List of Nokia phones, smartphones and tablets. Nokia 9 PureView hands-on review. Free messaging or video chat app for your phone. Share location, use GIFs or quick reactions in your chats. Works on Android, iPhone or Windows 10 Mobile. The History of Mobile Phones. The first handheld mobile phone ever made was in 1973 by Motorola, it weighed 1.1 kilograms (2.4 lb) and measured 23 by 13 by 4.5 centimeters, it offered only 30 minutes of talk time and needed 10 hours to recharge. That might sound like a hassle now, but it was a revolution at the time.
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In contrast to the largely stationary internet of the early 2000s, Americans today are increasingly connected to the world of digital information while “on the go” via smartphones and other mobile devices. Explore the patterns and trends that have shaped the mobile revolution below.
Mobile phone ownership over time
The vast majority of Americans – 96% – now own a cellphone of some kind. The share of Americans that own smartphones is now 81%, up from just 35% in Pew Research Center’s first survey of smartphone ownership conducted in 2011. Along with mobile phones, Americans own a range of other information devices. Nearly three-quarters of U.S. adults now own desktop or laptop computers, while roughly half now own tablet computers and roughly half own e-reader devices.
| Cellphone | Smartphone | |
|---|---|---|
| 10/27/2002 | 62% | |
| 11/30/2004 | 65% | |
| 2/9/2005 | 66% | |
| 12/31/2005 | 67% | |
| 3/28/2006 | 66% | |
| 4/6/2006 | 73% | |
| 9/5/2007 | 76% | |
| 12/2/2007 | 75% | |
| 1/13/2008 | 77% | |
| 5/11/2008 | 78% | |
| 8/10/2008 | 82% | |
| 12/20/2008 | 84% | |
| 1/27/2009 | 85% | |
| 4/19/2009 | 85% | |
| 9/14/2009 | 84% | |
| 12/27/2009 | 83% | |
| 1/19/2010 | 80% | |
| 5/30/2010 | 82% | |
| 9/13/2010 | 85% | |
| 11/1/2010 | 84% | |
| 11/24/2010 | 82% | |
| 11/28/2010 | 82% | |
| 12/21/2010 | 81% | |
| 3/20/2011 | 86% | |
| 5/22/2011 | 83% | 35% |
| 8/26/2011 | 84% | |
| 12/21/2011 | 87% | |
| 1/8/2012 | 88% | |
| 1/15/2012 | 87% | 39% |
| 2/19/2012 | 88% | 45% |
| 4/3/2012 | 88% | 46% |
| 8/5/2012 | 87% | 44% |
| 8/7/2012 | 89% | |
| 9/6/2012 | 85% | 45% |
| 9/23/2012 | 88% | 43% |
| 9/30/2012 | 89% | |
| 10/14/2012 | 88% | |
| 11/4/2012 | 89% | |
| 11/10/2012 | 84% | 46% |
| 12/9/2012 | 87% | 45% |
| 12/16/2012 | 88% | |
| 1/6/2013 | 89% | 51% |
| 5/19/2013 | 91% | 56% |
| 7/14/2013 | 90% | 53% |
| 7/28/2013 | 91% | 53% |
| 9/16/2013 | 89% | 54% |
| 9/30/2013 | 91% | 55% |
| 10/6/2013 | 92% | 58% |
| 1/5/2014 | 92% | 55% |
| 1/12/2014 | 90% | 58% |
| 1/26/2014 | 91% | 55% |
| 2/18/2014 | 90% | |
| 4/27/2014 | 92% | |
| 9/21/2014 | 91% | |
| 12/21/2014 | 89% | 59% |
| 4/12/2015 | 92% | 67% |
| 7/12/2015 | 92% | 68% |
| 11/15/2015 | 91% | 69% |
| 4/4/2016 | 92% | 72% |
| 5/3/2016 | 92% | 70% |
| 11/6/2016 | 95% | 77% |
| 1/10/2018 | 95% | 77% |
| 2/7/2019 | 96% | 81% |
Pew Research Center
Who owns cellphones and smartphones
A substantial majority of Americans are cellphone owners across a wide range of demographic groups. By contrast, smartphone ownership exhibits greater variation based on age, household income and educational attainment.
