I'm sitting in front of the laptop today, thinking about the state of the Android world after the flurry of smartphone launches we've seen in February and January. We've seen more powerful phones with bigger batteries and better cameras debut with a number of AI-powered features. And yet, I'm mostly excited about a concept from Tecno that I saw during MWC 2024, which featured a rollable display.
And I'm thinking to myself, is that it? Has the smartphone world (not just Android) become so stagnant and similar that saying a new product is thinner, cooler, faster, more powerful, and lasts longer is the be-all and end-all of smartphone design? Will AI save the day?
Uniquely The Same
Take Nothing's Phone 2a, for example. It's an affordable smartphone with decent hardware and a fair amount of marketing buzz surrounding it. What it does have is a different design from virtually anything else on the market. I wouldn't say I like the design personally, but you have to admire the chutzpah of a brand willing to do things differently from the big boys, such as Samsung, whose Galaxy S design is comfortable but entirely dull. The last time that Samsung took a chance with its design was with the Galaxy S21 series, a departure from the Korean company's de facto design.
You could say the same for the OnePlus 12 series, which shares its basic aesthetic with Oppo's gorgeous Find X7 Ultra. Somehow, the phone that launched globally was the one with the less exciting design.
What About AI?
So, what is exciting about the smartphone world?
Rollable phones such as Tecno's Phantom Ultimate are in their infancy, and durability issues currently prevent them from entering the production phase. Foldable phones, especially in the Flip segment, are set to become mainstream products in 2024, while Fold-like handsets will hopefully become a little cheaper as well.
We've seen that Germany's T-Mobile thinks smartphones won't need apps anymore and that everything will be performed using AI, much like the Rabbit R1 that debuted during CES 2024 in January.
And this, I believe, is where 2024's innovation will come from. The further inclusion of AI in smartphones, not as an app replacement but as an aid to everyday tasks. Much like what Samsung achieved with the Galaxy S24 series with its Circle to Search function and use of Generative AI to natively edit photos in the gallery without adding another app or hiding it in the menu. This is what 2024 is all about. The ability to give smartphones AI smarts that are part of the phone's operating software or built into system apps gives users new choices without overwhelming them by asking them to do something different.
You Don't Want AI In Your Smartphone?
If you use a phone made in the past four or five years, it's almost certainly got a little processor called the NPU built-in for neural processing. These NPUs have been helping your phone camera determine lighting conditions, boost HDR to Ultra HDR, and even process RAW images in real-time. So, you see, AI has been with us in some shape or form for a while now; it's just been in the background. In 2024, AI will be front and center and likely to become even more in your face as the year progresses.
Is There Something To Look Forward To?
Definitely, we've only witnessed the first phase of AI on smartphones. Hopefully, as hardware technology improves and new AI possibilities are discovered, we might yet see some new form factors come into play—whether a rollable smartphone, a multi-fold device, or perhaps something we've never seen before from new players, like the Rabbit R1. As ever, we are waiting for technology to catch up to our dreams and hopes, but it's coming. Soon.
We are on the cusp of a change in the smartphone world, and there's a whole lot to look forward to. Hopefully, some weird devices will be produced to stimulate the segment as a whole in terms of inspiration and competition. It's just a matter of whether we are ready to accept the future and whether brands such as Samsung and Google will maintain their positions in the market as they change.
The future of smartphones is exciting. We just have to wait until it gets here.
