How it works
These are the parts of a phone you can see on the outside, on a plain smartphone from the front, the back and the bottom edge. The same parts are on almost every cell phone, though makers place them differently.
Read the full guide
Front and sides
The touchscreen is the display you tap. The front camera sits in a small hole at the top. The volume buttons are on one edge and the side button, which wakes, locks and powers the phone, on the other.
Back and bottom
The rear cameras and flash sit in the raised camera bump. Along the bottom edge are the SIM tray, the microphone hole, the charging port and the speaker holes.
- The SIM tray has a pinhole beside it: push in the ejection pin that came with the phone to pop the tray out.
Questions and answers
Where is the microphone on a phone?
Usually a small hole on the bottom edge, beside the charging port and the speaker. On this drawing it is the single hole between the SIM tray and the port.
What is the side button on a phone?
The single button on one edge. Press it to wake or lock the screen; hold it down, alone or with a volume button, to turn the phone off.
What is the charging port called?
On most phones a USB-C port; older iPhones use Apple's Lightning connector. The same socket charges the phone and moves data.