Most of us have supercomputers in our pockets, making our day-to-day lives much easier. Yup, we’re talking about smartphones.
From snapping photos and communicating with people in real-time to booking rideshares and completing to-do lists for work – we depend on our smartphones a lot to accomplish a myriad of tasks.
But given the continuous advancements in technology, smartphones are also ever evolving. Smartphones as we know them may not look and function the same in the coming years, but they will certainly get better. So what will these tiny supercomputers look like in the coming years? Here are things you can expect:
6G technology
We’re all familiar with 5G technology at this point, but did you know that 6G is in the works? Predicted to boast incredible speeds of 1TB per second or 8,000 gigabits per second, it has the potential to make 5G look like 2G. However, it isn’t expected to be rolled out to the public until the 2030s.
While it’s still relatively early to talk about 6G given the technology is still raw, reports give everyone something to be excited about. If you can download a movie from Netflix within a few seconds, using 6G can possibly allow you to download as many as 142 hours of content in a single second. What’s more, aside from smartphones, experts predict that 6G would make it possible for cyberspace to support human thought and action in real-time via wearable devices or even micro-devices built directly into the human body. Speeds over 1000 gigabytes per second could also make sensory interfaces feel and look just like real life, something akin to what you only see in science fiction.
Proliferation of foldable phones
Foldable phones are nothing new, but their modern adaptations entered mainstream consciousness just recently when devices like the Huawei Mate X entered the market. But while they are not as popular compared to the “normal” smartphones just yet, there’s reason to believe that they’re going to gain wider acceptance with their tech and core components improving over time.
At the core of foldable phone technology is the printed circuit board (PCB), which is a board that functions to support the wiring and different components inside smartphones. While there are varying types of PCBs, many designers now work with metal core PCBs which are far sturdier, malleable, and can prevent overheating, making them ideal for modern smartphones. These are even used in aeronautics to hold components together inside planes, space shuttles, satellites, and control towers, even in extreme conditions. With PCBs being reliable and versatile, they will be crucial for evolving physical changes and specifications to foldable phones in the future.
Better front-facing cameras
Modern society’s prevalent selfie culture has resulted in front-facing cameras to further evolve. Previously, smartphone manufacturers only prioritized the back cameras — which are in another league all on their own — but front-facing cameras these days have much better quality, much to the delight of users everywhere.
In fact, innovative companies like Oppo have launched an under-screen camera, which allows a full-screen display without a lens at the top of the phone. The camera produces better images, as it uses larger pixels and a wider aperture to capture ample light, as well as computer algorithms to reduce haze and increase sharpening. This will only improve users’ shooting experience over time and may lead to a world of creative possibilities.
