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What will be the next huge innovation/game changer in smartphones?

A

andyACEcandy

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Feb 11, 2008
863
14
Like many of you, I'm very excited about the iPhone 6... but for me personally it's because I've been with Android for years and am ready for a change back (I go back and forth).

While I'm very excited, I still haven't really seen anything innovative when it comes to smartphones. Yes, we have better materials in terms of glass and aluminum... and a few more megapixels (for those of us who aren't camera snobs, it's not really a big deal after a certain point). The phones have gotten somewhat thinner as well, but again... nothing special.

But what will be the next huge game-changing innovation with a smartphone?

  • I think a battery that lasts for 48+ hours would be incredible. Remember the old flip phones would last for a week (granted, they had a fraction of the features).
  • The whole hologram keyboard would be cool, but kind of pointless IMO. Would make for a typical Samsung gimmick haha.
  • What about re-sizable screens? Would this even be possible? Imagine using a 5.5" iPhone 6 and then having the option to expand the screen larger into more of an iPad mini... Even if this were possible, I guess it would just cannibalize sales of their tablets haha.
 
andyACEcandy said:
But what will be the next huge game-changing innovation with a smartphone?

  • I think a battery that lasts for 48+ hours would be incredible. Remember the old flip phones would last for a week (granted, they had a fraction of the features).
  • The whole hologram keyboard would be cool, but kind of pointless IMO. Would make for a typical Samsung gimmick haha.
  • What about re-sizable screens? Would this even be possible? Imagine using a 5.5" iPhone 6 and then having the option to expand the screen larger into more of an iPad mini... Even if this were possible, I guess it would just cannibalize sales of their tablets haha.
Click to expand...


I don't think the battery is going to change at all. Apple is happy with their '10 hour' battery life. Even if the phone did have a 48 hour battery, people will still complain about it not lasting 72 hours like [insert some other phone here]. Still, I think there is going to be a slight change in the battery.

Hologram keyboard......probably not, at least for a long time.

Expanding the screen to different sizes? That'd be a dumb move because there wouldn't be a need for an iPad category anymore.


Anyway, coming from an iPhone 4, anything seems innovative and new.
Like that 'ooooh, shiny' moment

:D
 
I guess 4k screens? Ultra high def...

Not sure how much a difference this would make though if all you is look at little icons and Facebook/internet haha
 
if I knew that I wouldn't be posting it here I would be creating it, or finding someone to create it so I could make $$$$.
 
I once read about a new battery tech being researched. Would take phone life to like 1-2 weeks. THAT would be a breakthrough. SO sick and tired of the iPhone battery. I've had every iPhone.. and they all have been bad with the juice.:mad:
 
If we limit the speculations to current touchscreen slabs, the biggest improvements and innovations will probably be with regards to the battery, camera and other sensors.
 
zipa said:
If we limit the speculations to current touchscreen slabs, the biggest improvements and innovations will probably be with regards to the battery, camera and other sensors.
Click to expand...


So what do you envision outside of the current touchscreen slabs? :)

Maybe a digital contact lens you control with your blinks and eye movement? Similar to Google Glass I suppose
 
A scanner app where you take a photo of a document and print it via wifi and it will print and appear normally.

I also want it to project images to a wall to share photos with groups of people rather than pass the phone around.

Batteryless operating via solar energy or something comparable.
 
I think long battery life is really necessary in now a days, it is not any kind of huge innovation or technology but still it will really effect on smartphones market. Hologram technology is really needed a very long time, i think it may be in 2019-20 or more than this no one can say it very surely
 
Thing is, even if some new Windows phone came out that had 72 hour battery life... I still wouldn't buy it :rolleyes:
 
I'd argue that touch ID is a huge inovation.

I honestly think we'll look back at it as a landmark feature, even thought Apple have been relatively reserved when it comes to marketing it.

Today, it's use is fairly basic, however iOS 8 will change that, the sky is the limit, passwords could become a think of the past over night, secure payments, etc etc, and I think a lot of people who said, "Meh, Touch ID is a gimick" will quickly realise how short sighted they've been.

I think it's worth highlighting this.

In the future, I hope battery life will be improved. It would be amazing to get that liberating feeling of using a device without worrying about the battery that you get when using an iPad on the iPhone.
 
Two of the next big steps forward (for handhelds) may be the obsolescence of buttons and of battery.

The home button will disappear when controls and touch ID can be integrated into the body of the phone itself.

The battery will not disappear, but will just cease to become a factor once wireless charging fields (not contact-based charging) become a reality. We'll have a charger in our home and maybe office and car, and your battery will pretty much just always be full without having to plug it in or think about it.
 
it's gonna be 3D touchscreens, like last years Samsung's galaxy handset. I don't know much about it, but I heard it was very poorly implemented in the galaxy S4.

Full-colour, sun-light readable displays are going to be the next BIG thing.
 
A true desktop class operating system, although on a smaller screen like 5.5 inches. Although I'm not looking for an exact replica of Mac OS X on a small screen. I'd like to see true multi tasking with windowing of apps that works effortless on the mobile phone. Oh yeah major battery life improvements to support this
 
Izauze said:
Two of the next big steps forward (for handhelds) may be the obsolescence of buttons and of battery.
Click to expand...


Button-less phones are nothing new, neither is wireless charging. There is much room for improvement with regards to wireless charging, though.
 
zipa said:
Button-less phones are nothing new, neither is wireless charging. There is much room for improvement with regards to wireless charging, though.
Click to expand...

Buttonless Touch ID will be new. As will wireless field charging or other passive charging solutions. I'm not talking about having to put your phone on a pad... I'm talking about simply not having to think about battery ever again.
 
Have you seen the Futurama episode about the eye-phone?
Get ready for some pain - and convenience! :D
 
andyACEcandy said:
So what do you envision outside of the current touchscreen slabs? :)

Maybe a digital contact lens you control with your blinks and eye movement? Similar to Google Glass I suppose
Click to expand...

I really wouldn't know. If I did, I'd be working on it instead of speculating over it on the internet... :)

But yea, wearables is a pretty good bet, I think.

----------
Izauze said:
Buttonless Touch ID will be new.
Click to expand...

There's no requirement for a button to implement a fingerprint reader. 99,99 % fingerprint scanners are not buttons even today.

I guess what you mean is having the sensor integrated in the display? Like said, I think that sensors will be one field of innovation in the near future.
 
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