Smart vs. Dumb: What Kind of Cell Phone Do You Own? Sales of smartphones have finally surpassed sales of regular handsets worldwide, a new report says.

By Jason Fell

thedigitalbus.com

As an entrepreneur, what would you do without your smartphone? The ability to check email, read and edit documents and even manage payroll from one's mobile device has become an integral part of everyday business life.

But, hold on. Maybe the better question is: Do you even own a smartphone?

A new report from research firm Gartner says that smartphones have outsold more basic handsets worldwide for the first time. Ever.

During the second quarter, smartphone sales reached 225 million units, Gartner said, up 46.5 percent from the second quarter of 2012. Sales of regular "dumb" phones totaled 210 million units, a decline of 21 percent year-over-year.

For the smartphone wars aficionados: Samsung sold more than any other smartphone maker, moving more than 71 million units. Apple, meanwhile, came in second selling almost 32 million smartphones. LG came in third selling 11.4 million units.

For some, it might be difficult to believe that smartphone adoption hadn't overtaken dumb phone sales a long time ago. At this point, most grandparents have learned to use such marvels of the modern world as laptops, smartphones and even social media, right?

According to Gartner, most of the smartphone market growth is happening outside the U.S. "Asia/Pacific, Latin America and Eastern Europe exhibited the highest smartphone growth rates of 74.1 percent, 55.7 percent and 31.6 percent respectively, as smartphone sales grew in all regions," the report says.

Jason Fell

Entrepreneur Staff

VP, Native Content

Jason Fell is the VP of Native Content, managing the Entrepreneur Partner Studio, which creates dynamic and compelling content for our partners. He previously served as Entrepreneur.com's managing editor and as the technology editor prior to that.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Business News

Here's the Exact Amount of Money You Need to Be Wealthy, According to a Charles Schwab Survey

Financial service giant Charles Schwab's annual Modern Wealth Survey reveals some eye-popping numbers.

Growing a Business

He Went From Customer to CEO of a Rapidly-Expanding Dessert Chain By Following This Process

Neil Hershman built his expansion playbook by perfecting a single store, then replicating what worked across the franchise system without sacrificing customer experience.

Business News

Goldman Sachs Reportedly Requires Loyalty Oaths From Junior Bankers to Stop Private Equity Poaching

The investment bank wants to confirm that analysts haven't lined up job offers from other firms.

Business News

Amazon Prime Day 1 Was the 'Single Biggest E-Commerce Day So Far This Year,' According to New Data

More people are shopping online this week, but so far, it hasn't led to more sales for some vendors. Here's what to know.

Business News

Elon Musk Gives One-Sentence Response to Linda Yaccarino Stepping Down as CEO of X

Linda Yaccarino announced on Tuesday that she was leaving her role as X's chief executive.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.