Ten years ago, the most popular mobile of 2008 was the second generation iPhone 3G. It sold over 25 million units and was the first time a smartphone held such a dominant position in the mobile market. Just a year before, mobiles were completely different and it was the old-fashioned Nokias that almost completely ruled the demand for mobile phones. So if you look at how far mobiles have come in such a short period, what does their future look like?
Wireless charging
Wireless charging is certainly one of the most hotly anticipated mobile phone features yet to be unveiled. Imagine being able to do away altogether with clunky, annoying cables and never having to worry about battery life again. Simply walk into a space with wireless charging enabled and your phone does it all for you.
Lighting fast 5G
4G revolutionised the mobile landscape by improving download speeds tenfold. Well, 5G is expected to be an even bigger leap than what we saw from 3G to 4G. It is possible that 5G will enable download speeds of 100gb a second! That’s up to 1000 times faster than 4G!
Zero touch
Each new generation of smartphone sees manufacturers further minimising the use of buttons. They are also placing more weight on AI, and the Bixby vs Siri vs Cortana battle is well underway. The phone of the future will likely include absolutely no need to touch anything at all. Functioning entirely off voice control or possibly even more advanced technology, such as reading your thoughts directly.
Enhanced durability
Smartphone manufacturers are already experimenting with exciting new materials like sapphire glass and graphene glass. Of which the latter contains self-healing properties. Future phones are expected to be even more advanced, and will likely be incredibly thin and foldable to fit in any pocket.
The future of shopping
Already, smartphones allow us to search for new products and use them to pay in store, instead of needing a credit card. Well, augmented reality and virtual reality will allow smartphone users to project items into their living space to see how they look. You’ll be able to try on clothes, see what colour paint best suits your living room, and even place furniture there as well. Then, simply purchase on your phone and someone will do all the rest.
Ultimately, the sky’s the limit with where mobile phones are headed. With every new Samsung Galaxy or Apple iPhone, we are overwhelmed with exciting new features. We will just have to sit back and wait to see which exciting futuristic features will be first made available to the mass market.
