A modern smartphone comes with enough hardware and software to be the only computer most people need most of the time. You can make calls on it, of course, but you can also watch movies, text almost anyone in the world, and take spectacular photos. You can also record, edit, and post movies that were impossible on a desktop computer just a few years ago. You could argue that today’s smartphones truly are the embodiment of the most personal computers ever created.

In general, a smartphone runs on an advanced operating system that supports mobile and web applications and can generally do much more than just make and receive calls. There are currently two dominant operating systems: iOS for the iPhone and Android for phones from Google, Samsung and others. The operating systems are capable of multitasking and running software that is as powerful as desktop systems.

Smartphones run applications that are generally just as robust as their desktop counterparts, and sometimes even better than what’s available on the desktop. While all the basics are more than covered (email, messaging, word processing), you can easily find software to edit movies, create music, and even translate gestures from one language to another in real time.

Thanks to advanced antennas and better infrastructure, you can often find your fastest internet connection in the palm of your hand. Being able to stream 4K movies is now a requirement for any smartphone.