% of U.S. adults who own the following devices
| Any cellphone | Smartphone | Cellphone, but not smartphone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 96% | 81% | 15% |
| Men | 98% | 84% | 14% |
| Women | 95% | 79% | 16% |
| Ages 18-29 | 99% | 96% | 4% |
| 30-49 | 99% | 92% | 6% |
| 50-64 | 95% | 79% | 17% |
| 65+ | 91% | 53% | 39% |
| White | 96% | 82% | 14% |
| Black | 98% | 80% | 17% |
| Hispanic | 96% | 79% | 17% |
| Less than high school graduate | 92% | 66% | 25% |
| High school graduate | 96% | 72% | 24% |
| Some college | 96% | 85% | 11% |
| College graduate | 98% | 91% | 7% |
| Less than $30,000 | 95% | 71% | 23% |
| $30,000-$49,999 | 96% | 78% | 18% |
| $50,000-$74,999 | 98% | 90% | 8% |
| $75,000+ | 100% | 95% | 5% |
| Urban | 97% | 83% | 13% |
| Suburban | 96% | 83% | 13% |
| Rural | 95% | 71% | 24% |
Source: Survey conducted Jan. 8 to Feb. 7, 2019.
Pew Research Center
Ownership of other devices
Along with mobile phones, Americans own a range of other information devices. Nearly three-quarters of U.S. adults now own desktop or laptop computers, while roughly half now own tablet computers and roughly half own e-reader devices.
| E-reader | Tablet computer | Desktop/laptop computer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/13/2008 | 74% | ||
| 4/19/2009 | 2% | ||
| 9/14/2009 | 3% | ||
| 5/30/2010 | 4% | 3% | |
| 6/20/2010 | 78% | ||
| 9/13/2010 | 5% | 4% | |
| 11/24/2010 | 6% | 5% | |
| 5/22/2011 | 12% | 8% | |
| 8/26/2011 | 9% | 10% | |
| 12/21/2011 | 10% | 10% | 75% |
| 1/8/2012 | 18% | 20% | |
| 1/15/2012 | 19% | 19% | 78% |
| 2/19/2012 | 14% | 14% | |
| 4/3/2012 | 18% | 18% | |
| 8/5/2012 | 19% | 21% | |
| 8/7/2012 | 25% | ||
| 11/10/2012 | 19% | 24% | 77% |
| 12/16/2012 | 29% | ||
| 1/6/2013 | 26% | 31% | |
| 5/19/2013 | 24% | 34% | |
| 9/30/2013 | 24% | 34% | |
| 4/12/2015 | 19% | 45% | 73% |
| 4/4/2016 | 17% | 48% | 74% |
| 11/6/2016 | 22% | 51% | 78% |
| 1/10/2018 | 53% | 73% | |
| 2/7/2019 | 52% | 74% |
Pew Research Center
Smartphone dependency over time
A growing share of Americans now use smartphones as their primary means of online access at home. Today roughly one-in-five American adults are “smartphone-only” internet users – meaning they own a smartphone, but do not have traditional home broadband service.
| U.S. adults | |
|---|---|
| 2013 | 8% |
| 2014 | -- |
| 2015 | 13% |
| 2016 | 12% |
| 2017 | -- |
| 2018 | 20% |
| 2019 | 17% |
Pew Research Center
Who is smartphone dependent
Reliance on smartphones for online access is especially common among younger adults, non-whites and lower-income Americans.
| 18-29 | 30-49 | 50-64 | 65+ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 12% | 9% | 7% | 3% |
| 2014 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 2015 | 19% | 16% | 11% | 7% |
| 2016 | 17% | 13% | 11% | 7% |
| 2017 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 2018 | 28% | 24% | 16% | 10% |
| 2019 | 22% | 18% | 14% | 12% |
Pew Research Center
| White | Black | Hispanic | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 6% | 10% | 16% |
| 2014 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2015 | 10% | 19% | 23% |
| 2016 | 9% | 15% | 23% |
| 2017 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2018 | 14% | 24% | 35% |
| 2019 | 12% | 23% | 25% |
Pew Research Center
| Men | Women | |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 9% | 8% |
| 2014 | -- | -- |
| 2015 | 14% | 13% |
| 2016 | 12% | 12% |
| 2017 | -- | -- |
| 2018 | 20% | 19% |
| 2019 | 17% | 16% |
Pew Research Center
| Less than $30,000 | $30,000-$49,999 | $50,000-$74,999 | $75,000+ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 12% | 9% | 5% | 5% |
| 2014 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 2015 | 20% | 15% | 10% | 6% |
| 2016 | 21% | 12% | 10% | 5% |
| 2017 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 2018 | 31% | 22% | 14% | 9% |
| 2019 | 26% | 20% | 10% | 6% |
Pew Research Center
| Less than high school graduate | High school graduate | Some college | College graduate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 14% | 11% | 8% | 4% |
| 2014 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 2015 | 21% | 17% | 14% | 6% |
| 2016 | 27% | 15% | 12% | 5% |
| 2017 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 2018 | 39% | 22% | 21% | 10% |
| 2019 | 32% | 24% | 16% | 4% |
Safa Media Mobile Phones Price
Pew Research Center
| Urban | Suburban | Rural | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 9% | 7% | 9% |
| 2014 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2015 | 15% | 12% | 15% |
| 2016 | 12% | 12% | 14% |
| 2017 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2018 | 22% | 17% | 17% |
| 2019 | 17% | 13% | 20% |
Pew Research Center
Find out more
Find more in-depth explorations of the impact of mobile adoption by following the links below.
