Pope Francis gets engulfed by eager smartphone users in Washington, DC. Photo: IIP Photo Archive/Flickr CC

Pope Francis landed on U.S. soil for the first time last week on Tuesday, September 22. He has talked to victims of sexual abuse, spoke out about his views on immigration and gave several moving speeches across the country. However, the pope was also able to impact American culture in a way that is completely unintentional: he put the mobile phone revolution on giant display.

The last time a pope visited the United States was back in April 2008 when Pope Benedict XVI was still at the reigns of Catholicism. A lot has happened in seven years. Modern smartphones were only starting to become prevalent back then. Apple had just released the first iPhone less than a year ago and Android was still in development.

The change in our culture needs no explanation because photos of crowds swarming Pope Francis through his journey across America manage to say it all. Crowds glow with endless displays.

The two top smartphone vendors continue to rule the roost.

Looks like Samsung and Apple pretty much own the smartphone market, though there are some scrappy contenders starting to make headway.

According to International Data Corporation (IDC), handset makers shipped a total of 337.2 million smartphones worldwide in the last quarter of 2015 (Q2). This is up 11.6 percent from last year, an amazing bit of growth considering how many smartphones are already on the loose.

ZTE will sell the nubia Z9 directly to U.S. customers. Photo: nubia

When ZTE started making sponsorship deals with the New York Knicks and the Golden State Warriors, to be the teams’ official smartphone, it was trying to raise its profile in a U.S. market that had never seen one of its phones.

But the Chinese telecommunications company changed that in a big way Thursday when it used a large Times Square billboard to announce its high-end nubia Z9 Android smartphone will soon be available in the U.S.

The Z9, which will bypass service providers and sell directly to U.S. customers, features a 5.2 borderless screen, 16 MP camera with image stabilization, fingerprint sensor technology controls that work with grip and gestures.

Is the iPhone 6 Plus the best smartphone of 2014?. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Android

Smartphone innovation may have stalled in recent years, but that hasn’t stopped manufacturers from updating and improving upon their best devices. This year, we’ve seen big changes to devices like the iPhone, the Galaxy Note, and the LG G — as well as new contenders like the OnePlus One. But what are the best smartphones of 2014?

Here are our picks.

Photo: Rajesh Pandey/Cult of Android.

Sony announced on Wednesday that it expects its losses to quadruple over the next financial year, and it’s all thanks to its smartphone business. The Japanese company is now making efforts to turn things around, starting with a division rebuild that will see 1,000 staff out of a job.