ISTOCKPHOTO/GETTY IMAGES
The first cell phone call was made on this phone in 1973. The device is five times heavier than today’s iPhone. Its battery lasted for just 30 minutes at a time!
ILLUSTRATION BY MAGICTORCH; SHUTTERSTOCK.COM (BACKGROUND)
What's Inside a Cell Phone?
Cell phones have come a long way over the past 50 years. Let’s look inside a modern cell phone to see how its major parts work!
By Dani Leviss
From the December 2023 / January 2024 Issue
Standards
ILLUSTRATION BY MAGICTORCH; 3D_MOLIER INTERNATIONAL/TURBOSQUID (CELL PHONE PARTS); ISTOCKPHOTO/GETTY IMAGES (FIRST CELL PHONE); SHUTTERSTOCK.COM (BACKGROUND)
Touch screen
When you touch the screen with your bare finger, you complete an electric circuit. That sends a signal to the computer chip about what to do next, like open an app.
Battery
This part powers the phone. It stores chemicals that make chemical energy. When the phone is on, this energy changes into electrical energy. To charge, the battery takes in energy in the form of electricity from an outlet.
Circuit board
Wires on this board send signals from the computer chip to the rest of the phone.
Antennas
Hidden inside the phone’s edges, these parts let the phone make calls and go online.
Camera
This device uses light so you can take pics like selfies! A tiny sensor detects the light bouncing off your face. A program turns that information into an image.
Computer chip
This piece holds the computer chip. It acts as the phone’s brain. It controls what the phone does based on signals from other parts of the phone.
Text-to-Speech