Back then, HDTVs were rare and extremely high-end, cameraphones were regarded as totally rad, and phones that can double as an MP3 player were so cool. Times have changed.
5 years ago, it didn’t matter what resolution your phone’s display runs. Very few people even cared about the CPU in it. For everyone, second to millisecond differences didn’t matter.
Say, we had e-mail in our phones and BlackBerry was pretty known for that, while Nokia was noted for injecting a camera into our mobile phones. While they didn’t really invent the touchscreen, Apple did bring it into the limelight. The smartphone evolution (or revolution) didn’t happen in a day.
It continued in many paths, which is quite expected because of competition. Apple pushed apps into the battlefield, which forced other platforms to step up their game as well. Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry 10 and the others will be catching up soon, but we think that’s a given – and more and more quality apps will never be overkill.
There is a ton of space for software improvement, but what about hardware? Take this comparison chart on how specs evolve every year.
The screen’s resolution gets higher along with the display size, RAM & of course, battery to power all of that. Above all, we might even move to real octa-core phones next year (Galaxy S4 isn’t truly running on 8 cores). Camera capabilities are also evolving along the way.
Next year, we could have 6-inch flagship phones running on a resolution of 2560 x 1440, with a camera that can record great 2160p video in low-light, an octa-core CPU that has a better architecture than today and 4GB RAM. Of course, to keep that all running, you need a one of a kind battery. The question is, do we need that? Do we even want that?
If that’s the case, then honestly, I’m good with it for the most part. But as of today, I’m not even feeling a bit of discontent with my Nexus 4, safe for the camera. When next year comes with those specs, I won’t be counting on days of battery life anyway, so 1 day will always still be good with me.
Gaming with an S4 Pro isn’t bad, so while there is still room for more power, I don’t see why we need twice the speed immediately. Same case with the display; I don’t need a 1080p screen, and I don’t need a larger screen. That’s what tablets are for. Only thing that needs improvement is the camera, and you know it – smartphone cameras are nowhere near overkill; most of them still suck.
Is this progress all for marketing’s sake? We, consumers, will be losing if that’s the case. Maybe people in this generation are getting too spoiled. Or another scene to consider is that the smartphone evolution really is ending, and that is why manufacturers are making the jump to wearable technology.
The only pro I see with phones getting exaggerated specs is that the current high-end hardware will become the new standard for future mid-range phones. For example, once they have better CPU architectures, a Snapdragon S4 Pro CPU, which isn’t bad by all means, will be made available to future mid-range phones.
Are you still not satisfied with what smartphones offer right now? If so, in what part? What do you think will phones be like next year? Feel free to discuss in the comments down below.
YugaTech.com is the largest and longest-running technology site in the Philippines. Originally established in October 2002, the site was transformed into a full-fledged technology platform in 2005.
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Peetie says:
sa totoo lang, battery life lang kulang para sa akin, 2GB ram? i think its useless for a regular user like, di mo naman ggmitin phone mo para magedit ng video/mglaro/mgtype in the same time. Camera is quite acceptable. 8 cores? gimik lang yan eh, dual core should do for casual gaming, quadcore for HD gaming.
sad reality, niloloko lang tayo ng mga tech companies. tayo naman nagpapaloko. gsto laging latest. eh alam naman natin na in few months malalaos din mga gadget natin. BE CONTENTED for what you have.
vee says:
i think the future will be google glass or some sort of wearable smartphone. perhaps apple is going to release similar product. also make projector a standard feature in phones, just like what samsung did.
ibaling lang says:
maglalabas pa rin kaya nung mga brick phones? may maglalakas kaya ng loob na maglagay ng mahigit sa 2.4″ screen sa isang brick phone?
sherwin says:
next year agad? 2nd qtr just started and ang dami pang nakalineup for this year… nexus. iphone…
Jomskye says:
I hope google continues to make phones with high end specs but on a mid range price.
NEXUS all the way.
edisson says:
Isn’t it too early to predict next year’s phones?
roiji says:
I do hope in the NEAR future they’d upgrade the battery technology.
I don’t mind a thick phone as long as it has a bigger battery that I am sure will last longer than 2 of the same thin phone. *RAZR MAXX*
Camera technology in that small space could only go so far.
So, I’m hoping for a *passable* quality from a smartphone.
Of course, enough of the aluminium phones. Aluminium does not absorb impact and leaves a permanent dent, unlike plastic.
Plastic (or polycarbonate) absorbs the impact and only leaves a scratch or none at all.
Another saver would be a removable battery. Battery degrades over time, especially for smartphones where you need to charge it every day or two. It’s advisable that consumers will be able to purchase a replacement battery after 2 years so that the smartphone can still be enjoyed for another year or so..
josef says:
sana upgradable na yung hardware ng phones para di ka bili ng bili lol.
pol says:
I’m sorry but this article is all over the place. The ideas don’t make sense. I’m a Yugatech fan, but entries written lately are confusing. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not an aspiring blogger. Just an avid reader. I hope Yugatech gets its act together.
Anyway, I do hope next year’s phones would have better battery life. Always on hspa+ that would last several days would be nice. :)
george says:
Gawa ka ng sarili mo blog! Puro kayo satsat and complain.
