This year has already begun and smartphone manufacturers are expected to be in it again as they battle to implement new features and trends.
2019 gave us 5G, foldable devices, pop-up, punch hole, and multiple cameras, in-display fingerprints amongst others. This year though there may be a little shift in the way things are implemented.
Here, we take a look at what to expect in the Global platform when it comes to mobile technology.
Here are the Expected Smartphone Features and Trends for 2020
5G becomes fully adopted
5G was a hot topic last year with Samsung selling over 2 million 5G enabled smartphones. This year though, the chips are expected to be more power-efficient hence the network will become fully adopted.
As more 5G enabled smartphones come mainstream, those of us in Nigeria can also hope to get a glimpse of it before the year runs out as MTN conducted a successful trial in the country last year
See? 5G will become fully adopted. 5G allows lightning fast download of large files, AR experiences, seamless live streaming, and video calls, etc Xiaomi will launch over 10 5G devices this year.
Hundreds of Megapixels and Zoom Lenses
Well, last year smartphone manufacturers like Huawei and Oppo played around with devices donning over 48 MP cameras and telephoto lenses for photography. This year, there is absolutely nothing stopping them from increasing it to over 100 and 200 megapixels.
With the availability of the Snapdragon 865’s chipset that supports 200 megapixels capacity, even Xiaomi is hoping to beat the 108-megapixel camera in the Mi CC9 Po smartphone.
Optical zoom was also a subject of interest last year with some smartphones donning two zoom lenses. This year may see an overzealous OEM release a smartphone with three zoom lenses.
Under display Camera
Well, the usual suspect, Oppo has to be here. Oppo alongside Vivo had been the pioneers of the Under-display (in-display)everything revolution.
From In-display fingerprints to pop up cameras, the company has gone ahead to release prototypes for the under display camera. The prototype released last month came as a smartphone with no buttons and no ports.
Xiaomi too is also in the race to release an under-display camera smartphone. While the notch has been widely reduced and punch hole camera now replacing them, it is clear that not many fans like either of those features.
The Year of Foldable Devices
Foldable devices had a tough year in 2019 due to delays, problems with panels, designs etc. This year will finally be the year that foldable gadgets will be popular amongst top-end phone users.
Also, the foldable Motorola Razr smartphone seems to be very popular. The phone uses the clamshell flip design, something most of us are used to from the early days of Samsung, Thuraya, and Sagem.
Higher Refreshing Rates
Gaming smartphones happened to be the only smartphones with a higher refresh rate up to 90Hz and 120Hz till more mainstream phones copied this feature.
This year may see the rise of a 240Hz refresh rate and probably the end of 60Hz refresh rate smartphones. A high refresh rate could also help improve the detail or responsiveness of AR graphics. (Hello Infinix and Tecno, hope you will at least introduce a smartphone with 90Hz refresh rate to Nigeria)
More Charging Speed
One of the reasons people clamor for a higher battery rating is because of slow charging speed. Samsung, Oppo, and Xiaomi have all decided to tackle this by releasing different charging technology with record speed.
We have the Samsung 100W wired charging chips, the Xiaomi Mi turbo 30W wireless charging also. More companies will be hoping to surpass these limits this year and hopefully, soon enough we will have 0-100% power in 60 seconds.
More Expensive Smartphones
Well, higher camera specs, 5G, fast charge, in-display features that rely on AMOLED screen comes at a cost.
Which of these features will you be excited to see this year? let us know. Also, if you feel we missed out on any feature/trend, please let us know by using the comment section.
