What is a Smartphone?

Smartphones are powerful mobile phones that do more than standard handsets.

Everyone defines the term slightly differently, but generally you can identify these devices by their operating systems, impressive features and hi-tech hardware. Here's how to spot one in the wild:

There are several systems currently favoured by mobile manufacturers, including Symbian, Android and Windows Phone. Some companies like Apple and BlackBerry prefer to use their own proprietary systems.

2. At Least One Home Screen
The main menu display is often referred to as a home screen. It serves as a jumping-off point for accessing apps and widgets. Most devices now have more than one home screen, so you can separate your applications into categories - work, play, internet and media etc.

3. Apps
Apps (short for applications) are mini software programs, which are often internet-enabled.
Nowadays you can download an app for almost anything, from live local weather forecasts to brain training! You can use our new My Hub service to check which free and paid apps are available for your specific handset, and easily download them.

4. Speedy Internet
Most modern smartphones can connect to the internet via 3G, a high speed service that is often enhanced by HSDPA, for even faster download times. Many recent models are also WiFi enabled, so you can access the internet via available hotspots. Older models will have an alternate means of connecting to the web, either GPRS and/or EDGE.

5. Masses of Memory
Your device will probably have a memory card slot for microSD cards (or M2 cards if it's a Sony Ericsson handset). Some devices, like the Apple iPhone, have a very large internal memory; so you don't need to purchase an additional card to store music, movies, apps and photos.

They Are All Touch Controlled. Nope. In fact, although many popular models do have touch screens, like the new Nokia N900 for instance, many others have physical controls, like the stylish BlackBerry Storm2, which features a full QWERTY keyboard and an optical trackpad.

They Are Fiddly and Complicated. Actually, most models are really easy to use, thanks to a simple menu structure and the fact that you can drag & drop your favourite apps and widgets.

They Cost Too Much. Not anymore! There are tons of affordable smartphones now available at The Carphone Warehouse, like the cute LG Cookie and the Samsung Tocco Lite.

Still stuck on specs? Check out our help blog for handy hints, how to and tips. You can always check out our help & support twitter feed, tweet us your query or send us a message on Facebook.