In 2017, we saw the launch of some of the most innovative and desired smartphones of all time. From the Galaxy S8 from Samsung, to the iPhone X from Apple, through the Pixel 2 from Google; it was a very good year for smartphones. However, the 2018 cellular trends promise to be even more ingenious, tempting and extraordinary. Do you want to know what the new cell phones will bring this year? Find out in this guide.
FACIAL UNLOCKING TECHNOLOGY
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Although Apple was not the first to implement the Face ID, it has stood out for offering a much safer, faster and more usable facial recognition technology. It’s unsure to say if facial recognition is completely foolproof, but we will undoubtedly continue to see this feature being adopted more in 2018. Currently, manufacturers indeed are focusing on facial recognition, although in general they are expected to be not as secure as the iPhone X. For its part, Samsung does offer iris scanning instead, but it’s not as seamless as some might want it to be.
Also, some rumors claim that Apple will launch the Face ID in more iPhones this year, and if this happens, we believe that all major manufacturers will feel compelled to do the same with something similar to be able to stand out. Surely, as more people use it, facial unlocking technology should improve, although we believe that in the not too distant future, it will not be the only biometric they will offer the user.
FINGERPRINT SENSORS UNDER THE GLASS
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One of the most popular innovations that we saw in the cell phones of 2017, was the elimination of the bezels, which allowed the screens to completely cover the front area of the phone and, in addition, allow you to have a display in the aspect ratio of 18:9.
However, most of the times such new trends implemented are accompanied by other changes, and this time was not the exception. But for screens to become enlarged, manufacturer’s had to put fingerprint sensor to the rear, or, in iPhone X’s case, completely remove it. Despite this, this year the manufacturers are considering another less radical solution and place the fingerprint sensor under the screen. Both Samsung and Apple are expected to adopt this in the times to come.
We hope that, at least, a first-class smartphone manufacturer will deploy it in its flagship this 2018. If it works as expected, surely many more manufacturers will want to apply this new trend in their phones.
MORE AUGMENTED REALITY ON YOUR PHONE
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Although augmented reality has existed for a long time, it is a relatively new feature for cell phones. Recall that last year some phones from Google and Apple innovated with augmented reality, through AR-Core and AR-Kit, respectively.
However, we believe that this year, there will be much more presence of this trend not only in the most popular phone manufacturers smart. Can you imagine your phone with augmented reality not only in games? It would be very interesting to see.
DUAL CAMERAS ON EACH PHONE
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Definitely, the dual cameras are here to stay. Back in 2017, the implementation of dual cameras was very well received by most users who love being able to take photographs that look like professionals. Some of the famous devices that offered this trend were Samsung's Samsung Galaxy Note 8, Apple's iPhone X and Huawei Mate 10 Pro. However, the dual camera resource has been used by almost all the big manufacturers.
Surely, this year we will see more manufacturers that will join this new trend or fashion, although we must admit that they will have a big challenge to overcome the quality of the dual camera offered by the prevailing phones.
WIRELESS CHARGING ON MOBILE PHONES
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Are you one of the people who have been able to enjoy wireless charging on your cell phone? Undoubtedly, one of the most comfortable things is to be able to place your phone on the night table, without having to use any cables. And, now that the two leading smartphone manufacturers, Samsung and Apple, have adopted it, we believe wireless charging will become a much more popular trend.
However, we find it even more exciting, the possibility of a wireless and remote charge.
Can you imagine it? In recent years, we have seen some different technologies that pursue this hypothesis. Could 2018 be the year that really happens? Probably not, but maybe in the medium term it is possible.
AI COULD MAKE LIFE EASIER
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So far, Google's Pixel 2 and 2XL models have proven to be the devices that offer the most complete artificial intelligence (AI) software, which allows you to create better photos, recognize objects and even help you to plan your day. Likewise, we are also seeing the great AI of Huawei with the Neural Processing Unit (NPU) in its patented Kirin chip, which we hope will help us make decisions to continue with our lives. For its part, Amazon does not want to be left behind and is also trying to incorporate Alexa into some smartphones.
Little by little artificial intelligence has been occupying some of our favorite phones in the market, but we hope that this year is transcendental for the development of AI in most of them and with more surprising features.
FOLDING SCREENS
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Would you like your smartphone to fold and unfold? If your answer is affirmative, we have good news for you. According to the suggested rumors, the upcoming Samsung Galaxy X smartphone is expected to feature this trend.
However, despite this rumor, we do not believe that this year you can see a wide variety of folding phones in the market, since manufacturers should work carefully in every detail before launching it. Recall that, at the end of 2017, the ZTE Axon M launched a phone with two screens of 5.2 inches and a hinge, but really did not have the receptivity expected in the market. It only remains to hope that when a new folding phone arrives it will be much more useful and practical than the attempt of ZTE.
BETTER BATTERIES
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Although most users are yearning for smartphones to come with more durable batteries, it seems that manufacturers have been more concerned with offering thinner devices. However, an area where battery technology in smartphones has improved significantly is the speed of loading and we believe that it will continue to do so in 2018.