Recently solid-state organic-inorganic hybrid solar cells based on perovskite structured materials have evidenced a great breakthrough due to their perfect light absorption and charge transfer optoelectronic properties. The power conversion efficiencies have exceeded 20.1% during the last 5 years, since the first report on perovskite solar cells with an efficiency of 3.8% in 2009. Remarkably, perovskite solar cells with a planar-heterojunction structure have achieved an efficiency of 19.3%, and the perovskite solar cells with conventional mesoporous structure have achieved a certified efficiency above 16.7%. This review article first introduces the development of the third generation of solar cells from dye-sensitized solar cells to the perovskite solar cells, and then focuses on the optical and physical properties of the perovskite materials and their application in solid-state solar cells. We discuss the performance characteristics and advantages of the perovskite solar cells having mesoporous, planar heterojunction, flexibility, and hole-conductor-free structure respectively, and the charge collection layer which is applied in perovskite solar cells, such as semiconductor oxide (TiO2, Al2O3, ZnO and NiO) and PEDOT:PSS, etc. More over this review article introduces the charge transport materials, including P3HT, spiro-OMeTAD, PTAA, and PCBM, as well as different photoabsorption material, such as CH3NH3PbI3, CH3NH3PbBr3 and CH3NH3PbI3-xClx, etc. aiming to analyze their performance characteristic in the perovskite solar cells with different configurations; and the main factor related to the performance. Finally, this review elaborates the perspective and understanding of the perovskite solar cells and points out the critical point and expectation for improving the performance of perovskite solar cells further.