Top Mobile Technology Trends 2014 From curved displays to wearable tech, here’s the top predictions for how mobile technology will evolve throughout 2014:
Going Beyond HD
Manufacturers like Samsung and LG are in a constant war of the spec sheets. Whether you’ll perceive any noticeable difference in quality from a 2K display remains to be seen, but they’re likely to start appearing nevertheless.
Curved Displays
LG have already debuted the curved display, and they’re not likely to be the only manufacturer to adopt the technology by the time the year is out. Curved displays can help a phone become more user friendly and ergonomic, but let’s be honest, it’s mainly a gimmick, and the technology will likely end up being used for small gadgets and wearable technology like smart watches.
A Slow Move To 64-Bit
Apple started the 64-Bit trend with their A7 chip in the iPhone 5s. Every other manufacturer of silicon has since jumped on the bandwagon and announced their own versions of the 64-Bit architecture. At present, you’re really not going to gain anything from upgrading to a 64-Bit phone, apart from the ability to utilise more RAM (from 2GB to 4GB). Nevertheless, the software will soon become available to take advantage of the improvements in speed and multitasking. Graphics chips continue to rise in power too, and 2014 will see console rivaling gaming power begin to emerge.
The Megapixel War Will Continue
You really have to hand it to Nokia for this one. The company’s Lumia 1020 managed to cram a 41-megapixel sensor into its body for very little penalty. This year, the line will continue to blur between smartphones and “real” compact cameras, with useful features like optical stabilisation and larger sensors adding to the feature set of many smartphones
More Cheap Phones & More Premium Phones
The Nexus 5 has already shown that it’s possible to produce a very powerful and feature packed handset to a budget (albeit heavily subsidised) but 2014 will continue to develop that theme. At the other end of the spectrum, premium phones will test the mobile insurance plans by featuring innovative (and hopefully not fragile!) finishes in metal, glass and ceramic. You do not want to spend all the money on a slick phone only to have the screens crack and break with one drop.
Battery Technology Will Stay The Same
If any improvements come from handset battery life, it’s going to come from software tweaks, not improved cells. The new lithium-air batteries promise to improve battery length by 5-15 times. They just aren’t ready for the market yet.
More Variety Than Android & iOS
Android and iOS aren’t going to be toppled from the top position as the best selling operating systems, but smaller companies will continue to develop their own operating systems and may gain a foothold in the budget market with lightweight Linux style operating systems that don’t tax battery life. Who knows, maybe one day, the choice between systems will be much larger than today.
2014 is going to be an important year for handset developers. Technology is improving at such a rate that users are increasingly unable to “feel” the difference between high end and budget phones in day to day use. Manufacturers are beginning to see that features and user experience are more important than numbers in press releases.
