There are dozens of smartphones that made history, starting its way from 2009 to this very year, 2022. Smartphones started with touchable screens to foldable phablets, bezel-less screens, AI-powered camera apps, and many more. From Samsung’s Symbian phones to Nokia’s XpressMusic phones, iPhones to Ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor Vivo Apexes.
Let’s see how many phones have inspired the phones that are here today.
This is only the beginning, iPhone.
The first generation iPhone was a huge success because it was the first non-experimental working smartphone with the iPhone OS 1. According to Wikipedia, Steve Jobs put the idea way back in 1999, purchased the “iphone.org” domain in December 1999, and started the project named “Project Purple 2” in 2005. working with Samsung, Imagination Technologies, and Foxconn in production. The vision for iPhone was to make a mobile device with no built-in keyboards, antennas, and a mouse.
This was only the beginning of Apple, which would go on 15 years of the phone making history, after the iPhone 1, Apple made 34 iPhone models, including the latest generation iPhone SE 2. iPhone was one of the great smartphones that made history.
What did the 1st gen iPhone have inside?
Apple took help from Samsung and Imagination Technologies for their CPU and GPU, and Foxconn for the whole production phase. iPhone 1 had Samsung 32-Bit RISC ARM 1176JZ(F)-S v1.0 CPU that has been underclocked from 620 MHz to 412 MHz. The GPU is a PowerVR MBX Lite 3D, one of the first GPUs that has been used in Smartphone history, with 4/8/16GB of internal storage and 128MB of RAM.
What happened after iPhone?
After the release of the 1st gen iPhone, Google has created Android to make a rivalry between Apple, the already-existing phone manufacturers such as Samsung and LG has started to give their first shots at making Android-powered smartphones. The competition has started and the future of smartphones has begun.
The first smartphones that made history with a selfie camera are iPhone 4, and Samsung Galaxy Wonder.
After the successful release of the iPhone 1, 2, and 3 series, many things have been changed in iPhone’s ecosystem, Apple started making their own CPU/GPU’s, produced their motherboards for their phones, a camera was added, a GPS service was added, video recording was added, and many more useful features have been added, iPhone 4 released in 2010 June decided to step up the game by adding a selfie camera to the front of the device to make the user feel like they’re using the smartphone of the future.
Apple was stepping up the game and the phone manufacturers like Samsung were taking big inspirations from Apple, Samsung has made their device with a working selfie camera as an answer, and that device was Samsung Galaxy Wonder. Those two devices also were the smartphones that made history.
What did iPhone 4 and Galaxy Wonder had inside?
Apple came with their own-made Apple A4 that has a whopping 1.0 GHz powered CPU and a PowerVR SGX535 GPU, 8/16/32GB internal storage, and 512MB of RAM. 1420 mAh Li-Po battery and 640×960 pixels of IPS LCD screen panel. The device came with an all-new iOS 4 and got updated till iOS 7.1.2.
Later released Samsung Galaxy Wonder had a slightly better CPU, Snapdragon S2 with a whopping 1.4 GHz clock in it. The downside of the device was, that it had 2GB of internal storage and 512MB of RAM, The screen panel was Samsung’s 480×800 TFT panel. This device came with Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread and had no updates. It would’ve been a great rival if it had more storage options and a slightly better screen panel and update support.
The first Phablet with a pen? The Samsung Galaxy Note.
Released in 2011 October, Galaxy Note was a shocking device that came from Samsung, In the same month when iPhone 4S came out, Samsung put a step in the rivalry and released the first Phablet with a big screen. This device was very popular and most people have selected this device over iPhone 4S. This was the time when the rivalry started for good.
Galaxy Note had great things inside, a big screen, a big battery for 2011 standards, and a pen? The S-pen is the core function of the Galaxy Note series, which would go on till 2022 when Samsung decided to put the S-pen to their latest 2022 flagship device, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. Galaxy Note with the big screen and the S-pen and the iPhone 4S was also the smartphones that made history.
What did the Samsung Galaxy Note have inside?
Samsung Galaxy Note came with its own-made CPU, Exynos 4210 Dual, which has a whopping Dual-core 1.4 GHz Cortex-A9 chips on it. 16/32GB internal storage options with 1GB RAM. The screen panel was the 1st generation 800×1280 pixels AMOLED panel. it had a whopping 2500mAh Li-Ion battery. The device came with Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread and got updated to Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean, TouchWiz 4.
