How Your Smartphone Was Made

With over 1.43 billion smartphones sold globally every year, have you ever wondered how they’re made? We have. The production of all handsets follow the same basic principles, which is vital to their success. So let’s take a look at how it’s done.

Research and development

The first stage in the life of any new phone sees a skilled team of researchers, developers and board directors working together to create a prototype model incorporating design, look and feel, and function. They will need to decide what they would like the new phone to offer. This requires researching what is currently working well on existing phones and could be developed further, plus any new features that customers could benefit from. The most important objective though is to create a phone that will stand out from its competitors.

Bringing the phone to life

The next stage in the life of the new phone sees the software team implement the operating system of the phone. This is where everything that makes the phone work is installed, from menus to camera functions, and it’s a vital stage for ironing out any technological glitches that may have arisen. It’s better to discover any issues at this stage rather than further down the line!

Test, test and test again!

The testing stage is probably the most important stage and the new phone is certainly put to the test! It is crucial that the new handset is thoroughly tested before it is mass produced. Testing not only ensures the phone is the best it can be, by avoiding potential malfunctioning, but it is an important stage to ensure the handset won’t overheat during use and is safe to use by the customer.

Off to manufacturing

Once the new handset has passed its rigorous testing with flying colours, it’s now ready for mass production. The biggest manufacturer of electronic items is Foxconn. They manufacture devices for Apple, Nintendo, Nokia, Playstation… to name but a few. And in order to keep the design and spec of each new handset secret before it is released, each new item is referred to by a code, rather than its new name. Clever!

The big launch

Once the handsets have been packaged up ready for sale, they are stored in a secret, central storage facility. All the while, the marketing team will have been working hard preparing their promotional material, and once ready, the handsets are shipped around the world ready for their big launch.

You don’t always have to buy brand new

Every year millions of people choose to buy refurbished phones rather than buying brand new, saving them money and helping the environment too.

The production of new mobile phones requires resources, such as metal, plastic and energy, putting pressure on the environment. Plus when an unwanted mobile phone is discarded into landfill, toxins and gases can leak, polluting the atmosphere and the surrounding environment.

However, the metal and plastic can be removed and recycled, and any suitable working parts can be re-used to produce refurbished phones. Buying a refurbished phone also reduces the number of new phones produced, which means fewer resources and less energy is used.

At Greener Mobile you can buy a refurbished phone, saving you money on buying a brand new phone, and you can sell your old phone to us too. When you recycle a phone with Greener Mobile, you know that we will do everything we can to refurbish it and find it a new home. But if that’s not possible, we don’t throw the phone away. We’re committed to recycling everything we possibly can using safe and sustainable practices that minimise environmental impact and keep old phones away from landfill sites.