What is the difference between a smartphone and a phone in brief How does a smartphone differ from a mobile phone? Best budget smartphones

Now the word "smartphone" will surprise nobody. Even if you do not possess it, then at least once, but have heard it and roughly know what it means!
But that's the point, and that's about it. Not everyone knows exactly what the word smartphone means, how it appeared and how this gadget differs from a phone, communicator or PDA. Let's try to figure it all out together.

The meaning of the term Smartphone

Russian language in our time is full of foreign words. And this term is no exception.
The word Smartphone comes from the English Smartphone, which, in turn, combines two words:
Smart - means "smart"
Phone - means "telephone".

Thus, we can conclude that Smartphone Is a phone that has “smart” functions of a mobile computer: both computing (processor, RAM, ROM) and communication (WiFi, 4g / LTE, Bluetooth, GPS, GLONASS).

What then is called the Communicator ?!

Do not forget about the synonym word - Communicator. The fact is that in their meaning, both terms are actually the same thing. The confusion appeared here again thanks to the manufacturers. And that's why! At that time there were no tablets, and instead of them on the market there were PDAs - a pocket personal computer. At its core, it was a small tablet on the Windows Mobile operating system. Despite the fact that he had a touch screen, it was impossible to control the gadget like now, with the help of a finger. For these purposes, a special stylus, similar to a ballpoint pen, served (by the way, until recently, it was still found on the Samsung Galaxy Note).
And what the manufacturer considered his creation depended on what he called it. If the developers thought it was a phone with PDA functions, it was a “Smartphone”. If they positioned it as a PDA with telephone functions, then it is "Communicator".
Of course, now, when the very concept of "Pocket Personal Computer" has simply disappeared, as well as the devices themselves, representing this class, then the semantic difference between the two names for the same apparatus has disappeared.

There was one more variant of classification according to the operating system installed on the device. It so happened that if the operating system is installed Microsoft Windows Mobile or PalmOS - then this is a communicator, but if the gadget is controlled Symbian OS, then this is already a smartphone. Of course, now, after a while, such a division seems strange and ridiculous, but then, in the early 2000s, it was like that. The funny thing is that the emergence of Android and iOS operating systems practically nullified their predecessors. Palm OS and Symbian have almost sunk into oblivion, and Windows Mobile has transformed into Windows Phone.

Mobile operating systems

At the moment, there are 10 main mobile operating systems that have been the most popular over the past 15 years:

Android - iOS - Windows Phone (Mobile, CE) - BlackBerry - Symbian - Samsung Bada - FireFox OS - Palm OS - Web OS - Linux Ubuntu

Unfortunately, a considerable part of them are already in the past and are unlikely to receive further development. At the moment, TOP3 looks like this:

The history of the emergence of Smartphones

At the beginning of 2000, a new mobile phone Ericsson R380 appeared on the market. It was the first device that the manufacturer officially called a "smartphone" and from which the development of a whole class of mobile equipment began.

Ericsson R380 ran on the Symbian OS mobile operating system and had a monochrome touch screen.
A competitor, Nokia 9210, appeared almost after him.

Nokia by this time already had a whole line of communicators, but none of them were popular. They were bulky, inconvenient and not very functional. Therefore, model 9210 was fundamentally different and, accordingly, they began to call it differently - Smartphone... That is, Nokia positioned it exactly as an advanced phone. Then a stormy development began, during which more and more new players joined the race - HTC, Sony, Motorola, Siemens. We tried completely different technologies and form factors (sliders, clamshells). The phones were equipped with a full QWERTY keyboard.

This continued until 2007, when a new trendsetter appeared on the scene - the iPhone smartphone running on the iOS operating system from Apple.

This keyboardless candy bar set the direction for the next decades. And a little later, its main competitor, the Android operating system, and first dozens, and then hundreds of models of smartphones on this OS, saw the light.

What is the difference between a smartphone and a mobile phone

1. Software filling. The phone has just a firmware with a certain set of functions. The communicator already uses a full-fledged operating system (IOS, Android or Windows), which allows not only to use the existing capabilities, but also to expand due to the installation of additional programs.

2. Hardware capabilities. Hardly anyone knows what chip and how much RAM is used on an ordinary push-button phone. But modern smartphones already use multi-core processors and several gigabytes of RAM. In terms of productivity, such devices are plugged into the belt by computers older than 5-6 years.

