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Once upon a time, from time long ago, a lot of cell phones, handheld devices, and later smartphones were manufactured in the United States of America. It may seem difficult to believe right now, considering that almost everything we use now is made in China. But it really happened. Before we abandoned hardware to the East, most of it was made here in the West.
It will interest you to know that Motorola was once a 100% American company, a pioneer in mobile, and the leading cell phone maker in the world for years. In 1973, Dr Martin Cooper, who as the General Manager at Motorola communications system division, made the first public mobile phone call.
Motorola RAZR V3
The company went ahead to make some of the bestselling cellphones ever – including the famous RAZR V3, released in 2004 and which went on to sell over 130 million units. Others included the STARTAC, C200, and C139. In 2012, Motorola was acquired by Google, and was later sold to Lenovo in 2014, ending its American ownership.
But we must backtrack a little. Another American company, Palm Computing, had been making handheld devices since the 90s. In the early 200s, the company began to make PDA cellphones – phones with handheld/computing features. These were radical new devices and went on to be hugely successful. Palm smartphones ran PalmOS, switched to Windows Mobile, and later WebOS.
Palm Treo 270. Palm phones used to be made in the USA
But Palm was not the only company making cell phones in America. Other top tech brands, like HP, Compaq, and Dell, all were involved in the PDA cell phone business, and they sold truckloads of their devices. Did I mention that palm was acquired by HP in 2011? In 2011, Palm was once again sold to TCL.
Anyway, back to the other American cell phone makers, HP, Compaq, and Dell were known for their Pocket PC and Windows Mobile smartphone devices. All of these used to be made in the USA. But they are all gone with the wind. By the mid-2000s, smartphone manufacturing was on a steep downward slide, as the United States of America struggled to keep up with the times.
Apple shook things up in the smartphone industry with the announcement of the iPhone in 2007. This was a new approach to smart mobile devices, and the world lapped it up. But alas, by then, manufacturing of mobile phones was past its glory days, and even Apple did not have the first generation iPhone made in America. It was made in Taiwan by Foxconn. While Apple is fully responsible for the design of the iPhone here in the USA, production is done outside the country.
Once upon a time, cell phones and smartphones by Motorola, Palm, HP, Compaq, and Dell used to be made in the USA. But that time is long gone. Today, only one smartphone is American-made . Most of the handheld devices we use across the length and breadth of this country are now made elsewhere.
Author:MobileChic
That motivated, gadget-loving geeky chic who tries to stay on top of things. Unapologetic iFan.
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When you look at Samsung’s range of smartphones for the year 2021, the S21 series devices stand out, with all the bells and whistles, yet none of them is the most versatile Samsung phone. Versatility is all about range – the ability to fit into many classes and suitable for a wide range of users and price points.
One of the candidates for the most versatile Samsung phone of 2021 falls on a mid-range model, Samsung A12 . It is a no-frills model, to be sure. It offers a 6.5″, 720 x 1600 pixels, IPS display, Refresh Rate is good old 60Hz, so there is nothing special there. There is an 8-megapixel camera in a water drop notch at the top of the display.
At the back is a decent 48-megapixel quad camera and a big 5000mAh battery coupled with 15W fast charging. It is powered by a decent MediaTek Helio P35 processor, and there is a side-mounted fingerprint scanner. The a12 has you covered with decent performance, but that isn’t enough to make it versatile, is it? Definitely not.
what makes this phone versatile is its range of memory options. It is available in 2GB, 3GB, 4GB, and 6GB RAM options. That’s four variants already. But thanks to multiple internal storage options, the phone is available in 5 variants in all, as follows:
- 2 GB RAM + 32 GB internal storage,
- 3 GB RAM + 32 GB internal storage,
- 4 GB RAM + 64 GB internal storage,
- 4 GB RAM + 128 GB internal storage,
- 6 GB RAM + 128 GB internal storage.
Hopefully, it becomes clear why the A12 can be said to be the most versatile Samsung phone of the year. It has got range. This is pretty much a phone that spans the entry-level space into the upper midrange space. There is a $129 Galaxy A12, and there is a $270 model, and 3 other options in between. There is a Samsung A12 for almost any budget. It sits between a bottom entry-level 4G smartphone like Samsung A02 and A02s and a higher mid-tier device like the A21s.
That is super versatility from one device. But, there is the catch. There is an even more versatile Samsung phone on the block, but it was released mid-2020 and so is more of a 2020 device, though we can’t argue that it still isn’t relevant today. Say hello to Samsung A21s . Here are the available variants:
- 2 GB RAM + 32 GB internal storage,
- 3 GB RAM + 32 GB internal storage,
- 3 GB RAM + 64 GB internal storage,
- 3 GB RAM + 128 GB internal storage,
- 4 GB RAM + 64 GB internal storage,
- 4 GB RAM + 128 GB internal storage,
- 6 GB RAM + 64 GB internal storage,
- 6 GB RAM + 128 GB internal storage.
Samsung A21s has 8 variants! It looks like we should be naming the Galaxy A21s the most versatile Samsung phone of 2021. It shares many specs, including screen size, type, and resolution, battery, charging, main rear camera lens, and more, with the A12. On the flip side, the A21s has a punch hole instead of a notch, and it is powered by an 8 nm EXYNOS 850 chipset, which delivers much more performance than the A12’s Helio P35.
Clearly, Samsung A21s offers more value and has a wider range. Of course, it exists at a much higher price point than the A12. Prices start from around $180, depending on your country. Between these two smartphones, you have your pick of the most versatile Samsung phone of the year. One fits the more budget-conscious consumer, while the other delivers extra power and performance for individuals who can afford to pay more.
Performance and prices aside, visually, the punch hole and rear camera island distinguishes the A21s from its sibling. If you ignore the key differences, they are pretty much identical twins – arguably even the same phone with two different names and multiple flavours.
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Author:Mister Mobility
Digital Skills and Communication Coach | Mobile Phone Connoisseur since 2001 | Tech Blogging since 2004
