There have been several trends occurring in the mobile technology world, but here I am going to focus on the most recent ones and how they will most likely affect the design of phones in the future.
Table of Contents
Improvements in Camera Design and Function
Each new phone has brought with it increasingly complex camera systems with ever-increasing megapixels and options to airbrush photos directly on your phone. It’s gotten to the point where the most major difference between your camera and your phone camera is the lens’s size and quality.
However, with accessories such as clip-on lenses for your phone and improvements in technologies that compensate for the size of the lens, the cameras on phones may be able to soon match the performance of many digital camera brands.
Introduction and Improvement of Augmented Reality
One of the biggest trends in mobile technology is augmented reality, which is becoming increasingly popular with computer gaming systems and phones. While it is an enticing feature for phone games, the more popular emerging games with AR have been fairly rudimentary.
The next step with AR will most likely be to create more immersive but smaller, more portable interfaces that are compatible with cell phones.
Immersive Gaming Interfaces to rival Portable Gaming Systems
The games on cell phones are becoming progressively more enticing due to more interactive features. A new game that includes your voice has been making its rounds on the internet, like in a simplistic game called Chicken Scream. Augmented reality, like Pokémon Go, created a highly popular phone game that allowed millions of users to get in on the action.
The remaining barrier to phone games replacing games for systems like the DS is the limitations to the control panel on the phone and the lack of complex and well-designed games. However, because the memory and speed on new phones continue to increase exponentially, I see this barrier also fading away from phone gaming soon.
Currently, there are some accessories that allow you to convert your phone into a gaming console.
Faster Internet
Internet for phones is becoming increasingly faster, going from 3G to 4G, and soon 5G will be taking over the cellphone world. As the internet speed gets increasingly faster, cellphones may begin to beat out laptops and other bulkier devices for working on the go.
Especially with freelancing websites like Upwork and Usertesting, using their apps makes it easier for you to work from your phone, and some jobs, like on Usertesting, can only be done from your phone, not your laptop.
More Storage Space = More Versatility
This ties in with the influx of more interactive phone games and camera improvements. The additional storage space is part of what allows newer phone models to store more pictures in better quality. The extra storage space also allows for more gaming capabilities and even music storage, so your phone can be as versatile and sometimes even more versatile than the laptops you use.
Increased Durability & Waterproofing of Phones
Many new models of phones are focused on features to improve durability so that you are less likely to damage your phone while on the go. One good example is the active series for Samsung. The active series are more resistant to shattering from dropping and have reinforced edges.
A good example of increased waterproofing would be the Samsung Galaxy S8. It is waterproof up to a depth of just under 5 feet and can stay submerged for about 30 minutes. This is a huge step above the water resistance offered in previous phones.
Though it is still a far cry from waterproof cameras, which can often go down to depths of 90-100 feet, cell phones are starting to compete with other singular-function devices like cameras and laptops in features such as waterproofing, durability, and portability. This competitive advantage over other devices will only increase over time.
Greater Security
The level of security has been quickly increasing by having features such as fingerprint scanning and even facial recognition. The security will have to continue to increase to keep the increasing amount of information stored on phones safe.
Not surprisingly, most phones are making a move to increased security features like the built-in security chip in the Pixel 2 XL.
Other examples of increased security can also be seen in the iPhone X, which has facial recognition and restrictions on AD track. These security advancements will be crucial to the future safety and success of features such as Apple Pay, so we will probably see even more advanced security features in the coming years.
Phone Payment Options will Be More Common.
Features such as Apple and Samsung Pay are increasing in popularity and becoming more widely accepted. Even in Japan, where cash is still king, and credit cards are often difficult to use outside of Tokyo, Apple Pay and other forms of virtual payment are becoming increasingly common and, in some cases surpassing the popularity of credit cards.
More Convenient Charging Methods
Some phone companies are even working on improving how phones are charged. In order to get rid of the inconvenience of needing to plug in the phone and worry about tangling the cord, the most popular wireless charging option is Qi.
The idea is that you can just place the phone on the charge port instead of having to fumble with cables to charge your phone. Some phones now have built-in wireless charging options, and others need an adapter to use wireless charging options like Qi. You can view some more information on whether your phone is compatible with wireless charging here.
Over the next couple of years, this will probably become more popular as a charging method. It will probably become standard in newer phone models, similar to how good camera specifications and waterproofing or resistance are becoming standard features in newer phones.
Foldable Displays
One company, in particular, is looking to create a tablet that would be able to fold into a phone. If this catches on, it will work well with the multi-functioning phone trend that has currently been pushing so many of the trends in cell phone development. This device would be known as the Folio. There is also talk of the new Samsung Galaxy X foldable phone to be released in 2018.