3. Communication capabilities: availability of WiFi, 4G / LTE, GPS, GLONASS modules.

4. Additional features: Pedometer, gyroscope, IR-port, USB.

5. Ability to work with various types of files: audio, video, documents, tables, presentations.

6. Data synchronization with cloud services Google, Apple, Microsoft, etc.

7. Screen size. The phone does not need a large display. And with high resolution, it simply cannot work due to modest hardware capabilities. Smartphones and tablets have an average screen size of 5 inches.

In our life, the phone plays an important role, so from time to time we change it to a more modern one, which better meets existing standards and our requirements. Recently, everyone has heard such a concept as a "smartphone", it seems that we understand what it is, but we cannot point out the obvious distinctive aspects. Therefore, today the team of the online magazine site decided to answer this question and tell you what are their differences.

16 facts and differences between a smartphone and a phone

1. A smartphone is a narrower definition that is included in the concept of a telephone. That is, a smartphone belongs to one of the types of phones.


2. Figuratively speaking, a smartphone is a phone with a built-in computer.


3. The smartphone has no external features. There is a myth among the people that all touchscreen phones are smartphones. No it is not! The touch phone may not belong to the smartphone group. Outwardly determining whether a smartphone is or not is completely impossible, unless you know the company and model of the phone.


4. Any smartphone has a mobile operating system: Symbian, Android, iOS, Windows Phone and others.


5. All major applications are released for smartphones on popular platforms (Android and iOS). You yourself have probably seen advertisements on websites or in TV programs that a particular project has created its own application, which is available for Android OS and / or iOS.


6. All on the same smartphones with the Android or iOS operating system there are mobile markets (Google Play or App Store). They are a site or application where you can download thousands of games or applications to your smartphone for free, without registrations, etc. These are official sources, so all applications are moderated, which means they do not have viruses and other problems.


7. Games on smartphones are always of higher quality - detailing, more interesting and more similar to computer counterparts. The fact is that a regular phone only supports java applications, and they have a lot of limitations. For example, mobile java games "weigh" no more than a few megabytes (from 1 to 5), while a game for a smartphone can reach 2,000 megabytes. We think the answer is clear, how much better the smartphone application will be.


8. Applications (programs) in operating systems have more capabilities (go to the Internet, access a GPS navigator, other programs, etc.), which is naturally an advantage for developers. Therefore, telephone programs will be extremely simple, and most programs for smartphones will not even have analogs for mobile phones. For example, on a smartphone, there are translators, notebooks, diaries, office and graphic editors, clients for communication (icq, qip, skyp, etc.) with full video communication, file transfer, etc.


9. You can run multiple applications on your smartphone at the same time. For example: play a game, then minimize it and search for something on the Internet, then minimize the browser and start reading an interesting book. At this moment they will call you, you will answer, talk, and all open programs will remain “hanging” on the phone. You can continue playing from the point where you paused, in the browser all open tabs will remain in their places, and the book will not close the page on which you read it.


10. 99% of expensive phones are smartphones. 1% includes models that attribute their value to precious stones that are sprinkled all over the body and the body material itself is made of expensive material.


11. In addition to the previous point, we will say that you can buy a smartphone at a very affordable and inexpensive price (from $ 100).


12. There are companies that are engaged only in the production of smartphones (ordinary phones do not come out under their brand name). A prime example: Apple and its iPhone line of smartphones.


13. Smartphones allow you to transfer files using Bluetooth technology, and Android and Symbian make it possible to transfer absolutely any file formats, regardless of whether it can read / understand them or not.


14. Since a smartphone is, in fact, a mobile computer, all applications and games require installation, however, it does not take much time, and there are not many questions that arise during the first installation.


15. Smartphones in low price categories are able to slow down due to lack of RAM or processor power.


16. The control system of a smartphone is somewhat different from a regular phone, so for many users it can be more difficult to use. In addition, difficulties can arise when switching from a smartphone of one platform to another. For example, if you are switching from Android OS to Windows Phone.

Recently, people have ceased to understand how a smartphone differs from a regular mobile phone. This is due to the fact that smartphones have become the most popular product for a long time. They are the ones selling the best now. And people began to forget about ordinary cell phones. They began to believe that they simply do not exist now, that smartphones have replaced mobile phones. But this is absolutely not the case!

To begin with, no smartphones existed before. Suffice it to recall 1987, when Nokia released a simple phone called Mobira Cityman 900... It was a real brick - heavy and large. And there was nothing better on the market at that moment. It's hard to believe, but the phones of those years did not even know how to send and receive SMS! Moreover, they did not even acquire a contact book right away!

