A new decade has begun and the most technological advances that we have seen in the past decade have come mostly from the smartphone industry. Mobiles were earlier used simply for making calls and sending messages. With time there have been additions to the features and now we can listen to music, watch videos, make payments, browse the web, make video calls and more. None of us back would have expected mobiles to work in this way back when we had black and white screen mobiles.
Smartphones have already replaced bigger devices and yet humans expect more to be added in the long list of already available features. So, what more do you think will the coming decades contribute to the technological advancement of the smartphone industry? Let us try to figure out what more can the smartphones give to us. You can also play keno on mobile nowadays.
1. Flexible Smartphones
The Samsung Galaxy Fold, Royale FlexPai, and Huawei Mate X have already set new goals for smartphone manufacturers. These phones that fold with the screen are highly advanced and indeed the phones of the future.
The next jump that the display technology would probably make is the stretchable screen. You would be able to stretch out the screen instead of unfolding it – probably pull out the corners diagonally and voila! You have a big screen.
This technological breakthrough will perhaps take more time than you think. Such phones will let you increase the size of the screen when you are video calling or watching a video. When you are not using it, you would be able to push it back to a more compact size and put it in your pocket. There would definitely be a certain limit to which you would be able to stretch the phone. Say, for instance, a 5-inch screen to a 9 inch.
It is not just the screen that would have to be made stretchable; instead, most other components would also have to be made flexible.
Back in 2017, Samsung had announced a prototype of a stretchable display in could be dented up to 12mm without damaging it.
Researchers from the Engineering field at Michigan State University envision a future for stretchable electronics and they have already developed the first stretchable integrated circuit.
Stretchable smartphones would offer a more immersive experience to users, especially when they play games or watch videos on these types of phones.
2. Controlling Features With the Mind
The physical keypads have evolved to touchscreens and then with voice assistants and soon they will be replaced by a technology where users would be able to control their phones with their mind.
Users will be able to make calls, open an app, browse the web, control the volume and even edit an app using their mind.
Controlling a smartphone with one’s thoughts would be much easier and faster. Tasks would be done in a jiffy.
Back in 2017, Facebook had revealed its plans to create a non-invasive wearable that would let the user type 100 words per minute by decoding the phrases that the user had in their mind. In 2019, they updated that they would build AR glasses which would enable the users to communicate without the usage of a smartphone to post on Facebook.
If Facebook is already on it, then the smartphone developers are probably already racing to take a lead in this technology.
3. OLED and E-ink Together
If the OLED displays are superb for watching videos then E-ink displays are great for reading. An avid reader would rather buy an Amazon Kindle to read their books rather than strain their eyes over their smartphone and explore online libraries. Also, E-ink screens will let you read under bright sunlight with no problems at all – try doing it with your smartphone and you will drain its entire battery before you finish a chapter.
A smartphone of the future would probably combine E-ink and OLED technology in one box. The change of screens would be possible through the Settings. People would be able to read their e-books, documents, etc. without the light straining in their eyes. An e-ink display doesn’t use much juice of the phone which means your smartphone would have longer battery life.
Back in 2011, Apple did apply for a patent that was related to hybrid OLED/E-ink display but users have yet to witness the launch of such a phone yet.
The YotaPhone 3 has an AMOLED display on the front while it features an E-ink display at the backside. The TicWatch Pro wearable also lets users switch between an OLED and LCD display for good battery life. However, none of these phones match the kind of innovative hybrid display technology we might see in the future.
4. Over the Air Charging
Even if you have a massive battery, it would be able to power up your smartphone for not more than two days. The two days don’t include you playing games continuously or watching back to back movies. Whether it is wired charging or wireless charging, it would take you a couple of hours to juice up your smartphone.
This, however, can change in the near future. A company called Energous is already developing technology to charge smartphones and other devices over the air. All you need to do is place your mobile within 3 feet of WattUp Mid Field transmitter and your phone would begin charging. The devices use very little power. These transmitters are powerful and can also charge devices at odd angles. All devices that come with small batteries can be easily charged up in 30 minutes, or they would take a maximum of 60 minutes to charge completely.
The base station can be made to add inductive wireless charging as well, so you can put your phone on top while you power up other smaller devices. There is a small silicon chip of 3mm-by-3mm, which makes this possible.
We are waiting to see which smartphone manufacturer will first use this feature on their phones.
Humans have a lot of potentials and we have clearly come a long way in terms of technology. We eagerly wait to see what the future has for the smartphone industry.