Mobile Technology and Home Broadband 2019 June 13, 2019
Digital gap between rural and nonrural America persists May 31, 2019
Digital divide persists even as lower-income Americans make gains in tech adoption May 7, 2019
Millennials stand out for their technology use, but older generations also embrace digital life May 2, 2018
About a quarter of U.S. adults say they are ‘almost constantly’ online March 14, 2018
Nearly one-in-five Americans now listen to audiobooks March 8, 2018
A third of Americans live in a household with three or more smartphones May 25, 2017
Tech Adoption Climbs Among Older Adults May 17, 2017
All reports and blog posts related to mobile technology.
Why Thieves Want Your iPhone
And what you can do to make sure they don’t get it
| From BU Today | By Rich BarlowIn the United States, 113 smartphones are lost or stolen every minute. Photo courtesy of Sean MacEntee
Boston ranks 10th in the nation per capita for stolen and lost smartphones, according to one report. That’s an anxiety-producing honor in a country where 113 phones are lost or swiped every minute. New York, ranked ninth, just wrapped up a record year for cell phone thefts. Meanwhile, Stamford, Conn., police are chasing a teenaged robbery gang dubbed the “Apple Pickers” because of their fondness for iPhones.
A January robbery in Brookline of a BU research assistant was the latest of several recent assaults on or near the Charles River Campus that involved the theft of a cell phone. The victim, who was treated for stab wounds and released from the hospital, was robbed of his, along with his iPad and laptop. Brookline Police have charged two men with the attack.
Handheld devices, although not the item most coveted by campus crooks, are a serious larceny lure. Boston University Police figures for reported stolen property (see chart) show that from 2010 through 2012, 131 cell phones went missing. (Bicycles were the campus’s top thief magnets, with 255 stolen from students and University employees. Next up were laptops, with 198 walking away from owners.)
Scott Paré, deputy director of public safety and deputy police chief, says some stolen phones are recovered, but not many. And even though some handhelds contain tracking devices, says Paré, those shut down when the device is turned off. Registering an iPhone on Apple’s cloud-computing service can help with that problem (see below).
The reason cell phones are so hot, says Quinn Shamblin, BU’s executive director of information security, has less to do with the personal and financial information stored on them than with their resale value. CBS recently reported that black-market iPhones go for up to $200 apiece.
“These are premium products that command a premium price,” says Shamblin. “They have a high status and their resale value is high compared to other electronics.” Thieves have little trouble “wiping” the device of personal information without triggering a tracking device, he says, and if a phone isn’t password-protected, it can easily be reset by its new user.
BUPD Reported Thefts from 2010-2012.
What you can do
The information below is taken from a University website with tips for protecting both your iPhone and its information. (The site also has advice for protecting other brands of phones and types of devices.)
First step: consider registering for Find My iPhone.
This is Apple’s computer cloud service that can help you locate your phone if it’s lost, wipe clean its data remotely if necessary, or send the phone a message. Register here for the service.
Enable your phone’s pass-code protection for shielding data.
Safa Media Mobile Phones Deals
You do this by entering the Settings app, tapping General, then tapping Passcode Lock, then tapping Turn Passcode On. You have the choice of picking a simple, four-digit password or disabling the simple pass-code function, which then requires a longer password of letters and numbers. Apple offers a brief primer on “Understanding Passcodes.”
Resist the temptation to remove the software limits that restrict iPhones to using only Apple’s apps.
Such “jailbreaking” appeals to those of libertarian bent who feel that they should be able to use any app they want on their phone. But it also enables malware to infect their phone and allows hackers to compromise their personal data.
A crucial but often overlooked task: when your trade in or toss your phone, wipe your information clean.
Find the necessary steps here. Be sure to back up your information elsewhere.
Find more detailed security hardening steps here.
Sometimes, the best advice is the most obvious—and the most ignored. BU’s tips site suggests not leaving your phone in a publicly accessible place. And BU Police have warned all of us that the people most likely to become victims of smartphone theft are distracted pedestrians talking on their phone. Try not to be one of them.
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