Phones have become an integral part of our daily lives. From basic communication to entertainment, work, and more, phones pack a ton of features into a small device we can carry everywhere. There are many interesting facts and stats about the history, evolution, and use of phones that are worth learning about. In this article, we will highlight 5 fascinating facts covering different aspects of phones.
Fact 1: The first mobile phone call was made in 1973
On April 3, 1973, Motorola engineer Martin Cooper made the first call on a handheld mobile phone to his rival at Bell Labs, Joel Engel. Cooper called him to gloat about beating Bell Labs in developing the technology. He made the call on a Motorola DynaTAC 8000x, a bulky prototype phone that weighed 2.5 pounds.
This first cell phone call marked the beginning of the mobile phone era. While it took over a decade after this for mobile phones to become commercially available, this was a major milestone in technology history. The phone Cooper used only offered 30 minutes of battery life and took 10 hours to charge! Compare that to today’s smartphones with all-day battery life.
Fact 2: There are over 5 billion mobile phone users worldwide
According to GSMA Intelligence, there were over 5 billion mobile subscribers globally at the end of 2019. This means about 67% of the world’s population uses a mobile phone. The total number of mobile phone users worldwide is estimated to reach 5.9 billion by 2025.
The countries with the highest number of mobile phone users are China (over 950 million users), India (around 750 million users) and the USA (over 270 million users). In fact, China and India together account for over 30% of total global mobile subscribers.
Mobile phone adoption has steadily increased over the years, especially in developing countries. Affordable smartphones and mobile data plans have allowed billions to access the power of mobile phones.
Fact 3: 90% of adults in the USA own a cellphone
Cellphone ownership in the United States is at an all-time high. According to a 2021 Pew Research survey, 90% of American adults own a cellphone, and smartphone ownership is 85%. Compare this to owning a desktop or laptop computer (78%) and owning a tablet (53%).
Cellphones have overtaken computers as the most popular technology device Americans own. Their portability, convenience, always-on connectivity and capabilities like apps, web access, GPS etc. make them indispensable to daily life.
Along with the proliferation of smartphones, cellphone activities like texting, accessing social media, streaming videos/music are now a major part of how Americans spend time on their mobile devices.
Fact 4: 77% of smartphones sold are Android, 23% are iOS
The global smartphone market is dominated by two operating systems – Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS.
According to StatCounter, the worldwide mobile OS market share in September 2022 was:
| Android | 77.74% |
| iOS | 22.24% |
So around 77% of smartphones sold run on Android, while 23% run on iOS. Android has expanded rapidly thanks to its integration in phones by many device makers like Samsung, Xiaomi, Oppo etc. iOS is exclusively limited to Apple’s iPhones only.
Android holds over 75% market share in all regions, except North America where iOS is slightly higher at 56%. Android’s higher customization, cost advantage for device makers and users are key factors in its leading position.
Fact 5: Average time spent on phones daily is 4.8 hours
According to survey data from Statista in 2021, the average time spent on mobile devices in the United States is 4 hours and 8 minutes per day. This includes all phone activities like messaging, web surfing, social media, games etc.
The time spent on phones has steadily increased over the years, as mobile devices become more advanced and Take over many daily tasks. Of this:
| Messaging | 44 minutes |
| Voice calls | 24 minutes |
| Web browsing | 22 minutes |
| Social media | 21 minutes |
| Entertainment | 18 minutes |
Younger users tend to spend more time on their phones daily. 18-24 year olds use mobiles for over 5 hours every day on average.
Phones are now the most used device overall on a daily basis by consumers to access information, connect with others, get work done and be entertained.
Conclusion
The facts covered in this article provide a snapshot into how integral phones have become worldwide over the past few decades. From the first call in 1973 to over 5 billion users today, phones have revolutionized how we communicate, access information and spend our time.
As phone technology continues to advance with new innovations in 5G, processors, AI, AR/VR and more, they will become even more capable and engrained into our lives. It will be fascinating to see what new phone usage trends and consumer behaviors emerge in the future.