In the 90s, only desktops and laptops could be called smart. All sorts of smartphones and tablets could only dream of, or watch their use in the Star Trek series - its creators literally predicted the future.

The breakthrough happened only in 2001 when it was released Nokia 9210 Communicator... It was one of the first smartphones. Symbian OS 6.0 was installed on it as an operating system, and the device could also please with a full-fledged QWERTY-keyboard. The popularity of the model was such that in the future almost all portable devices equipped with smart functionality and a SIM card slot began to be called communicators. In particular, the so-called devices with Windows Mobile on board.

operating system

As you already started to understand, a cell phone differs from a smartphone in the absence of a real operating system. Instead, the simplest firmware is used on mobile phones, the functionality of which cannot be seriously expanded. Such software only supports the installation of Java applications, the functionality of which is very limited in many aspects. But there are also exceptions. For example, mobile phones were popular in the mid-2000s Siemens, on which with the help of a computer it was possible to install certain plugins developed by third parties. Such extensions provided the owner of the phone with new functions, and sometimes even increased the amount of memory.

Modern and old smartphones operate under the following operating systems:

There are some other mobile operating systems, but they are much less common. For example, the operating system was never able to gain popularity. Firefox OS... Well, a regular phone differs in that its manufacturer does not emphasize the name of the firmware - only its version can be viewed on the device itself.

Device design

In fact, the differences lie not only in software, but also in the design of gadgets. Previously, all mobile phones had a mechanical keyboard - most often digital, but sometimes QWERTY. But now you can also find mobile phones with a touch screen - in particular, this applies to devices based on firmware Bada, whose support was recently closed. That is, we can say that the lines between mobile phones and smartphones have blurred in this regard. But it is not so.

Go to the official website of the manufacturer and check out the technical specifications of the device. If this is a mobile phone, then you will not be told about the amount of RAM or the processor used. The fact is that for a smartphone these are very important values, because the speed of its operation depends on them. And simple mobile phones function stably even on the weakest components.

Other differences

Let's go back to the software. As we have already mentioned, traditional cell phones, if they support the installation of additional programs, then only in the form of strictly limited Java applications... And if you have a smartphone in your hands, then you can install more advanced programs and games written in completely different code. For example, for hundreds of applications have been developed with the extension .sys or .sysx... Well, Android is rich in tens and even hundreds of thousands of very good programs with the extension .apk - you can download them in the corporate online store Google play.

Also, smartphones and phones differ in cost. Back in the early 2010s, the former were much more expensive than the latter. But gradually the price of components began to fall, and therefore smartphones began to cost less. But the difference can still be felt. While the cheapest are push-button devices. Touchscreen mobile phones are already slightly more expensive, in terms of cost they are close to budget smartphones based on Android... Because of this, they are becoming less and less popular and it is becoming more difficult to find them on store shelves every day.

Summarizing

These are the most notable differences between smartphones and mobile phones. Due to the decrease in the cost of production of components, the latter are gradually losing their popularity. It is not excluded that in the future only "androids" and other smart devices will remain in stores, since the point of acquiring a low-functional cell phone will simply disappear.

Articles and Life Hacks

Today, few people are already asking the question of what the difference between a smartphone and a phone is, and yet not so long ago it was more than relevant.

How it all started

The very concept of "smartphone" appeared a long time ago. In 2000, she decided that to highlight the merits of her R380s model, she needed more than the banal name “phone”.

The gadget was small, lightweight, but had a touch screen. Unfortunately, from the modern point of view, it had a significant drawback - closed.

This meant that it was impossible to install applications on it other than those provided by the manufacturer. Subsequently, this flaw was corrected, and the new models received the first open operating system Symbian 6.0.

In those days, there were two more classes of gadgets: personal digital assistants (PDAs), which played the role of an electronic organizer, which were already giving way to communicators, which were essentially the same thing, but with the ability to make calls and access the Internet.

When they were "crossed" with a touchscreen phone, the concept of what we understand today as a smartphone appeared.

So what's the difference

The main differences between a smartphone and a phone can be considered the presence of the functionality of a pocket computer and a touchscreen. However, modern phones are also very "smart", although they are much inferior in capabilities to their older brothers.

