The future brings new smartphone features to the table. Some of them are already introduced to the market. Major manufacturers add VR and AR tech along with more powerful cameras.
Some of the innovations will be nothing more than fashion fads. Others may benefit users if given the right application. There are many features that can be added to the new generation of smartphones. Some of them caught the attention of experts as being the most promising.
Wireless Charging
One of the biggest drawbacks of modern smartphones is their short battery span. People often browse Facebook or AssignmentMaster.com to get low battery notifications. A new type of technology seeks to solve the problem of carrying chargers and looking for outlets.
Scientists from the University of Washington discovered a new way of charging devices. Currently, wireless charging requires the use of electromagnetic induction. The LG Nexus 4 and Nokia Lumia 920 models have such chargers. Yet, ambient backscatter technology uses radio waves to sustain battery life.
It utilizes the same principle as Wi-Fi distribution but on a wider scale. With it, wireless signals created by television and telecom towers can charge smartphones. In the future, the technology might be able to keep phones charged no matter the location. If done right, ambient backscatter tech will solve several issues:
- the need to produce chargers for different smartphone models;
- the waste generated by their manufacturing;
- the battery life of smartphones.
Tesla owner and rocket builder Elon Musk develops his own type of wireless charging tech. The first phone to be completely rechargeable by solar power will be called Tesla Model Pi. It’s a rumor for now, as Musk shared no information about the device’s potential release date. But there’s no doubt that customers will welcome this technology with open arms.
Foldable Phones
Over the past years, companies wanted to update the classic smartphone structure. So, they experimented with the design of flip phones and created foldable smartphones. Samsung currently holds the top position in the foldable smartphone market.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 model makes up 52% of all sold devices in this niche. Other competitors, including Oppo, Honor, and Huawei, develop their versions of foldable smartphones. There are even talks of a folding iPhone in the works. While the tech looks amazing, it’s not flawless and is still very expensive.
Foldable smartphones can’t currently compete with their regular counterparts. Even by the best estimations, these models will only account for 10% of the smartphone market in 2030. But if the price of the technology drops, these devices will be more affordable. This can also launch the merge of smartphones and tablets into a single category of devices.
When developers manage to find new applications for the tech, users will adopt them more. Yet, if they remain devices with extra screen space, such products will fade away over the years.
6G Wireless Technology
Another trend in the smartphone industry is the development of 6G wireless networks. It’s the next step after the wide adoption of 5G. The latest research suggests that next-generation networks will be faster than their predecessors. Industry’s big names of Samsung, Nokia, and Apple do their best to perfect this technology.
China also seems to have a keen interest in this technology. In 2022, Purple Mountain Laboratories scientists claimed to reach a record speed of 206.25 gigabits per second. It was achieved in a lab with a terahertz frequency band. It’s believed to be the base of future 6G technology. In February, Chinese scientists said that they transmitted 1 TB of data over 1 km in a second.
There are talks of adding AI to make the network faster and processing data at higher rates. Artificial intelligence can assist, optimize, and improve the work of 6G networks. When it’s made available to the public, 6G will be more durable and with higher download speed. Other benefits may include better security and privacy of customers.
Changeable Color Schemes
One of the drawbacks of current smartphones is a lack of unique color schemes. This makes phones seem bland. People often decorate the backs of their phones with stickers to make them unique. But in the future, they will have more freedom in this regard. Manufacturers have already started developing this tech: OnePlush introduced its 8T Concept in 2020.
It featured a back panel that could change color. According to the company, it uses the Electronic Color, Material, and Finish technology. It allows changing the back of a smartphone through certain actions. For example, its color flickered from gray to blue during phone calls. Hovering a hand above its backend camera also changed the back panel’s color.
In the future, phones can have completely transparent backs. They can be made from a glass-like material that absorbs all light. This tech will have users making as many adjustments to the color scheme as they like. Of course, it must be made with more durable materials to ensure the phone won’t get cracked.
The Rise of eSIM
Plastic SIM cards have been in use since the 1990s. They are one of the few things to have survived the evolution of mobile phones. But they can soon fade away thanks to the dawn of eSIM technology.
These are virtual cards provided through phone networks. They are better at being updated and changed. If you want to, changing a phone network is a lot easier. One can even use several networks simultaneously or switch between them.
Currently, only several providers support eSIMs, so SIM cards won’t go away any time soon. Yet, this technology can become more widespread in the future. This means never going to a store or fitting a SIM card into a phone ever again. The technology can make extra room for SD cards and cut costs on SIM card production.
Conclusion
Smartphone technology didn’t change much in the past decade. However, implementing these changes will rejuvenate the interest of customers. They will keep phones charged, give more workspace, and provide faster download speeds. All these changes will be worthwhile for users.
