It’s been 50 years since the creator of the mobile phone made the first ever phone call. On 3 April 1973, Marty Cooper stood on a street corner in New York, United States, and took a cream coloured device out of his pocket, put a number into the keypad on it and made a call.
It was the first portable, handheld phone of its kind - although the huge, chunky device looked very different to the mobile phones we are used to today. By modern standards, in fact, we may even question just how portable it actually was but, for its time, it was revolutionary.
To celebrate this historic milestone, NationalWorld has looked back at 11 other mobile phones that also changed the communications industry because of the features that they offered. Take a look through our gallery to see how many you remember.
Read more:
9. Samsung Galaxy Note
When the Samsung Galaxy Note was released in 2011, it was much bigger than any other phone on the market - it had a screen of 5.3 inches. At that time, some people wondered why anyone would need a phone that big, but Samsung said that the big screen would allow people to do more. Now, smartphones are known for large screens, and this phone is largely considered to have paved the way for this. | AFP via Getty Images
10. iPhone 5
When iPhones were first introduced they were extremely expensive and not everyone could afford to have one. The iPhone 5 series, released between 2012 and 2013, was the first from Apple to offer slightly different phones at different price points so that more people could buy one. There wasn’t much difference between the capabilities of the phones themselves, but they were made using different materials which increased or decreased the price. | AFP via Getty Images
11. Samsung Galaxy Fold
For a few years, in the early to mid-2010s, the phone industry was dominated by tall phones and that seemed to be what people wanted. In 2019, however, Samsung challenged this by releasing the Galaxy Fold phone which did exactly what the name suggests. It was intended to help users protect their phone screen to prevent it from getting damaged, and also to give them increased privacy as it prevented any prying eyes from seeing what was on the screen. These types of fold phones continue to be hugely successful for Samsung. | AFP via Getty Images