Smartphones have moved leaps and bounds in the past two decades, from the simplistic, nostalgia-evoking Nokia 3310 back at the turn of the millennium to 2022’s new Galaxy S22 Ultra, arguably the most modern version of a smartphone ever conceived.
Constant reports on modern technology updates can at times seem boring, with many people being of the opinion that smartphone innovation may have reached its peak.
But, we still think that there’s more to come from the world’s most popular cell phones, and have compiled a list of top features that we would like to see as we move forward. Here are five of them…
Batteries Made From Graphene
An ever reducing battery life is one of the most common complaints users have about their smartphones. Regardless of whether or not you have a massive 5000mAh battery in your smartphone, it is still going to degrade to the point of being a major issue in, say, 3 years or so, as today’s batteries are still made of lithium-ion.
Right now, as you may have heard, we’re facing something of a lithium battery crisis, which may rather force the hand of innovators in the coming years.
On the other hand, graphene has a higher capacity, is more conductive, flexible, lighter and tougher, making it a better material for making batteries. For consumers, this translates into less overheating, longer lifespan, extended battery life, reduced charging times and slimmer phones.
We know that the technology has been under development by Samsung, even though a graphene battery is yet to be featured on any mainstream flagship. However, in the next few years, we believe that Samsung may bring a device powered by a graphene battery to the market.
An Under-Display Camera That Offers Better Performance
While the existing tech isn’t yet good enough, we have seen a number of smartphones featuring an under-display camera in recent years, among them the Xiaomi Mix 4, ZTE Axon 30 and Galaxy Fold 3.
The benefits of such an innovation? Well, for one thing, an under display camera simply makes your smartphone look, erm, smarter, and slicker, boasting a full-screen, edge-to-edge display without any notch, punch-hole, or pop-up camera.
Currently, under ideal lighting conditions, you can get serviceable pictures that are still very blurry. However, the image quality takes a massive dip in low light or similarly problematic conditions.
To remove the blur and overcome other limitations, you generally have to sharpen the image using aggressive image processing algorithms. However, this also means that your videos and images are more likely to appear like they have been processed too much.
Currently, there is a need to enhance display panels, as the hardware deficiencies that exist cannot be overcome with software alone. The front camera cutout is one of the main features that we would like to see disappear from flagship phones in the next few years.
A Display That Doesn’t Have A Bezel
Although largely an aesthetic smartphone consideration, we also want the chin, in addition to the front camera cutout, gone, and we’re sure you’re the same?
The component that links the display panel to the motherboard is located at the bottom of smartphones – this is the reason why the chin exists. The bottom bezels on mid-range and budget phones are usually big. A solution to this issue exists; unfortunately, it is costly.
To minimize the chin, Apple decided to fold the display panel back into the phone – this was seen in 2017 with the launch of the iPhone 10. This helps give the device a near bezel-less appearance, as the component that links the display to the motherboard is relocated behind the display instead of at the bottom.
On the iPhone 13, the top bezel is still visible, even though Apple has managed to remove the bottom bezel. As such, this upgrade can be more rewarding for Android smartphones. You can expect an awesome entirely bezel-less display, with the removal of the chin and front camera cutout.
Contactless Wireless Charging
Current wireless charging tech doesn’t feel like it’s quite reached its promise. Any advanced battery tech is supposed to take away any stress associated with your battery life, chief among them the hassle of recharging. A good battery should make you forget about charging, but wireless charging has yet to achieve this goal
For your battery to charge, you still have to keep your battery at a specific place – the charging dock – when using today’s wireless charging tech. The device stops charging as soon as you pick it up, which rather defeats the point, don’t you think?
More time is still needed to perfect this technology, though we have seen some demonstrations of true wireless charging technology from companies like Motorola and Xiaomi. This shows promise, and in the future, battery issues could well be eliminated via a combination of graphene batteries and truly wireless charging.
A Reduction In Bloatware
Bloatware is present in just about all tech gadgets. Cheaper Android phones come with pre-installed apps that consume storage and run in the background, eating into your battery; however, stock Android phones and iPhones offer clean software.
Manufacturers can make more sales through cutting their hardware margin by allowing carriers to dump their apps in the software, and this can reduce the price.
You won’t be too bothered by bloatware if all you’re seeking is a discount deal when shopping for a budget smartphone. However, for flagship and mid-range devices, this is absolutely unacceptable. Less bloatware is better – and we hope this practice ends sooner rather than later!