Mobile Phones > Android 545 545 people found this article helpful What Makes a Smartphone Smart? Smartphones offer additional features beyond a typical cell phone By Liane Cassavoy Liane Cassavoy Twitter Writer Boston University's College of Communications Liane Cassavoy is a former freelance contributor to Lifewire who has been reviewing and writing articles about smartphones since 1999. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on April 7, 2021 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Android Switching from iOS A smartphone adds features to a basic cell phone, such as email and web browsing. It connects to the internet and offers personalized services as a result. 1:54 Why Are They Called Smartphones? Key Smartphone Features In general, a smartphone runs an operating system that supports mobile and web applications. Apple's iPhone runs iOS, and other devices run Google's Android OS, HP's WebOS, and Microsoft's Windows Phone. By 2020, Android and iOS capture almost all the global market. Apps While almost all cell phones include some sort of software—even the most basic models these days include an address book or some sort of contact manager, for example—a smartphone creates and edits Microsoft Office documents, download apps such as personal and business finance managers, capture and edit photos, get driving directions via GPS, and create a playlist of digital tunes. Internet Access More smartphones can access the web at higher speeds. Thanks to the growth of data networks and the regular roll-out of higher standards, a mix of mobile data and Wi-Fi data makes these devices powerhouses at consuming media. Messaging All cell phones can send and receive text messages, but what sets a smartphone apart is its handling of email. A smartphone can sync with your personal and, most likely, your professional email account. Most smartphones support several email accounts. Others include access to popular instant messaging apps. Most phones today are smartphones although you can still find a few without some of these features if you look hard enough. Given today's connected world, however, it's a good idea to just buy a smartphone so you can stay in touch any way you want with the ones you love. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit