A 3D phone is a mobile phone that conveys depth perception to the viewer by employing stereoscopy or any other form of 3D depth techniques. Most 3D phones have an autostereoscopic parallax barrier display (glasses-free 3D display) and some also have a 3D camera and a 3D output via HDMI.
Since 2002, many companies have introduced autostereoscopic displays for mobile phones. By the end of 2002, Sharp launched the Sharp mova SH251iS, the world's first commercial 3D-enabled mobile phone, on NTT DoCoMo's network. Sharp's device made a huge local success in Japan, with 4.325 million units shipped, which made it the best-selling 3D-enabled device for many years later. Nevertheless, it wasn't until 2010 when 3D-enabled mobile phones began to catch on.
According to DisplaySearch, mobile phones will be the largest 3D display application on a unit shipment basis in 2018, with 101 million units with 3D capability.