Evolution of Smartphones: 2010 vs 2020

Displays got bigger, bezels got thinner, physical buttons have been eliminated from the front of devices, rear camera lenses were added, and smartphones became more powerful. Since the Apple and Samsung cover almost 75 % of all sold smartphones in Australia, let us present you the short outcome of the mobile technology evolution in the last decade.

Quick evolution

With the new iPhone 4 in 2010, Apple brought a brand-new feature the front-facing camera, 8.9 cm display and fresh design. It was a design, we all loved so much, stainless-steel frame and the glass in the front and on the back.

The next year Apple introduced the iPhone 4S with no big differences. Samsung, on the other hand, launched Galaxy S II and Galaxy Note with 13.46 cm screen. Both came with Android Ice Cream Sandwich and fantastic new feature as rudimentary face unlock capabilities.

In 2012 the iPhone 5 carried a 10.16 cm display, LTE support and iOS 6 with new app Apple Maps.

13 MP rear camera and 12.7 cm screen were improvements made by Samsung engineers for Galaxy S4 in 2013 while that same year Apple presented iPhone 5C, a cheaper and more colourful version of an iPhone. Also, this was the year Apple started to use the 64-bit processor to power the devices.

In 2014, the Galaxy Note became the Galaxy Note Edge, a smartphone with a curved display and Android 5.0 Lollipop. Apple, meanwhile, presented the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus with display sizes 11.9 and 14 cm.

For Apple, 2015 was a quiet year with only a few upgrades for the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus. Samsung, on the other hand, released the Galaxy S6 but dropped out a removable battery.

The Galaxy Note 7 and its 14.5 cm display was the first Note device to have a USB-C port instead of a micro USB, in 2016 they also removed a physical home button. The same year, Apple introduced us to the iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone SE as a throwback to iPhone 5/5S.

2017 was the year for the iPhone X, it was designed with the notch on the top of the display, surprisingly or not, the notch became very popular over the next two years by every smartphone manufacturer. Aside, phones such as the Pixel 2 and Galaxy S8 were combined with stylish looks and a lot of power.

In 2018 Google developed Night Sight feature that helps us to make stunning night-time photography. With its lower price and variety of colour options, Apple presented the iPhone XR, otherwise, there were no major upgrades.

At the end of a decade, the 5G technology has just started to become available and a future of foldable phones arrived with the Samsung Galaxy Fold and the Huawei Mate X. Apple made a big step in the low-light photography department with its iPhone 11 series.

These are the 10 most important phones of the 2010s by TheNextWeb:

The upcoming future

As our mobile devices developed over the years, so did change our use. They are not just mobile phones, they’re smartphone devices that can be used instead of computers or tablets on the move. Many changes were influenced by Apple’s iPhone and so our smartphones became a technological and fashionable statement. And what can we expect in the future? Which brand will dominate in innovation and movement on the smartphone scene? One thing is sure, the pace of smartphone evolution moving fast and there's always some new technology waiting for us around the corner.

Whether you have the latest iPhone, Samsung Galaxy S, Samsung Galaxy Note, Google Pixel or not, we offer a variety of cases and covers in hundreds of styles, colours, patterns, materials...