The history of cell phones: A decade-by-decade timeline

In just a few decades, mobile phones have gone from being a luxury reserved for the elite to an essential tool for billions of users. From the first in-car phones of the 1940s to the best smartphones of today, the evolution of cell phones is nothing short of remarkable. To that end, let’s take a look at the history of cell phones. We’ll go through the evolution one decade at a time — from the first-ever wireless network to the proliferation of mobile apps, it’s all here.

Early portable phones: Pre-1970s cell phone history