It’s pretty clear that smartphones will soon be getting even smarter. In the mid-2000s, mobile phones could only do a tiny fraction of the things that their modern counterparts are capable of. Now, thanks to a number of recent technological advancements, it looks as though there will be no shortage of new smartphone features in the future to keep us evermore attached to our little digital devices. Here are 5 you should watch out for.

Figure 1. Foldable phone with no headphone port

Figure 1 shows a foldable phone with no headphone port.

Foldable phones

Foldable phones can change the way content is consumed. These devices can change to a different size to perform a specific task. When unfolded, they can go from being a small smartphone to a tablet -type device. Smartphones and tablets, therefore, could merge. [3]

No Ports

Many phones are dropping the 3.5mm headphone jack already, and those things will be ancient history by 2030 – it would be a surprise if many phones even in 2020 kept the port.

As more users flock towards wireless headphones over wired ones, the amount of phone users who need to physically plug their headphones into their smartphone will reduce, and in 10 years, after years of advances in Bluetooth technology, we’d be surprised if many people use wired headphones at all. [1]

Headphone Surround Sound

Surround sound on headphones has been met with some pretty harsh assessments in the past, but now audio developer DTS is looking to silence the critics with a 7.1 mobile audio solution for smartphones that promises to faithfully recreate the sound of specific listening environments using even the simplest pair of headphones. Though there’s a little way to go before the system works with all source material, the higher processing power of new smartphones should be able to support the advancement in audio technology. [2]

Biometric Authentication

Though the iPhone 6 and the Samsung Galaxy S6 both use capacitive technology to read the ridges of your fingertips, this technology could be considered lacking from a security perspective because it doesn’t use enough data points, which makes it more susceptible to being hacked. Improving on the concept, telecommunications company Qualcomm has developed a new type of ultrasonic fingerprint scanner using a piezoelectric layer that creates ultrasound. In addition to mapping your finger, the scanner features greatly increased resolution, which is also an enhanced security benefit. [2]

Smart Cameras

In 2015, Qualcomm demoed a camera that showed it was capable of identify the objects it was looking at. The system works by comparing real world objects to a huge reference database stored on the device. Best of all, it’s possible to train the software to understand ever more things. Sort of like a little baby A.I.

This technology could have enormous potential and enable cameras to do all sorts of clever and useful things relating to the real-world environment. Google has also been developing a similar type of deep search identification software with Google Photos. As camera hardware continues to shrink and improve, it seems inevitable that this sort of feature will become standard on phones. [2]

References:

1. https://www.techradar.com/news/what-could-your-future-smartphone-look-like-in-2030
2. https://electronics.howstuffworks.com/12-futuristic-features-coming-soon-to-smartphones.htm
3. https://www.techadvisor.com/article/746167/the-future-of-the-smartphone-in-2030-phones-could-be-charged-by-thin-air.html

Cite this article:

Hana M (2023), Future Smartphone Predictions, AnaTechMaz, pp. 108