Y3K: What Will The Smartphones of the Future Be Like?
The lead-up to Y2k was something truly crazy. Fascination with all things alien, all clothing shiny or silver, and the latest technology trends reached fever pitch. While some people were planning what kind of party they should throw for the last New Year the world would ever see, others were bulk buying bottled water and toilet tissue to ensure they had enough to last them through whatever. This was a time when the newest wearable technology was a glittery flip phone snapped shut over your collar, but people were still expecting spaceships and hover-cars to become the next next big thing. Now, 22 years on, the world of technology, and phones particularly, has changed in more ways than we could ever have anticipated.
The advent of the Smartphone has changed the game entirely; unless you’re an ironic retro technology lover with a Nokia 3310 for laughs, a smartphone is the new standard, and it’s hard to move through modern life without one. Our smartphones are our calendars, reminding us of appointments and big birthdays that we may otherwise have forgotten. They are our communication devices, keeping us in touch with our friends and family whether they are near or far. They are how we shop for our clothes and groceries, the way we meet new friends or maybe find love, and they are the way we work, find our way when we’re lost, and keep ourselves entertained. Though they might not be futuristic now in the way we imagined they would be back then, it’s hard to deny that the goalposts in the world of technology are always moving. What is here today is gone tomorrow and probably replaced a few minutes after that! So the question is, with all this change going on at light speed, what will the smartphones of the future look and function like? Let’s hear what the experts have to say on the subject.
Wireless Charging
As the years have gone by, the number of cables attached to our various technological devices has dwindled and dwindled. Industry insiders are saying that before long, wireless charging pads or “air charging” are going to become the norm, and tangled chargers will become a thing of the past. Now we don’t mean that your phone will necessarily spontaneously recharge itself, but we do mean that charging may soon come in the form of using radio frequencies to charge phones instead of devices.
6G Technology
While many smartphone users still jump up and down for joy when they get 5G because it’s not fully widespread just yet, 6G is going to be the way of the future. With technology this fast, whole movies will download to your phone in mere seconds (legally only, of course). 6G is going to be a considerable challenge from a technological point of view; the frequency is going to have to be expanded all the way up to 3,000 GHz, not to mention building an entirely new infrastructure to go along with that. Given the speed at which all technology associated with internet and smartphone usage has already evolved, 6G is definitely on the horizon over the next decade.
Holographic Displays
The accepted standard for the best way to consume any kind of content over our smartphones has changed so much over the last few years; what can we expect to see in the future? Well, holographic displays, for one! Instead of looking directly at our screens for high-definition versions of our favorite music videos and movies, holograms will lift these videos off the page and into our space to be observed from all angles. The key difference between viewing holographic images and 3D images, which is the closest thing we’ve had over the last few years, is that holographic tech does all the work for you; no glasses required!
Portless Devices
We mentioned the quickly disappearing wires and cables that have come along with our technological devices for many years now, but we didn’t mention the disappearance of all the ports they connect to as well! Unsurprisingly it is Chinese studios that are already working hard to perfect portless phones and computers. These sleek, solid, futuristic-looking devices should begin entering the market sometime over the next few years and become commonplace in about 5-10 years.
Stronger, Better, Faster AI
If you’re a tech fan and the subject of AI isn’t already taking up a good chunk of your conversation time, what are you even talking about? Both AI and machine learning, technically separate concepts but often understood as more or less the same thing by the general public, are advancing in leaps and bounds and making our lives easier and faster through their application in our computers and smartphones. Virtual assistants, fine-tuned, learning cameras, real-time translators, and the like are the now. Who knows what the future of a better AI application might hold?
The Return of the Flip Phone?
This year saw the release of one of the most anticipated phones in a long while-the fold. While this is not a flip phone in the traditional sense since the screen folds over rather than an exposed hinge in the middle and a separate screen and keypad, the fold phone is one large touch screen that folds in the middle to close. This opens up new ways to consume content operating with a tiny half-screen or a tablet-like device. This technology is still sensitive and costly, so it will be a little while before they become a standard, but they have impressed fans all over the world already. The throwback, nostalgic feeling we get when whipping our phones open might have a little bit to do with this as well, but let’s be honest, the technology speaks for itself!
Wrap Up
Smartphone technology is taking us to some exciting places in the future, and we can’t wait to go.