The first bezel-less smartphones that made history, are Sharp Aquos Crystal and Xiaomi Mi MIX.
This device is rather interesting, the company itself is interesting, they made the first bezel-less device, everybody thought it was near impossible to make bezel-less devices due to the camera, the sensors, and the receiver. Sharp Aquos Crystal took this idea of making a bezel-less device as “why can’t we put those sensors in the bottom, and put the screen to the top?”. After Sharp Aquos Crystal, Xiaomi have liked this idea and made their version of Aquos Crystal, the Mi MIX.
After 2 years of silence, Xiaomi Mi MIX has been released, Xiaomi Mi MIX had great hardware inside, a true premium flagship made by Xiaomi. Putting the vision that Sharp created with their Aquos Crystal to work and creating their premium version of a bezel-less phone.
Those devices are truly interesting and have opened a gate to make full-screen phones with no notches and no bezels whatsoever. These devices have put their names in golden, they truly are the smartphones that made history.
Okay but, what did those bezel-less devices have inside?
Aquos Crystal was rather an experimental and low-end release, mainly because looking at the 2014 flagships such as Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and Note Edge, LG G3, Nokia Lumia phones, and iPhone 6 series, Aquos Crystal falls a bit.
Aquos Crystal came with Qualcomm Snapdragon 400, which was a 1.2GHz Cortex-A7 CPU with Adreno 305 being the GPU, 8GB internal storage with 1.5GB RAM. The device used a 720×1280 TFT screen panel and had a 2040mAh Li-Ion battery inside. Came and stayed with Android 4.4.2 Kit-Kat. These specifications cannot hold out in 2022, not as a low-end device anymore.
Mi MIX had a monstrous Qualcomm Snapdragon 821, which was a Quad-core 2×2.35GHz & 2×2.19GHz Kryo CPU with Adreno 530 being the GPU, 128/256GB of internal storage options with 4/6GB RAM options. 1080×2040 IPS LCD panel and 4400 mAh Li-Ion battery. Came with Android 6.0 Marshmallow and got updated till Android 8.0. Mi MIX was a true completion of what Aquos Crystal was intended to be. This 6.4-inch device was true, the true start of bezel-less premium devices. You can check the full specifications by clicking here
The first smartphones that made history with Type-C outputs, were LeTV Le 1 and General Mobile GM 5 Plus.
This brand known as LeTV (known as LeEco now) was the first device to come out with a fully working USB Type-C power output, Type-C was the next level of what Micro-USB charging would become since Micro-USB cannot support the new-gen fast charging methods and it’s not comfortable to put your phone to charge, since Micro-USB output is not reversible so you had to stab your device in the night. Apple’s Lightning power output has done that well, and Android also had to become like the iPhone in the name of comfort.
After LeTV Le 1, the Turkish technology brand called General Mobile also used the Type-C output in their new device as well, GM 5 Plus looks like what LeTV Le 1 would be. Although, General Mobile wasn’t the only one to use the Type-C port in their device. Huawei, Oneplus, Gigaset, Lenovo, Zte, Teknosa, Meizu, Xiaomi, LG, and Microsoft have all tried it, and they liked it so they kept on using the Type-C port instead of the old Micro-USB port. Those devices are also the smartphones that made history.
LeTV Le 1 has done a big impact on the phone industry, being the first Type-C ported device out there, LeEco has put its name on the smartphones that made history.
What did LeTV Le 1 and GM 5 Plus have inside to be the smartphones that made history?
Despite having the first Type-C, the specs are not that bad at first, but the users mostly don’t like Mediatek for their issues. The Le 1 had a Mediatex X10 Octa-core 2.10GHz Cortex-A53 CPU with PowerVR G6200 GPU inside, 32GB internal storage with no SD-card support, and 3GB RAM. Has a 1080×1920 IPS LCD panel. 3000mAh Li-Ion battery. Came and stayed with Android 5.0.
GM 5 Plus is slightly the same device, but it has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 Octa-core 4×1.5GHz & 4x 1.2GHz CPU with Adreno 405 as GPU, 32GB internal storage with 3GB RAM. Has a 1080×1920 IPS LCD panel. 3100mAh Li-Po battery. GM 5 Plus was an Android One device, it came with Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow and got updated to Android 8.0.
