Smartphone trends for 2019

Smartphones are our favorite assistants. We use them every day for many hours. A good smartphone can increase your productivity considerably. Manufacturers know that all too well. A few trends for 2019 at a glance.

Scanners: in-display face recognition and fingerprint

We have already seen fingerprint scanners and face recognition (such as Face ID with the iPhone) this year, but in 2019 manufacturers will take the next step. The mechanics are expected to be processed in the display. With so-called in-display face recognition and fingerprint, users can identify themselves.

From a manufacturer's perspective, there is a big advantage to in-display face recognition and a fingerprint scanner: the technology can be processed under the screen. As a result, the screen no longer needs any fibers. Manufacturers can therefore follow the trend of 'thinner and bigger'. An example of a device that is already on the market with this technology is the Vivo NEX.

The technologies are probably in the Samsung Galaxy S10, but manufacturer Huawei follows. It will be the first time in 2019 that such functions will be mass-produced in a higher-end smartphone.

The driver behind the technology is Qualcomm, which usually also develops the chips for the smartphones. The technique can work up to 800 microns thick, compared to 300 microns in previous generations. The expected delivery dates for the new smartphones with these techniques: around the end of February.

It is becoming increasingly easier for developers to apply Augmented Reality.

Advance for Augmented Reality (AR) and 3D

Augmented Reality is starting to rise. With the extensive AR kits that Samsung and Apple deliver with their smartphones, it is becoming increasingly easier for developers to apply augmented reality. With Augmented Reality it is possible to use virtual objects in an actual environment. This is done via the camera.

In 2019 it will even be possible to navigate through Augmented Reality with certain actions and 3D sensing cameras. Apple is expected to launch multi-finger hovering gesture recognition next year. You do not touch the screen with this, but make movements above and beyond the screen.

To achieve all this, Apple is increasing its so-called 'capacitive touch sensitivity'. The system can currently handle 30 millimeters, but this is being adjusted to 50 millimeters. This prevents the manufacturer from hosting. Ghosting means that the system cannot keep up with the finger movements and therefore lags behind the movements.

Foldable telephones?

At various trade fairs we see an emerging trend for folding products. Whether it is a wafer-thin, foldable television, or a smartphone. The expectations are high for Samsung. The manufacturer would develop a foldable smartphone that would be approximately 7 inches tall. Huawei and Xiaomi are also working on foldable devices.

In the production of folding devices, the problem was always maintaining quality and durability. According to DJ Koh from Samsung, these problems are now solved. This makes it seem as if the devices are ready for the retail market to go on.

Whether the foldable smartphone will be a success is questionable. According to experts, it can change the mobile world or become a flop. We will have to wait and see: the foldable telephone is expected to be presented in January at the CES trade show in America. It is clear that 2019 will certainly be the year of innovation in this area.

5G will be the future standard for mobile networks.

5G

The development is not standing still in their own country either. Work is underway on the 5G network in North Groningen, under the name '5Groningen'. This new generation of mobile data communication is the next step in, among other things, mobile internet. To expand, the project recently received two million euros in European money. Now it is important that manufacturers and developers behind 5G work together.

Smartphonemaker OnePlus wants to be at the forefront of this new mobile network. The manufacturer has announced that it is working on a 5G smartphone. Thanks to a partnership with Qualcomm, OnePlus is becoming one of the first manufacturers to support 5G in its new smartphones.

5G is much faster than the current 4G network: in previous tests abroad, speeds of 20 gigabytes per second were down and 10 gigabytes per second were achieved. This means that, for example, loading a Netflix movie can be done within a few seconds.

The introduction of 5G in the Netherlands is a bit delayed: the new network is not expected to come before 2022. That is because 5G is placed on the 3.5 GHz frequency. This frequency is now still being used for other purposes. Nevertheless, providers in the Netherlands are already busy testing it. For example, it was recently announced that KPN is already conducting tests in Amsterdam Southeast, the port of Rotterdam, on a farm in Drenthe and in Helmond. The expectation is that at least KPN will switch off 3G completely in 2022.

The iPhone in 2019

After Android, Apple has the largest mobile system with the iPhone. Although Apple has just released new smartphones in October, there is already speculation about the new features of the next iPhones.

According to an analyst from Barclays, Apple will at least get 3D Touch from the devices in the coming year. This allows small menus to be opened by holding a menu and pressing a little harder. The iPhone XR is already the first device without a 3D Touch.

The camera will also be greatly improved in 2019. According to the Taiwanese Economic News Daily, the iPhone would soon be equipped with three cameras of 12 megapixels. This makes details even sharper. Objects and landscapes are then photographed from different angles.

Since this year, Apple has opted for OLED screens and that trend will continue in 2019. Apple is also expected to continue with the expansion of Liquid Retina LCD screens. According to Ming-Chi Kuo, more iPhones with LCD screens will soon be sold than with OLED screens. A remarkable statement, but the philosophy behind it is that a telephone with an LCD screen can be offered for a lower price.

Finally: the much-discussed notch. It would be removed in 2019. That is, if we can believe one of Apple's many patents.