On April 3, 1973, Martin Cooper took a large brick phone out of his pocket and started dialing numbers into a large, cream-colored device. Cooper took the phone to his ears and rang an engineer at Bell Labs – a competitor at the time – to tell him that he was making the call from “a personal, handled, portable cell phone.”
“I’m calling you on a cell phone, but a real cell phone, a personal, handheld, portable cell phone,”
History was made. It was the first cellular phone call. Who would’ve guessed that the world would look so different 50 years later, and people would do everything from shopping to finances to playing games, reading news, and watching movies, all on their smartphones?
The call that changed the world
Motorola DynaTAC 8000X
Months before the call was made, Motorola and Bell Labs were competing against each other, racing to develop the first cell phone. Back then, cell phones were large, heavy, bulky, and often out of reach for most people. It was considered a luxury item. Bell Labs continued its focus on developing cell phones for cars, while Motorola and Cooper dreamed of a phone that could be carried anywhere.
In 1983, Motorola announced the DynaTAC 8000X, the first commercial portable cellular phone that received approval from the US. DynaTAC stands for “Dynamic Adaptive Total Area Coverage”.
The phone took 10 hours to charge, and it offered just 30 minutes of talk time – unimaginable by today’s standards. It weighed 800 grams and was 25cm long and as thick as a brick – hence its nickname. It could store 30 phone numbers, and it had buttons and a small display. In 1984, the phone was sold for $3,995, equivalent to about $11,560, after adjusting for inflation.
It was a revolutionary device, and it changed the way people communicated with each other. It changed how companies conducted their business, and in theory – it made everything possible from anywhere. People no longer had to send letters and appear in person to conduct business. They could settle things in private, over a phone call.
Martin Cooper with some of the first cell phones on his desk, Source: Getty images
Despite the DynaTAC 8000X being out of reach for many people, Motorola sold more than 300,000 units. Motorola later went on to release other series, including the ones under the “Classic”, “International”, “6000XL” series, and more, and the company quickly sold more than one million units of subsequent models.
Cell phone users often ended up paying more for their phones than they did for their cars – which was often the place where phones were first used. Calls were equally as expensive, and users could often end up paying 50 cents a minute, and up to $30 for an hour – although many phones could not go for that long on a single charge.
Compare that, for example, to the iPhone 14. It can store as many numbers as you can imagine, has a beautiful and colorful 6.1-inch OLED display, it’s pocket-friendly and weighs only a few hundred grams, and retails for $799 – a far more affordable price tag.
Feature phones are still around and cheaper than ever. For instance, the Nokia 2760 flip phone can be purchased for just $19.99 at BestBuy, which comes with a pre-paid SIM card with 4GB of data. Phone contracts brought the phone and plan prices way down, making them more affordable.
Calls are no longer the primary way of communication
In the smartphone era, phones are no longer only used to make calls. Today’s smartphones are tiny supercomputers, able to tackle much more. While phone calls are no longer the primary ways of communicating with one another, they still play a crucial role in delivering messages across the globe.
In 2023, calls are still considered essential, but many services and apps require an internet connection to access content. While modern phones still heavily rely on cell towers, we have much better and more advanced standards that allow us to deliver crisp and clear messages in various ways. Whether that’s a phone call, a video call, an RCS (Rich Communication Services) text message, or even a voice clip, there’s a way to interact and reach anyone without borders.
New smartphones are more powerful than ever, and some even come with as much RAM as laptops and desktops, allowing the use of multiple services and applications simultaneously. Cellphones and smartphones have come a long way, and while traditional smartphones have reached their peak, a new revolution has already started. Foldable and rollable smartphones are getting better every year. While they’re unlikely to dethrone flat-screened devices anytime soon, they’ll help us get closer to even better and more innovative ideas and solutions to keep us connected.
Some of the best and most affordable devices you can buy today
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Apple iPhone SE (2022)
The latest iPhone SE 2022 comes with 5G and the A15 Bionic Chip, the same SoC that powers the iPhone 13 series of flagship devices. The new iPhone SE is the most affordable iPhone in Apple’s lineup, and it comes with new camera features and improved battery life.
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Apple iPhone 14
iPhone 14 joins the market as the smartphone to pick if you want a high-tier of performance, great cameras, and battery life that will last you through a day of use with ease.
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Google Pixel 6a
$249 $449 Save $200
If you don’t care about high refresh rate, wireless charging, a glass back and a few other tidbits, this should be your phone. It’s a Pixel, but less expensive. Check out all the deals on the device using the links given below.
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Google Pixel 7
The new Google Pixel 7 is powered by the all-new Google Tensor G2 chipset. The device is coupled with 8GB of memory, and it has 128/256GB storage tiers. The phone comes with a significantly improved camera system, and it’s more portable than the last generation. The Pixel 7 is available in Obsidian, Lemongrass, and Snow colors.
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Samsung Galaxy A54 5G
The new Samsung Galaxy A54 5G comes with a two-day battery life, an excellent triple camera setup, and support for 25W fast charging, It has a compact design and a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display and a microSD expansion slot to store your apps and photos.
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Samsung Galaxy S23+
The Samsung Galaxy S23+ provides an ideal blend of top-tier specifications, features, and affordability. It ships with a big 6.6-inch AMOLED display, Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, and a triple camera array that’s proven itself to be reliable in any scenario.
