How Mobile Phones Have Changed from the 1990’s to Today

The Evolution of Cell Phone Design from the Blackberry to the iPhone

Introduction

Although cellular phone technology has only been around some forty years, the design of the cell phone has changed considerably during this time. The first generation of cell phones, referred to as “1G” (Lister 2022), were large and bulky devices that were impractical for everyday use. They were much too large to be carried inside a pocket, and they were essentially oversized phones that resembled home phones of the era. There was no screen, and the phone was only capable of making audio calls. However, the technology was revolutionary for the era, simply because this was the first time cellular phones were readily available to the public.

Second generation, or 2G phones, began appearing in the 1990s (Lister 2022). These devices began including a digital screen display, along with a numerical keypad that could also be used for SMS text messaging. This was also the first major change in cellular phone design, as there were three main design choices that nearly all phone manufacturers were making. First, the technology had improved to where the size of a cellular phone could be made much smaller. Not only were the internal components smaller, and therefore able to fit into a smaller device, but phone manufacturers introduced the flip-phone style that soon became standardized. This was the generation when the general public, and not only the wealthy elite, began using cell phones. Second, nearly all cell phones needed a digital screen, which 1G phones did not have. 2G phones introduced texting technology, which meant phones now needed a screen to display text messages. The clamshell, folding design also ensured that the screen would be protected when not in use.

2G-3G Phones

During the 2G-3G era, there was significant variety in cell phone design overall. The clamshell design was common, but there was not a unified look. Some phone designs had circular edges, while others had angular edges. During the transition to 3G, which coincided with increased mobile internet connectivity, new designs were introduced. Some phones, instead of a clamshell, had a keyboard that could slide underneath the screen when not in use. These phones, with extended keyboards, were designed primarily for texting. During the 2G era, cell phones did not have keyboards, which meant texting required using a standard number pad that appears on phones. Each number coincides with one of three possible letters, so the person sending the text had to manually select each letter. This process was functional, but obviously slow and inefficient, so 3G phones were designed specifically for heavy texters. These resulted in other designs coming to the fore, such as the Blackberry.

Blackberry

In the early 2000s, the Blackberry was seen as the premium cell phone on the market. Blackberries had even larger screens, as these devices began to have increased internet functionality. This meant Blackberries could be used for receiving and sending email, browsing online, downloading files, and providing video playback (Segan 2013). By this era, digital screens were now expected to be in color, and cellular phones were starting to be used for much more than simple phone calls and text messages. To this end, the defining feature of the Blackberry was its fully functional QWERTY key board, making it even easier to text longer sentences or write full emails (Segan 1). However, because the keyboard needed to be wider, Blackberry did not opt for a clamshell design. Instead, the Blackberry had a rectangular design, not dissimilar to modern phones, although it was somewhat wider and had a tactile keyboard underneath the screen. Because Blackberry was perceived as the most popular brand on the market, at least for mobile devices in the premiere category, many other manufacturers also started making similar devices. Cell phones started becoming more like what we have today. By this era, the clamshell designs were starting to become outdated, but there was another technological change that was about to fundamentally alter the way manufacturers started thinking about the form and functionality of the cell phone: the touchscreen.

Touch screens phones

4G coincides with the rise of the smartphone, particularly the iPhone in 2007 (Saeed 2021), which is arguably the most influential cell phone design that has ever been created. The iPhone was revolutionary because it standardized touch screens, which were preferable for numerous reasons. First, a touch screen allows the keyboard to appear only when needed, which allows extra space for the screen. Second, a larger screen increases the functionality of the device while also keeping the device small and portable. While emails were easy to write and send on a 3G Blackberry, watching YouTube videos or viewing photographs was a suboptimal experience, simply because of the reduced screen size. A touchscreen, however, solves the problem of combining a keyboard with a visual display. The visual display becomes the keyboard, but only when needed. Finally, the third major revolution of the iPhone was the introduction of the App Store. The iPhone was the first major cell phone to feature apps that were designed specifically around the form and functionality of the phone itself. Because there were previous differences in cell phones from the 3G era, with different screen sizes and performance capabilities, apps could not be standardized. Instead, the internet was often accessed via web browsers that were built into phones, which essentially provided the same experience as using a web browser on a desktop computer. However, this was impractical, often because the text and images were miniscule on a tiny cell phone screen, as web pages were optimized for desktop displays only. The app store allowed web developers to create apps specifically designed for the iPhone, allowing them to have larger text and to be designed around a touchscreen interface. These were the features that made the iPhone the ubiquitous smart phone it is today.

iPhones

As the iPhone has evolved, little has changed regarding the core design. Over time, the screens have become larger, the bezels have become smaller, waterproof technology was added, and the glass is more resistant to shattering. But yet, iPhones essentially have remained flat and rectangular with a digital screen that covers the entire face of the phone. They remain the standard design among cell phone manufacturers today, with the majority of other companies, like Samsung, producing similarly shaped devices.

As of 2022, there are some emerging alterations being made to the standard smartphone design, such as the introduction of the Samsung Fold. While not a clamshell design, the Samsung Fold is notable for returning a folding design to cell phone technology. The purpose of the folding design is to make the screen even larger, essentially allowing the screen to be twice as large (Samsung 2022). However, it is too soon to know whether folding smartphones will eventually become standard throughout the smartphone market, or whether the Samsung Fold will eventually be known as an experimental design that never truly became popular.

Conclusion

Thus, the main reason the cell phone has evolved from a clamshell, folding design into the sleek, rectangular smartphones of today, is because of touchscreen technology. When touchscreens were first introduced, they could not be folded, so the phones had to be flat. Because the value of the iPhone was its large screen, the screen also had to be as large as possible. Thus, the iPhone and similarly shaped competitors are shaped the way they are today out of necessity. If one wants a large touchscreen, the shape of the iPhone is the only practical way the phone can be designed.

Works Cited

Lister, D. “History of the Cell Phone: Summary, Evolution and Characteristics.” CRGT Soft, 2022. https://crgsoft.com/history-of-the-cell-phone-summary-evolution-and-characteristics/#

Saeed, Sheharyar Ahmad. “Evolution of the iPhone, 2007–2022.” TechEngage, 2021. https://techengage.com/evolution-of-iphone/

Samsung. Galaxy Fold Specifications. 2022. https://www.samsung.com/global/galaxy/galaxy-fold/specs/

Segan, Sascha. “The Evolution of the BlackBerry, From 957 to Z10.” PC Mag, 2013. https://www.pcmag.com/news/the-evolution-of-the-blackberry-from-957-to-z10

About the Writer

Cecelia Kinchen is a senior at Southeastern Louisiana Univeristy. She majoring in Business Management. In her spare time she love reading books, drawing, and work towards her future goals.