Although 2022 has produced a number of excellent smartphones, it is difficult to say that this was a year of exciting, cutting-edge technology.
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra was essentially a Galaxy S21 Ultra with an S Pen slot added. However, it had a fairly comparable camera system. The Pixel 7 line, on the other hand, was essentially the Pixel 6 2022 Edition, playing it relatively safe but adding a new chipset and an improved periscope camera. Finally, Samsung’s most recent foldables demonstrate that the product category is more developed and marketable than ever before, although it would be difficult to distinguish them from models from a year ago.
You could also make a compelling case that Apple’s iPhone 14 Pro models, which include a 48MP main camera and an improved version of display cutouts, did little more than copy features Android has had for years. In either case, 2022 has, for the most part, been predictable.
While innovation encourages us to update, refining yields wonderful mobile devices. In the world of smartphones, playing it safe is perfectly acceptable because it frequently results in well-designed, attractive products. In fact, iteration led to the creation of some of the greatest cell phones ever. These include the LG G4, HTC One M8, and Samsung Galaxy S7 series.
However, innovation drives the mobile industry and gives consumers a reason to upgrade. So, the following year, we really want to see more truly inventive cell phones. But in this context, what does “really innovative” mean? By new designs, features, or significant revisions to current formulas, we mean everything.
In 2023, there are a few developments that we’d really like to see appear on smartphones. We’d like to see Gorilla Glass for foldables or screens that genuinely feel like glass in the foldable market alone. Even though the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Z Fold 4 have robust folding screens, they nonetheless have a more affordable appearance and feel than typical phones.
We’d also like to see dust-resistant foldables, but the market leader Samsung currently looks to be having significant difficulty with this, let alone competitors like Huawei, Xiaomi, and Oppo. Another development we anticipate in the future is the complete removal of the display crease without sacrificing water resistance. Some companies, like Oppo and Honor, have done a remarkable job of decreasing the crease and providing a smaller hinge, but doing so frequently has consequences for IP ratings.
We also want to see a lot of advancements on traditional smartphones, starting with camera-related functionality. We are crossing our fingers for components like longer-range variable telephoto cameras. The tele camera on Sony’s Xperia 1 IV may be adjusted from 3.5x to 5.2x. Despite having a limited zoom range, this camera has ample flexibility for close-up and distant images. Future variable cameras with a maximum zoom of 8x or possibly 10x would significantly enhance zoom quality. We’d also like to see the main and tele cameras integrated into a single changeable module, so you could use just one camera for group photos and take wide-angle photographs instead of two.
Aside from 200MP cameras that aren’t crap, we’re also hoping to see significant advancements in photo and video stabilization in 2023.
We can also come up with a few non-camera advancements that we’d like to see on a flagship phone in 2023. For instance, you may finally have genuinely safe face unlock without a display cutout thanks to under-display 3D face unlock. Another technology that has been in development for a while is over-the-air charging, and we are eagerly awaiting its commercial release. After all, why use a conventional wireless charging pad when you can do rid of it and go completely wireless? We also observed a few alternatives to glass backs in 2022 (such as the bio-polymer material used in the Realme GT 2 Pro), so we anticipate seeing more businesses offer alternative materials in 2023.
Finally, when using fast charging, we’d expect to observe significantly reduced battery degradation. Due to the fact that most individuals keep their phones for three to four years, this is particularly crucial. It’s time for OEMs to step up by making sure the hardware itself can withstand the test of time after we’ve already seen them pander to this trend by promising extended update pledges.
These anticipated developments are not just confined to hardware, though. Software-based advances like triple photo/video capture on more phones, further AI tools (along the lines of call screening, reflection removal, and Google Recorder), and greater privacy features are absolutely what we’re hanging out for (e.g. Color OS automatically pixelating chat screenshots). Additionally, we’d like to see more personalization options on smartphones in 2023 and beyond; Samsung Fair Lock gives us a good indication of what’s feasible.
These are just a few potential smartphone breakthroughs for 2023 or later, both plausible and unlikely. Undoubtedly, not all of them will be present the following year, but even a few of these additions would liven up the surroundings.
2022 gives us optimism that at least a few cutting-edge cell phones will be available in 2023. The Xiaomi 12S Ultra provided a massive one-inch camera sensor, while the Oppo Find N gave a more pocket-friendly version of the Fold-style form factor. The Sony Xperia 1 IV offered the previously stated variable telephoto camera. Even a wacky Xiaomi proposal that enables the usage of Leica camera lenses on smartphones was shown to us.
