They were much larger than what they have today. Today's phones have gotten so small and compact, you would be surprised to see how big they once were. Most people did not carry them in their pockets--they were strapped onto your belt loop in a carrier, or put into a backpack. The older cell phones are what people in the industry call "brick phones", because of their bulky size and the fact they were usually square, like a brick. Flip phones did not get introduced until later in the game, so most cell phones had all the numbers and the screen on the front. The graphics were also black and white, no color. And there was no such thing as Internet and all these other applications like music players that all the cool phones have today. You could simply make calls and receive text messages. Some had calendars and a calculator and stuff. No cameras, either. Plans were more expensive because they were new, and all new technology is expensive. Having a cell phone was a luxury. And text messages were expensive as well, often 30 cents per message, because back then, no one knew it would catch on like it has. They had no unlimited messaging plans and whatnot, because at the time they thought no one would use it that much.