Key Difference: Smartphones are any mobile phones that are similar to a mini computer. Smartphones offer a variety of features that allows advanced computing capability and connectivity. A non-smartphone is any phone that does not offer the various features that are offered by a smartphone.

Smartphones have become a prominent component in our daily lives. It has become a huge part in who we are and how we live. Smartphones are also the top one thing on many people’s list of things they cannot live without. Smartphones weren’t always the smartphone we have now. They have gradually changed and evolved from the once landlines, basic phones that would allow us to make calls to a phone that allows to do almost everything. The popularity of these technologically advanced phones has earned them their own category known as smartphones. Any phones that don’t belong in this category is dubbed as s non-smartphone.

Smartphone is a mobile phone that operates on an operating system, similar to a mini computer. Smartphones are basically that – a mini computer. They offer a variety of features such as calling capabilities, computing capabilities, video conferencing, online surfing, cameras, media players, GPS navigation units, etc. Any mobile phone that lets you do the work of a computer is considered as a smartphone. Smartphone are powered by operating systems such as Android, iOS, Windows Mobile, etc.  The term ‘smartphone’ was introduced into the market by Ericsson in 1997, when it used the word to describe its GS 88 ‘Penelope’ concept as a smartphone. There is no clear distinction that decides which phones are smartphone and which phones are not. However, with the increasing technology and offerings in a phone, the category has expanded to include all the new features that are currently available in the market.

A non-smartphone is a phone that does not belong in the smartphone category, which basically means that it does not have an operating system, computing capabilities, GPRS, syncing capabilities, video conferencing, etc. A non-smartphone can also be a basic or a feature phone. A basic phone is any phone that allows the user basic features such as sending/receive calls and texts. A feature phone is a budget phone; it is a phone that has cut down on many features of a smartphone to offer a budgeted counterpart of the phone. A non-smartphone can also offer internet connectivity and browsing capability, but it is usually limited. A non-smartphone is a broad category that incorporates any other phones that are not smartphones.

The popularity of smartphones has also increased the cost of using cell phones in many countries. Purchasing a smartphone in many countries requires people purchasing a data plan compulsory. This requires people shell money on a data plan, even if they do not require it or use it. A lot of people that do not require a cellphone for anything other than making/receiving calls or text are now opting for non-smartphones as a money saving option.

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