Are smartphones smart for economic development?

•Household survey data from the Southeast Asian Mekong region.•Two-equation estimation with endogenous treatment effects.•Significant increase in per capita income via smartphone ownership.•Need for support of modern communication technologies for economic development.

Smartphones' independence of landline networks qualifies them for communication and Internet access in rural areas of developing countries. Drawing upon rural Southeast Asian survey data, this research provides probably the first econometric indication for smartphones' contribution to households' income.