Differences between Smartphones and Feature Phones

According to whether there is an operating system or not, mobile phones are divided into smartphones and feature phones. Most people in modern society, especially young people, basically use smartphones, but some other people still choose to use feature phones. In this article, we will dive deep into the differences between smartphones and feature phones.

What's a smartphone?

A smartphone is a cell phone that lets you do more than make phone calls and send text messages. Smartphones can browse the Internet and run software programs like a computer. Smartphones use a touch screen to allow users to interact with them. There are thousands of smartphone apps including games, personal-use, and business-use programs that all run on the phone.

Smartphones first came into use in the late 1990s, about a decade after feature phones. It immediately became very popular among people because of its new features and applications. Soon, people could use them as replacements for computers and laptops. They could perform everything computers could perform. The most popular operating systems used in smartphones are Android, iOS, Chrome OS, Windows, etc.

Advantages of smartphones

1. The first and foremost advantage is that it connects you to your loved ones. Either by text, voice calls, or video calls. You connect to your dear ones through smartphones. Moreover, it helps to share memories with your beloveds. Sending pictures and videos through instant messengers is easier now. This is the main benefits of smartphones.

2. Mobile phones have become your personal assistant. Smartphones proved to be better at managing documents than human beings. They can store your important notes. Moreover, they save your personal information and keep it protected.

3. Your smartphone can work as a GPS device. There are several excellent applications for navigation that will allow you to quickly locate the place. You’ll get directions no matter if you’re a driver or a pedestrian, because you won’t have to go around asking strangers how to get somewhere. Many of the applications even display the traffic jam locations, so this will help you escape the mess and arrive more efficiently.

4. With the invention of mobile banking, it is no hustle to pay utility bills. You don’t need to travel to a bank to make transactions. Now, it is possible to make transactions sitting at home. All because of smartphones. Whether you have to pay a bill, or you have to cash a check. It's all easy to do at home through your mobile phones. This is the most helpful benefits of smartphone.

5. With the assistance of applications, smartphones can do almost anything. There are over 2 million applications in the Google Play Store, while the Apple App Store has over 1.5 million apps. People spend 90% of their time using apps, in which 36 apps are installed by an average user on their smartphone. The functionality of apps differs from each other – picture and video editor, ticket booking, online shop, payment system, data review, personal assistant, etc.

6. Unlike feature phones, you can enjoy making changes to the settings of your smartphones like changing the theme to a different colour, using the fingerprint sensors, or face- recognition for device protection. There is also a function to track your smartphone if you lose it somewhere using various methods.

Like the points above, a smartphone is really “smart” as its name suggests it to be. It might look like you are carrying a small phone in your hand, but in reality, you are carrying the entire world in your own hands when you are using a smartphone. 

What's a feature phone?

Feature phones are also known as the earlier generation mobile phones. They have small non-touch screens with the buttons as that of a keyboard in input. They have simple apps such as calendar, FM Radio, calculator, alarm, date and time, games, torch, contacts, messages, music player, Bluetooth, and web. Feature phones first came into use in the 1980s. So, the popular feature phones of all times have been from companies like Nokia and Blackberry. People who have been using mobile phones for a long time first got to use these kinds of phones.

Advantages of feature phones

1. Feature phones are highly economical. If you want to get a mobile phone with all the basic features without spending a lot of money, features phones are the best choice.

2. While there are some advantages to virtual on-screen keyboards, few things can replace the experience of a physical keypad that you find on a typical feature phone. You can feel the keys below your fingers, so you can type even without looking, and you get a nice genuine feedback for each key press, albeit with a caveat of potentially annoying a person next to you with its sound.

3. Making and receiving calls is very convenient in feature phones because of the clear sound quality and louder volume. Not only can you enjoy a louder ringtone and alarm volume on your feature phone, but you can also play simple games like ludo, snake on your feature phone for entertainment purposes.

4. You won't have to worry about fitting your large smartphones in your pockets. A basic feature phone is light in weight and small in size that can fit everywhere.

5. The very things that make a feature phone so supposedly dumb are the things that make it a perfect companion to a person who wants to be focused on here and now. No Facebook notifications, no YouTube, no Instagram, no laying in bed at night surfing the internet on your phone.

It will tell you when you’ve got a phone call or a text message and that’s it. Otherwise, it leaves you alone. For those who might experience a bit of a burnout from constant social media buzz, this might actually feel like a breath of fresh air and invoke a kind of Zen like peace of mind.

Conclusion

Mobile phones are the everyday essential of our lives. Feature phones are basic cell phones. Using a feature phone, you can live carefreely by being more productive and focused on your life rather than the virtual world. While smartphones are basic phones with some advanced features. It might look like you are carrying a small phone in your hand, but in reality, you are carrying the entire world in your own hands when you are using a smartphone. 

Both types of mobile phones have their own uses in their own ways. Some might prefer smartphones for their extensive features, while some people might prefer feature phones for their simplicity. It totally depends on your choices, likes, and dislikes. So, which phone do you prefer to actually carry around in your daily life? You can tell us through the Free Inquiry button at the side.