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What Do We Expect to See in Smartphones for 2021?

2020, despite the pandemic, was an important year for smartphones. Even with lower sales, smartphone makers have been churning out newer models depicting how far Smartphones have come. One of the most popular features added to smartphones in 2020 was 5G connectivity, which also trickled down to mid-range smartphones during the year.

The highlight of the year, without a doubt, were foldable phones that now come with slightly reduced costs and increased durability. Moreover, we saw a ton of premium high-end features trickle down to the mid-range category including high refresh rate displays. It is safe to say that 2020 was the year of mid-range phones.

That brings us to what can we expect from smartphones in 2021. The Smartphone industry has always followed a certain trend and there is not a lot of difference in smartphone models year-on-year. Hence, we have a good idea of what to expect from the industry in the upcoming year.

More Foldables

In 2020, phones like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 and Motorola’s revived Razr proved that manufacturers could come up with folding displays that don’t crack or peel after a few months of use. These little experiments, if we dare say, have increased smartphone OEMs’ confidence in foldable phones.

Thus other Chinese smartphone makers like Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo have already started working on foldables of their own. Xiaomi is expected to launch foldable phones with three different form factors while Oppo is rumored to be working on two folding devices.

Nevertheless, these smartphones are not available to a wide range of consumers due to their high price tag. That might change in 2021 as well. Recently, TM Roh, head of Samsung’s Mobile communications business, revealed that they are working on reducing the cost of foldable phones to make them more widely available.

Better Zoom Capabilities

Smartphone camera quality has increased exponentially over the years. Flagship handsets now come with cameras that offer an incredible amount of zoom without compromising on picture quality, which is significant because it is hard to pack a high-powered zoom lens in a smartphone due to space restrictions.

The magnification comes from increasing the physical distance separating elements of the lens, however, some smartphone OEMs were able to fit a longer lens into thinner phones. We are expecting to see similar features in most flagship handsets next year. Apple is also reportedly testing a periscope lens for iPhone 13.

Nokia reveals Android 11 rollout schedule for all its current phones - Technology News

Under-display Selfie Camera

Phone companies have been working on coming up with ways to provide an all-screen experience by maximizing the screen-to-body ratio with all possible techniques ranging from pop-up cameras, rotating cameras, notch, or holes in the screen. However, the quest does not stop here.

ZTE has launched the world’s first commercial phone with an in-display camera and we expect more OEMs will follow. Samsung was rumored to be making an under-screen selfie camera for the S21 series as well, but the plan was scrapped as the tech wasn’t ready enough to be used in flagship phones. Even ZTE’s implementation is half-done at best, with lower camera resolution, the display having a different color at the spot where the camera is located, and other problems.

Xiaomi also teases under-display camera - GSMArena.com news

Visionex has announced the mass production of the necessary hardware to support an under-screen camera for smartphones. All the critical components including the earpiece will be pushed behind the display which makes it easier to use. Hopefully, we’ll see more brands use an under-screen camera in 2021.

5G More Widely Available

Where smartphone OEMs played their role in developing 5G compatible devices, wireless carriers lagged behind in increasing coverage. Hence, most 5G connections available don’t offer speeds faster than 4G and 5G development was halted due to the ongoing pandemic. However, this might change in 2021 and as 5G becomes more widely available, we will most likely see more low-cost mid-range 5G compatible devices.

More Phones With Ultra-wideband chips

Apple first added an Ultra-wideband chip to iPhone 11 in 2019 as a way for iPhones to recognize each other more quickly for swapping files. The technology is precise and can be used to calculate locations with an accuracy of centimeters. Based on this feature, devices with these chips can be used to control different machines including cars.

BMW has recently added ultra-wideband support to its 2021 5 Series sedans. Users will be able to use their phones as a key to open the car doors and drive the car. Since the tech has sophisticated enough to safely develop interaction between machines, experts believe that more phones and devices will get ultra-wideband chips in 2021.

iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max: the most powerful and advanced smartphones - Apple

Smartphone Trends We Are Hoping Will Stop in 2021

2020 has been marked by numerous trends in the smartphone space. We saw many new trends that revolutionized the smartphone experience for consumers. However, it was not all great. Here are some trends we are hoping will stop in 2021.

Adding 5G to Smartphone Names

Yes, smartphone OEMs have been launching devices without 5G compatibility and to differentiate between 4G and 5G phones they deemed it necessary to add the suffix ‘5G’ to the smartphone’s moniker. However, 5G compatibility has become commonplace among flagships and upper mid-range smartphones today. Thus, ditching this naming convention that became irritatingly common in 2020 would be great.

Plastic on $1000 Phones

In 2020 we saw many flagships that cost as much as $1000, feature plastic construction. Samsung Galaxy Note 20 is one of them. To make it sound fancy, Samsung calls it glasstic, which is not an issue, but if consumers are paying $1000 for a smartphone, they deserve a premium device that doesn’t use cheap materials like plastic. Smartphones made of plastic, no matter what it is called, do feel cheap in the hand.

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra design revealed 'accidentally' | Technology News,The Indian Express

Pointless 2 MP Cameras

This was the worst trend of 2020 and unfortunately, almost every smartphone maker was guilty of this. Just to increase the number of cameras at the back, OEMs have been using low-quality 2MP sensors. We have seen everyone from Xiaomi and Realme to Samsung and Oppo adopt this strategy just to brag about offering quad rear cameras. We would like to see OEMs trashing this trend and adding sensors to cameras that are actually useful.

10 Best Phones With Quad Cameras: Four Camera Phones Are Now In Trend - Smartprix.com

Too Many Phones in The Same Series

One of the irksome trends that OEMs have adopted is launching too many phones with minute differences. Do we really need all those different models? Chinese OEMs especially have been launching too many phones which is not only confusing but is also unnecessary. Take Xiaomi’s Mi 10 series, which is still getting new models despite having almost 10 different models available.

We hope that brands either differentiate them better or stop launching too many phones in the same series.

Price Hikes for Flagships

In the last three years, we have seen prices for flagship devices literally double leading to a dearth of affordable flagship phones in 2020. Smartphone makers like Xiaomi, Realme, and OnePlus all offered 2020 flagships at a higher price than predecessors which is apparently due to the increased flagship silicon prices. Nevertheless, the high prices have made flagships quite exclusive in 2020.

It’s hard to tell if the prices will drop in 2021, but we hope companies either reduce prices across the board for flagship phones or offer better phones at a lower price range.

Upcoming Phones in 2021

Smartphone OEMs have already developed their launch plans for 2021. Some exciting smartphones that we are expecting in 2021 are:

  • Samsung Galaxy S21 series
  • Huawei P50 series
  • OnePlus 9
  • LG rollable phone
  • Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3
  • Google Pixel 5a
  • Sony Xperia 1 III
  • Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3
  • Samsung Galaxy Note 21
  • Apple iPhone 13 series
  • Motorola Razr 2021
  • OnePlus 9T
  • Google Pixel 6

Are you looking forward to seeing a particular phone in 2021? Are there any smartphone trends that you wish would stop in 2021? Feel free to sound off in the comments.

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