Discussion What new phone technology trends should we keep an eye on?

[Vandna Jadhav]

With so many advancements in phone technology happening so quickly, I'm curious about the latest trends we should be keeping an eye on. It feels like every year, new features are making our phones faster, smarter, and more intuitive. Whether it’s Android lock screen widgets, new AI capabilities, there’s always something new. What are the top trends you think are worth paying attention to right now?

 

[CParsons]

Depending on who you ask, smartphones have reached table stakes features now and there's not much difference between them. Outside of foldable devices and AI, the rest seems.. rather stale.

5G adoption is still rolling out, eSim adoption is still rolling out, camera features are turning less from the hardware and more to AI. The only other thing seems to be Satellite communications.

Seems like someone new needs to come in besides Google and Apple and really shake things up.

 

[Vandna Jadhav]

Depending on who you ask, smartphones have reached table stakes features now and there's not much difference between them. Outside of foldable devices and AI, the rest seems.. rather stale.

5G adoption is still rolling out, eSim adoption is still rolling out, camera features are turning less from the hardware and more to AI. The only other thing seems to be Satellite communications.

Seems like someone new needs to come in besides Google and Apple and really shake things up.

When you say smartphones have 'reached table stakes features,' could you elaborate on which specific features you think are now standard across all brands? Are there any particular features that stand out as truly universal? and also You mentioned that, outside of foldable devices and AI, the smartphone space feels a bit 'stale.' Could you expand on what feels stagnant? Is it the form factor, or are there specific areas where you'd like to see more innovation?

 

[CParsons]

When you say smartphones have 'reached table stakes features,' could you elaborate on which specific features you think are now standard across all brands? Are there any particular features that stand out as truly universal? and also You mentioned that, outside of foldable devices and AI, the smartphone space feels a bit 'stale.' Could you expand on what feels stagnant? Is it the form factor, or are there specific areas where you'd like to see more innovation?

Form Factor: All the same.. just black slabs / rectangles.
Camera/Photos: All the same.. even budget devices are capable of taking 'good enough' photos. AI enhancements mean it's less about the hardware anyway.
Features: They're all the same and if something isn't available stock... there's an app for it.

I genuinely don't know where they could innovate at this point within the current technological pipeline. It feels like we need the next jump in technology before there's any kind of "true innovation" as everything right now is just to jam AI into it whether it needs it or not when really, we should be thinking of how to.. idk.. eliminate the phone form factor all together. The Humane Ai Pin, and Rabbit r1 while no doubt failures right now, they still feel like a look into the possible future.