These devices were the great start of Type-C in Android devices, truly the smartphones that made history.
Two modular smartphones that made history, one got canceled, LG G5 and Google Project Ara.
LG had the worst times during the production of LG G3 and G4, due to CPU overheating, battery dying so fast, and everything else in the design. LG has taken a different path with LG G5 and has put modular battery support, sliding in and out. it also has a module called LG CAM+. Those modules are only for making the phone’s usage better than ever.
Then there’s Project ARA, an All-Modular device concept made by google that got canceled too fast, to begin with. The vision of Project ARA was to change every single aspect of your phone. Your camera, storage options, and even your CPU. Project ARA would’ve been a device that would’ve been undead if Google released it and kept making newer modules over the passing years.
LG G5 sure is great, an all-modular battery system and a camera module are great modules alright, but if Project ARA existed, it could’ve been one of the best smartphones that made history, LG G5 is also one of the great smartphones that made history.
What did LG G5 have inside?
LG G5 was a true flagship from LG that had a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 Octa-core 4x 2.15GHz & 4×1.2GHz Kryo CPU with Adreno 530 GPU. 32GB internal storage and 4GB RAM, a great 1440×2560 QHD IPS LCD screen panel, and a 2800mAh Li-Ion battery. The device came with Android 6.0 Marshmallow and got updated to Android 8.0 Oreo.
What about Project ARA?
Sadly, there is no information about what Project ARA was supposed to have out of the box since Google has put an end of life to the project way before starting it. But, it could’ve been a flagship just like the Pixel series, Google started the Pixel series way after Project ARA was announced.
The first device with a double-camera system, and a single-cam rival, HTC One M8 and Google Pixel.
Let’s take it back to 2014 for a moment, The first device with a double-camera system was from the 1997-created veteran phone company, HTC. This device was one of the smartphones that made history mainly because in 2014, no one thought about a secondary camera but HTC did, 2 years later, everybody jumped in on the new double-camera trend while Google was selling their first professional device, Google Pixel as “camera done right”, mainly because their Google camera app had everything a double-camera system can do, Google stayed on using 1-cam system till Google Pixel 4.
Both of those devices have put their name on the smartphones that made history, HTC being the first double-cam device and Google Pixel being the rival to everybody in terms of using a single camera but having the functions of a double camera system.
Alright, what did those two devices have inside to be the smartphones that made history?
HTC One M8 came with Qualcomm MSM8974AB Snapdragon 801 that has a Quad-core 2.3 GHz or 2.5GHz CPU with Adreno 330 GPU depending on the region. 16/32GB internal storage with 4GB RAM. 1080×1920 Super LCD3 Screen panel and 2600mAh Li-Po battery. This device came with Android 4.4.2 Kit-Kat and got updated to Android 6.0 Marshmallow. The camera setup was, the first camera being a 4MP wide camera and 2nd camera being a 4MP depth camera for portrait blurred photos.
Google Pixel, released 2 years after, had Qualcomm Snapdragon 821, which was a Quad-core 2×2.35GHz & 2×2.19GHz Kryo CPU with Adreno 530 being the GPU, 32/128GB of internal storage options with 4GB RAM. 1080×2040 AMOLED panel and 2770 mAh Li-Ion battery. Came with Android 7.1 Nougat and got updated till Android 10 Q. Google Pixel only had one 12MP Wide camera and had a great coded Google camera inside for taking portrait shots without needing a 2nd camera.
First all-screen smartphones that made history with pop-up front cameras, Oppo Find X, Xiaomi Mi 9T.
When Oppo announced their new phone, Find X, the design seemed weird at first, everybody asked that “where did the front camera go?” and then people realized that Oppo has done a full sled camera design for the front camera and other sensors. The full-screen experience was there, but it was rather experimental. They haven’t used a Fingerprint scanner, because there were no in-screen fingerprint scanners yet, Oppo used a 3D face unlock system, just like Apple did with iPhone X.
Xiaomi took a different way on the pop-up camera when they were making the Mi 9T. They have put the sensors in place alright, but they’ve put the front camera on the top, rather than making a sled camera design as Oppo did. They both have good design and they are also the great smartphones that made history.
What did Oppo Find X and Mi 9T have to be the smartphones that made history?