Carlo says:
Sana may built-in na solar panel sa cellphone para kahit saan pwede mag charge :)
reader says:
I’m sorry but this article is all over the place. The ideas don’t make sense. I’m a Yugatech fan, but entries written lately are confusing. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not an aspiring blogger. Just an avid reader. I hope Yugatech gets its act together.
jermonster says:
Phones this year will be less expensive next year. :P
Bleh says:
I think smartphone manufacturers should halt at the 1080p screen resolution, 2GB RAM, Octa or quad core, 13MP mark. Upgrade and it will be simply overkill.
Prugal Geek says:
The future of mobile phones belongs to Cherry Mobile!
Expect a phone that will feature the look of HTC One, the screen size of Samsung S4, the hardware specs of a Nokia 3210.
Hehehe
Jenny Gartner says:
Number one, improve the network. Second, improve the battery. Everything will follow.
Boy_Trivia says:
next year sana magkaroon na ng smartphone na may T.V. na may cable .. ahahah xD
XXIX says:
Personally, I believe that current smartphone’s specs are, in a way, overkill. Maybe they should start focusing more on the hardware and software’s power-efficiency. Hopefully, a new battery technology will be introduced since most smartphones doesn’t last that long in typical use.
Rocket says:
Better battery, syempre. Gusto ko tumagal ang phone ko ng buong araw kahit mag browse ako at maglaro ng heavy android games.
abuzalzal says:
After buying the Omega HD as a back up to my Note 2….loving it up yo this point due to the gorgeous screen at parang hindi ko na ma justify mag spend ng 30k Php uliit sa isang flagship model because I rarely use phones for gaming….
Flagship phones are waaaay overpriced
Anon says:
I hope the next smartphone “race” would be towards better battery/endurance.
agree says:
Anon and koki_motok: I AGREE! sana nga parang yung mga older nokia phones na days ang battery life. :-)
koki_motok says:
LIKE 1000000*****00 times!!!
Im hoping for a better camera in low-light conditions
And hoping for A BETTER NETWORK PROVIDER WITH RELIABLE SERVICE!!!
markmywords says:
i think its time to bring down the price. apple is now rumored to start selling a mid range iphone in the near future. that would really bring a whole new battle ground. i think the processing power of smartphones are now really sufficient for its functions. the number of cores in a phone doesnt matter anymore. performance is affected by a lot of other factors not just core count. bring down the price so more people can buy them then its time to bring wearable tech into the picture where phones are now connect to other devices that you wear everyday like wrist watches and glasses. if microsoft can also pull off the win8/rt-xbox720-wp8 connectivity that would also shake things up pretty good.
the way i see things kahit anong mangyari blackberry is a sure loser. they dont have any cards left. im pretty sure the z10 will fail and that would be the end of them. who would pay for 30k for a z10? crazy right. i would rather add a little more for htc one or iphone 5. at least the lumia devices are priced right imo.
Pong Pagong says:
I do agree with the author on this one. I’m currently using an ip4s. I gave the ip5 that i got from globe for renewing my contract to my gf. My phone still gives me what i need. The problem is our cellular network. Walang LTE sa location ko and i’m only getting 1.5mbps sa 3g on the average. Feeling ko hindi natin ma-utilize ang hardware power ng next gen phones kung mabagal ang connection sa mga telcos. Parang bumili ka ng ferrari at itatakbo mo sa edsa.
about says:
sana may fake na verTu
Yusuf says:
2014? 1080p displays as standard. 720p for mid-range. Possibly even 4k. Dissolving of low quality displays (480p, etcetera). Intel CPUs will continue to surge and contrast ARM. ARM CPUs – quad core and maybe octa core (just like Samsung’s big.LITTLE architecture). Quad core for ALL (MediaTek). High PPI, pixel-dense displays. 4 GB of RAM for high ends, 2 GB for mid-range, 1 GB for low-end. 1080p at 60 FPS video recording. 1080p for front facing cameras. And hopefully, BIGGER batteries that can suffice heavy usage! (Like the Droid RAZR Maxx)
Edwin C says:
There is only one thing certain. Phones next year will be very, very expensive. And only people like Manny Pacquiao, Yuga, the Ayalas, the Zobels, the Ayala de Zobels, the Zobels de Ayalas… can have them all.
Headwind C says:
Ganyan ka na ba ka hopeless? wawa ka naman, need employment siguro. for less than 5k makakabili ka na ng decent smart phone
Yusuf says:
Google will prove you wrong.
Asd says:
Pupusta ko siyam na buhay ng pusa namin, si freking nerd nagsulat nito wahahahahaha! Non sense eh :)))
Dont feed the troll says:
Don’t feed the troll
kanto boy says:
Asd: I can see you as a loud mouthed old fat lady with super thick make up nagging people, mahiya ka naman sus
gje says:
Hahaha…makuha lang atensyon ni freking!!! Kaw na obssesed
ASD anu dawww? says:
..hahaha cge dre gawa ka blog magbabasa kami. ay madagdag ko pla, parang nonsense din ata post mo? ^_^
Fghjkl says:
Putang ina andito ka na naman lumayas ka nga! Bullshit ka. -_- Walang magawa sa buhay pagsabihan mo yang sarili mo ng nonsense. Sana nga talaga yang siyam na buhay mo makitil na ng mawala na mga nonsense sa mundo. Pakealamero.