It’s been 15 years since the first iPhone was released, and tech companies are in a kind of slump. And who can blame them? It’s getting really hard to decorate a slab of glass over a metal rectangle. I doubt 2023 will change the game, but there are some promising features that will raise the bar for the supercomputer in your pocket.
Some of next year’s phone advancements are highly anticipated, such as the possibility that iPhones will switch to USB-C chargers (some of which include Apple’s enforced by European regulators). Other devices may improve the artificial intelligence computer programs that make your photos look better, the Wi-Fi and cellular radios that send your photos to the Internet, and the screens that display them. This is at least a little more exciting than the handful of innovations we’ve gotten this year.
We’ve all grown accustomed to the tweaks and improvements that companies make to their phones to improve the speed of processing chips, camera quality, and screen beauty. Indeed, Apple may have introduced a notch-hiding Dynamic Island and a new satellite SOS feature on his $800 iPhone 14. promise peace of mind If you are involved in an emergency without cell service. Samsung could have offered the S-Pen stylus to someone who wanted to buy it for his $1,200. S22 Ultraphone. and the phone 1 LED lighting designs may have paved the affordable 5G niche. But otherwise, it was a slim choice to pick an exciting new phone this year.
Nabila Popal, research director at industry watcher IDC, said: Most phones have seen incremental improvements, Popal notes, a stark contrast to Samsung’s president’s assessment. Words of TM Roh The company’s S22 series features “groundbreaking camera features,” and Apple CEO Tim Cook called the iPhone 14 series “the best iPhones we’ve ever made.”
Ultimately, the potential for truly exciting new phones may still depend on technology that’s years away. stretchable display, increases the chances that you can easily stretch out a smaller phone when you need more screen real estate instead of carrying a big bulky phone everywhere. Motorola concept device Rollable displays came out earlier this year. This means that at some point we will get a new kind of flexible screen in the handheld form factor.
But even if you don’t expect a generational leap in next year’s phones, here are the improvements to these ubiquitous gadgets.
Galaxy Z Flip 4’s hinge allows it to be fixed at different angles. As you approach vertical, you can enable software flex mode.
Patrick Holland/CNET
Foldable is coming to the top layer
samsung this year Galaxy Z Fold 4 When Z flip 4 It was a gradual upgrade of its predecessor. Neither saw a price cut, but got S Pen features, better software and an improved hinge, putting Samsung’s first foldable error even further behind. I expect more of the same. It’s the best foldable yet (with incremental upgrades), but still falls short of many buyers’ price points.
Popal said that could be fine for those who buy more expensive phones. but still only a part of 1.24 billion smartphones shipped in 2022, foldable device sales doubled from last year to reach 16 million units in 2022, and this number is expected to continue rising. Given that the cheapest foldable devices like the $999 Samsung Z Flip 4 cost the same as the iPhone 14 Pro, more premium phone buyers are swapping flat phones for foldable phones. It’s no surprise that it’s starting to happen.
They are more likely to buy more expensive handsets with the best promotional offers seen from carriers in years that save consumers up to $1,000 off the list price as part of multi-year service contracts. You may be eager. That’s enough to basically get you a new Z Flip 4 for free, or lower the price of the Z Fold 4 to a manageable monthly fee.
If a new device challenges Samsung for the title of cheapest foldable device, even more consumers may switch. TCL almost shelved preparations to hit the market project chicago The company couldn’t bring the price down below $700, which is comparable to the price of other phones, so it went with the flip-flop.There are no rumors that a cheaper foldable is likely coming in 2023, but the next Motorola Razr price may be cheaper than its predecessor. The first foldable device below the premium price could set the standard for future flexible display devices.
read more: Foldables is still looking for its breakout moment.Samsung wants to change that
iPhone 14 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra.
Andrew Rankson/CNET
The future of flat phones
When it comes to traditional mobile phones, there are some predictions for next year, but they don’t exactly involve a generational shift.
Apple has been forced to replace aging Lightning ports with USB-C by 2024, and the company can do it this year. For years, rumors circulated that Apple would make the switch, but now the EU-imposed deadline is looming. Otherwise, in next year’s series, which will be named the iPhone 15 lineup, the company has packed a lot of features into its most expensive Pro Max model, to distinguish it from the more affordable big-screen iPhone Plus. Might rename it to Ultra. according to Bloomberg.
Android phones continue to slowly improve. Samsung is focusing on improving its cameras, so it is possible that he will have a 200MP camera in the upcoming smartphone S23 Ultra. according to Leaker Ice Universe from this year’s S22 Ultra’s 108MP main camera. And while there aren’t many rumors about the Pixel 8 series, we can expect Google to find new ways to use the phone’s Tensor chipset to perform previously impossible feats. On Pixel 7 this year.
read more: The most exciting new phones of 2023: iPhone 15, Galaxy S23 and more
While these may seem like small improvements from last year’s phones, it’s worth pointing out that most people don’t buy new phones every year. With year or three-year contracts and rising phone prices, consumers are spending that much time upgrading. When they got their new device, enough time had passed for progress to be noticeable.
Only a few years away, think of the leap from the iPhone X’s dual rear cameras to the iPhone 12 Pro’s triple shooter and square sides, and from there to the iPhone 14 Pro’s notch-limited dynamic islands and always-on display. Try it. Popal said.
“[Phones] The rapid pace of innovation in the early days of smartphones makes us feel like we’re slowing down.Consumers, we’re kind of spoiled. “
Two concept devices at Samsung’s CES 2022 booth: a tri-fold fold on the left and a traditional fold with translucent edges.
samsung
2023 and beyond smartphones
If we want real change in mobile phones, we’ll have to wait and see what happens in 2023 and beyond. New technologies can change the way you interact with and use your mobile phone.
It can lead us into truly new territory. Even science fiction didn’t come up with many ideas other than keeping a rectangle in your pocket filled with the technology that connects us to the world. We basically carry around a Star Trek tricorder, a Star Wars handheld datapad, and her personal assistant with earbuds. All these are combined into one gadget.
Here, as we approach our own century, a few ideas come to the surface.the next premium Qualcomm Snapdragon chip You can enhance your privacy by hiding notifications when your phone detects someone else hovering over your screen, but advances in AI have added filters and notifications to all your photos and live video chats. Effects continue to be added. Google and Apple are racing to add his AR capabilities to navigation apps. It also puts mobile phones at the heart of tap-to-pay purchases and remote unlocking of cars and smart homes. So expect mobile software to give you more control over your digital life. And for Apple, expect Lidar to better map the real world, as CNET’s Lisa Eadicco has. report.
Other foldables may also appear.Samsung showed a lot Various concepts at CES In the past, some have had tri-fold screens, while others have had transparent panels. These are still a ways off, and probably won’t come to fruition next year, but at CES 2023 in January, we’ll see more intriguing concepts that give an idea of how handheld devices can expand their capabilities. I was able to.
Again, the future of phones may be in what you connect. Of course, not just smartwatches and smart homes, but also AR glasses. According to some rumors, Finally getting an Apple glass in 2023cementing our phones as anchors for more dynamic technological ways of seeing the world. I’m here.
As Renowned Apple Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predictedWith AR glasses likely to replace all iPhones within a decade, there are probably only a handful of days when phones will be the center of your mobile life. Until then, we will continue to track how we integrate each innovation with our daily experience.