Oppo Find X came with Qualcomm SDM845 Snapdragon 845 Octa-core 4×2.8 GHz Kryo 385 Gold & 4×1.7 GHz Kryo 385 Silver CPU with Adreno 630 GPU. 128/256GB internal storage with 8GB RAM. 1080×2340 AMOLED screen panel and 3730mAh Li-Ion battery. This device came with Android 8.1 Oreo and got updated to Android 10 Q. The Front camera is a motorized sled pop-up 25MP ultrawide camera. and an SL 3D face unlock sensor.
Xiaomi Mi 9T came with Qualcomm SDM730 Snapdragon 730 Octa-core 2×2.2 GHz Kryo 470 Gold & 6×1.8 GHz Kryo 470 Silver CPU with Adreno 618 GPU. 64/128GB internal storage with 6GB RAM. 1080×2340 AMOLED screen panel and 4000mAh Li-Po battery. This device came with Android 9.0 Pie and got updated to Android 11 R. The Front camera is a motorized sled pop-up 20MP wide camera. You can check the full specifications by clicking here
Those two devices with the hardware this good and advanced, really are in the bracket of the smartphones that made history.
First smartphones that made history to have an in-screen fingerprint sensor, Vivo Apex, and X20 Plus UD
Back then in December 2017, Vivo has released a prototype device that has an in-screen fingerprint sensor, working with Synaptics, Vivo’s vision was to make a device where you can easily have your fingerprint scanner on the half of the screen, no matter where you touch, the sensor was going to accept your fingerprint and unlock your phone, that phone was Vivo’s concept phone Apex. Apex has later renamed Nex and the first phone to come out with an in-display fingerprint scanner was Vivo X20 Plus UD. Synaptics has claimed that this new technology is 2x faster than Apple’s 3D Face ID technology that they use now from iPhone X to iPhone 13 Pro Max.
Vivo Apex and Vivo X20 Plus UD have started a new chapter and have put their names on smartphones that made history with golden letters.
What did those smartphones that made history, Vivo Apex Concept and X20 Plus UD have inside?
Vivo Apex Concept had Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Octa-core 4×2.8 GHz Kryo 385 Gold & 4×1.8 GHz Kryo 385 Silver CPU with Adreno 630 GPU inside, 64/128GB internal storage with 4/6GB RAM. Had 1080×2160 OLED display. 4000mAh battery. Came and stayed with Android 8.0, since this phone is a concept only, Vivo never went to update the phone.
Vivo X20 Plus UD had Qualcomm SDM660 Snapdragon 660 Octa-core 4×2.2 GHz Kryo 260 Gold & 4×1.8 GHz Kryo 260 Silver CPU with Adreno 512 GPU inside, 128GB internal storage with 4GB RAM. Had a 1080×2160 Super AMOLED display. 3900mAh Li-Ion battery. Came and stayed with Android 7.1.2.
Those phones were the great start of a new era of fingerprint sensors. Thanks to Vivo and Synaptics.
But why? LG V50 ThinQ 5G with a dual-screen?
LG is always known for their experimental releases, this time, they released this phone, LG V50, with a dual-screen setup? This screen can be used for opening a secondary app when you’re also using another app, not a perfect solution for double-app usage since a split-screen already exists as a core system function in literally every single Android device, now that is also a part of Apple iPhone devices.
LG V50 has put its name in smartphones that made history alright, but in a weird way.
So what did this device have inside to be one of the smartphones that made history?
LG V50 ThinQ 5G came with Qualcomm SM8150 Snapdragon 855 Octa-core 1×2.84 GHz Kryo 485 & 3×2.42 GHz Kryo 485 & 4×1.78 GHz Kryo 485 CPU with Adreno 640 GPU. 128GB internal storage with 6GB RAM. 1440×3120 P-OLED screen panel and 4000mAh Li-Po battery. This device came with Android 11 Pie and got updated to Android 11 R.
The Dual-Screen setup looks nice when used, but is it a core function to take the phones to the next level? No. But it is a good luxury accessory. That’s why LG V50 ThinQ 5G is in the bracket of smartphones that made history, mainly because it’s having one of the first luxury functions such as a dual-screen.
Conclusion
Those smartphones that made history, all of them are a part of the development, the technology still is going on, there are still works of making the user have the best experience, every core function changes, day by day, night by night. What iPhone 1 has started went on till to this very year, 2007 to 2022. There will be many more smartphones that will make history, These phones will never be forgotten because of how they impacted technology as a whole.