In addition, although they have access to the Internet, it is limited by GPRS / EDGE technology, at which the cost of a megabyte of transmitted data is prohibitively high.

Smartphones, on the other hand, have 3G, and many also have a 4G module, which makes mobile Internet quite affordable and affordable in terms of speed.

It should also be borne in mind that this type of device is characterized by one of the powerful operating systems:

• Google Android.
• Apple iOS.
• Windows Mobile.

Each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages, each has its own adherents, but they are all united by a common feature: in terms of functionality, they are not much inferior to a desktop computer or laptop.

As for the operating systems of push-button phones, no one would even think of comparing it with a netbook.

If both classes of mobile devices still exist, then each of them has its own advantages.

Pros of smartphones:

• the functionality of a pocket computer, allowing it to be used for a wide variety of tasks;
• touchscreen display for convenient gadget control;
• high-speed Internet access;
• the presence of additional features, such as GPS navigation, TV tuner, built-in audio system, etc.;
• a huge amount of built-in memory in comparison with the phone, which allows you to store a lot of various information;
• status of top models of smartphones.

Pros of push-button phones:

• very low cost of the gadget;
• small size compared to most smartphone models;
• design and management familiar to older people.

Over time, "tubes" are increasingly turning into niche devices, the main advantage of which is precisely the price.

If a person needs absolutely nothing but the ability to make calls, then it makes no sense for him to buy even a super-cheap ultra-budget smartphone.

Not to mention the fact that such tempting offers of "exact copies of an iPhone for only 2,000 rubles" usually end up in wasted money, and such problems usually do not happen with push-button models for the same price.

On the other hand, for most of us today, life is unthinkable without at least occasional access to the Internet. The World Wide Web is increasingly pulling earthlings into its digital networks.

In this respect, push-button "tubes" are not able to offer the user practically anything, which sharply narrows the audience of such devices.

It is impossible not to mention a variety of entertainment content: in this respect, smartphones are again at an unattainable height: books, films, more than high-quality - except that in terms of music, the "pipe" is somehow able to compete with sensory colleagues, and even then only when using headphones.

Thus, the smartphone today is the main means of communication used by the overwhelming majority of people, and the telephone is a super-cheap surrogate intended only for making calls, the popularity of which decreases from year to year.

Everyone in our time is perfectly familiar with mobile, or cell phones, but few people know exactly how a smartphone differs from a mobile phone. We will try to answer this question, look into the history of the formation of these concepts and understand for whom a smartphone is more than the evolution of a telephone, and who may prefer a simple and reliable “dialer” to an advanced “pocket computer”.

Despite the absence of an industry standard and formal criteria for defining both categories of these portable devices, the most important and fundamental difference between a smartphone and a mobile phone is the mobile operating system. Thanks to her, a smartphone can be viewed as a miniature computer, capable of saving and launching all kinds of applications, editing documents, digital content and communicating with people in ways that are not available on a regular phone. As with a large full-size computer, smartphones are equipped with different operating systems:

• Windows Mobile
• Google android
• Symbian OS
• RIM BlackBerry
• Palm webOS
• and even Linux

Phones and smartphones also have different ways of interacting with the owner. While a cell phone usually has a hardware numeric keypad, a smartphone either has a full-size QWERTY-panel, which makes it easier for the user to enter a large amount of text, or a touch panel, at different times performing the functions of a keyboard, mouse, digitizer and used to display information. Like PDAs (personal digital assistants, PDAs), smartphones sometimes come with stylus for precise input and drawing, but in recent years fewer and fewer devices have stylus-oriented interfaces and can be easily operated with your fingers.

Different functional, software and hardware products lead to different operational characteristics. For example, due to a smaller screen and a less efficient processor, conventional phones have a significantly longer battery life. The simplicity of the interface and the limited set of functions simplify the use of the gadget for people who do not want to understand the numerous settings and submenus.

In turn, smartphones offer the ability to launch an application for any occasion: from a timer for cooking spaghetti and a Twitter client to sophisticated navigation mapping software for professionals, athletes and tourists. Built-in gyroscopes, compasses and sensors, fingerprint sensors and other technical innovations are also the prerogative of modern smartphones.

But, there is something in common between smartphones and mobile phones. Both categories of communication devices have a key feature in the name - phone. Both a cell phone and a smartphone allow their wearer to make calls, send and receive messages and mail. Like smart phones, ordinary mobile phones can have an organizer, contact book, player, camera and a set of simple games in their arsenal.