Smartphone trends for 2019

Smartphones are our favorite assistants. We use them daily, for many hours at a time. A good smartphone can significantly increase your productivity. Manufacturers know this all too well. A few trends for 2019 at a glance.

Scanners: in-display facial recognition and fingerprint

We have already seen fingerprint scanners and facial recognition (such as Face ID with the iPhone) this year, but in 2019 manufacturers will take the next step. It is expected that the mechanisms will then be incorporated into the display. With so-called in-display facial recognition and fingerprint, users can identify themselves.

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

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

The driving force behind the technology is Qualcomm, which usually also develops the chips for 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 technologies: around the end of February.

It is becoming easier for developers to apply Augmented Reality.

Advance for Augmented Reality (AR) and 3D

Augmented Reality is on the rise. With the extensive AR kits that Samsung and Apple provide with their smartphones, it is becoming easier for developers to apply augmented reality. With Augmented Reality it is possible to apply virtual objects in an actual environment. This is done through 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 introduce multi-finger hovering gesture recognition next year. You do not touch the screen with this, but you make movements above and outside the screen.

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

Foldable phones?

We are seeing an emerging trend for foldable products at various trade shows. Whether it's a wafer-thin, foldable television, or a smartphone. Expectations are high for Samsung. The manufacturer would develop a foldable smartphone, which would be about 7 inches in size. Huawei and Xiaomi are also working on foldable devices.

In the production of foldable devices, the problem has always been to maintain quality and durability. According to DJ Koh of Samsung, these issues have now been resolved. This makes it seem as if the devices are ready to retail market to go up.

Whether the foldable smartphone will be a success remains to be seen. According to experts, it could change the mobile world, or be a flop. We'll have to wait and see: the foldable phone is expected to be presented in January, at the CES fair 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 our own country either. In North Groningen, work is underway on the 5G network, under the name '5Groningen'. This new generation of mobile data communication is the next step in mobile internet, among other things. To expand, the project recently received two million euros in European money. Now it is important that manufacturers and the developers behind 5G work together.

Smartphone maker 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 becomes 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 down and 10 gigabytes per second up were already achieved. This means that, for example, loading a movie from Netflix is done within a few seconds.

The introduction of 5G in the Netherlands is still a long way off: the new network is not expected to be completed before 2022. This is because 5G will be placed on the 3.5 GHz frequency. This frequency is now 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. It is therefore expected that in any case KPN will switch off 3G completely in 2022.

The iPhone in 2019

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

According to an analyst from Barclays, Apple will at least remove 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 3D Touch.

The camera will also be greatly improved in 2019. According to the Taiwanese Economic News Daily, the iPhone will soon be equipped with three 12-megapixel cameras. 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 expanding Liquid Retina LCD displays. 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 phone with an LCD screen can be offered for a lower price.

Finally: the much-discussed notch. It would be removed in 2019. At least, if we are to believe one of Apple's many patents.