In 1999, the Kyocera VP-210, the world's first mobile phone with a built-in camera, was launched in Japan. Following this, Samsung and Sharp also developed camera phones, with the Sharp J-Phone being the first phone to offer the facility of sending photos electronically. These mobiles laid the foundation for today's multi-camera smartphones.
Camera Mobile History: The world's first camera mobile phone, the Kyocera VP-210, was launched in Japan in May 1999. This phone featured a 0.11-megapixel built-in camera and could store 20 photos at a time. Subsequently, South Korea's Samsung introduced the SCH-V200, and Japan's Sharp launched the J-Phone, which offered the facility to send photos electronically. These early camera phones revolutionized mobile photography and became the basis for today's smartphones with multi-camera features.
The First Camera Phone
According to several reports, the Kyocera VP-210 was launched in Japan in May 1999. It was the world's first phone with a built-in camera. Its camera was only 0.11 megapixels, and it could store 20 photos at a time. At that time, its price was approximately 40,000 yen.
Samsung's Contribution
South Korean company Samsung also claimed to have made the world's first camera phone. In June 2000, they launched the SCH-V200. It had a 0.35-megapixel camera and could store 20 photos. A 1.5-inch TFT LCD screen was provided for viewing photos, but to send photos, it had to be connected to a computer.
Sharp J-Phone and a New Era of Photo Sharing
In November 2000, Sharp launched the J-Phone. It is considered the world's first phone capable of sending photos electronically. It integrated phone and camera hardware, making it possible to email photos. The Sharp J-Phone marked a significant step in the history of mobile photography.
Thus, Kyocera, Samsung, and Sharp together initiated the camera mobile revolution in the world. Today's smartphones' multi-camera features are a result of this early development.
