2019 smartphones: Faster, smarter, sleeker — and more expensive

Innovation in the field of smartphones has been growing at an unprecedented pace. Thanks to the multiple multinational smartphone makers, there’s always something new and innovative waiting in the wings for the users. No sooner than one company comes up with an interesting feature in a smartphone, all competing brands launch their own set of devices with new and improved features. Starting with the dual camera setups on smartphones earlier this year to the in-display fingerprint sensors on smartphones recently, we have already witnessed a revolutionary upgrade in the world of smartphones. There are already plenty of rumors and leaks about the smartphones to be launched in 2019. While all these rumors might not turn out to be true, here are some of the most interesting and innovative features we are likely to see in 2019 smartphones.

The dawn of 5G

5G, or the fifth-generation mobile network technology, has been in the news for a couple of years now. The technology has been in its testing phases for quite some time now, and we can expect the arrival of this latest ultrafast network as early as 2019.

Although we might not be able to get the most out of this high-speed network initially, most smartphone makers have started working on making this their unique selling aspect for their 2019 smartphones. We can expect 5G signals in the next year, and if you have a device that supports 5G, it makes it a future-proof buy.

2019 smartphones
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Although smartphone giants such as Google and Apple have been tight-lipped about them working on 5G handsets, most major phone makers such as Huawei, Samsung, Nokia, OnePlus, Lenovo, and more have hinted that they are working on 5G compatible smartphones. One big exception: It looks like Apple will wait until 2020 to unveil its 5G-compatible iPhone.

For the uninitiated, 5G network technology is going to rely on the MIMO (multiple-input and multiple-output) standard to achieve the speed and reliability. 5G can provide as much as 100 times faster Internet speed over the air compared to 4G. 5G also offers 100 times more capacity than the existing 4G networks. Low latency, better performance, custom network slicing, and reduced battery consumption are a few of the other top features of the 5G network.

More camera lenses

Smartphones are more or less pocket-sized DSLRs these days. That isn’t an exaggeration, considering the fact that smartphones are now stuffed with more than one camera lens and several powerful features for imaging. Having a dual-camera setup on a smartphone turned out to be a big attraction for users and one of the most demanded aspects in a smartphone for the last couple of years.

Smartphone makers have moved a bit further and have started making the devices with three and even four camera lenses —and just on the primary rear camera. And there is a single or a duo additional camera lenses at the front to take selfies or to accommodate video calling.

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After a bunch of handsets were launched with dual camera setup, smartphone makers have gone beyond and started launching triple camera lenses in devices such as with the Huawei P20 Pro and Huawei Mate 20 Pro. Samsung recently has taken the camera game in a smartphone to a whole new level by launching their first quad-camera smartphone in the form of the Galaxy A9.

Each lens in these smartphones corresponds to a particular function such as to capture telephoto images, monochromes, wide-angle shots, for edge and depth detection, and more. Considering the fact that there has been a rapidly growing craze for mobile photography, we can expect this growing demand for the devices with more powerful imaging capabilities in 2019 smartphones.

Foldable phones

Foldable tech is no longer just a mere speculation or a rumor. They are definitely going to be launched at some point in 2019. While we’ve already witnessed Samsung showing off its prototype of the foldable smartphone, there are a bunch of other handset makers such as LG, Motorola, and Huawei working on this foldable tech.

We can expect Samsung to launch its first foldable smartphone in 2019 as the company has directly hinted confirmation of the Galaxy X, which is going to be the company’s first foldable phone.

2019 smartphones
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Although the mind-bending concept of having a smartphone that can be folded seems alluring, there are certain aspects that need to be considered. These phones are going to be heavier than the usual smartphone. And they are also going to be expensive — perhaps too expensive for most smartphone users.

No more display bezels

Smartphone makers have been working on reducing the display bezels to accommodate more display for users. Having no or minimal bezels adds on the form-factor as well as usability of the device. While Apple’s iPhone X launched with notched displays, most smartphone makers such as Samsung, Oppo, Vivo, and Xiaomi, have already launched their handsets with minimal bezels or notched displays.

The idea of the bezel-less display has been a common practice in most upcoming smartphones and we can eventually expect true edge-to-edge displays on many 2019 smartphones.

Having an edge-to-edge display increases the screen-to-body ratio, allowing a user to get more display area to work on. Almost all smartphone makers have started rolling out edge-to-edge displays in their smartphones and this has been a common norm in almost all flagship handsets being launched. Considering the pace at which smartphone makers are launching bezel-less handsets, a display bezel will soon be extinct in smartphones.

2019 smartphones: A better form-factor

Smartphones are getting better. Not just in terms of the specifications and features they offer, but also in terms of the form-factor and design aesthetics. Devices are getting sleeker and better-looking. Smartphone makers all across the globe are delivering finer-looking handsets. Companies are struggling to make the handsets compact in terms of the shape while stuffing more features in them.

As a result, we have already started witnessing devices with in-display fingerprint sensors, in-display front cameras, and sensors. In 2019, we are sure to get more handsets with complete edge-to-edge displays, even handier features such as a fingerprint on the side, touch-based volume rockers, and more.

And there are also several other aspects such as improved and more efficient hardware, longer-lasting batteries, and optimized operating systems that will be packed into 2019 smartphones.

Featured image: Shutterstock

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