental in bringing mobile email to the public. With the introduction of front-facing cameras on devices such as the Sony Ericsson Z1010 in 2003, video calling became possible, but not popular. -
Getting Even Smarter
In March 2003, 3G enabled download rates of up to 2MBS, with "3" being the first to offer the service in the UK. RIM's famous BlackBerry devices, such as the 8100 Pearl, were instrumental in bringing mobile email to the public. With the introduction of front-facing cameras on devices such as the Sony Ericsson Z1010 in 2003, video calls became possible, but not popular. -
Life Long Companion
Smartphones have become increasingly important in modern life, providing much more than just communication capabilities. EE delivered the UK's first 4G service in 11 cities in 2012, with download rates of up to 12mbps. Voice recognition became commonplace first with Google Voice and then with Apple's Siri. To capitalize on the increase in mobile health and fitness, Samsung introduced a built-in heart rate monitor to its flagship Galaxy S5. -
Further Advancements
The widespread use of 4G boosts video streaming and video calling capabilities significantly. Screen sizes continue to increase in order to maximize the experience of these capabilities, with the iPhone 7 Plus display now being 57% larger than the original iPhone from 2007. Mobile payments are also becoming more popular, with Apple Pay and Android Pay allowing people to purchase items using their smartphones. -
Superfast World
Throughout May 2019, EE will deploy the UK's first 5G service in six cities. The fifth-generation network offers significantly faster data rates and stability, enabling ultra-high-resolution video streaming and mobile gaming. Handset design trends continue to favor an all-screen experience, with OnePlus integrating a pop-up selfie camera to its flagship 7 Pro device in order to eliminate the notch entirely.