Some of the Greenest Mobile Phones in the World

There are a number of phones on the market that claim to be green. Here is a review of four leading manufacturers and some of the greenest mobile phones in the world.

Four Blackberrys, two Apples, six Samsungs, and five Nokias

According to a United Nations Telecom Agency report, there are about 6 billion cell phone subscribers around the globe. With low recycling rates and the average cell phone life being around 18 months, this means billions of phones have been thrown away around the world..

The key impacts of telecommunications companies include water use, greenhouse-gas emissions, waste and disposal. Combined, these impacts account for more than 85 percent of the total environmental footprint of telecommunication companies.

Smartphones Reduce Energy Usage

Smartphones are an increasingly ubiquitous aspect of modern life and research shows that they are decreasing the amount of energy used globally. This is the finding from Outlier, a research group that explores trends in how people use energy.

As reported in Energy Manager Today smartphone sales volumes in 2012 were estimated at 717 million retail shipments worldwide. This represents a 45 percent increase from 2011.

Smartphones are increasingly being used to do the things that used to be done on computers, televisions, and game consoles. Unlike computers, televisions and game consoles, smartphones require far less energy compared to these other electronic devices.

A study from Opower, Outlier’s parent company, the cost to charge an iPhone 5 is just $0.41 per year, and charging the Droid Galaxy SIII costs just $0.53.

Smartphones require a tiny fraction of the energy used by a PC or a TV. The Opower report indicates that a PC's energy usage is 20 times greater than a smartphone and the yearly electricity costs of a plasma TV is 100 times greater.