(ThyBlackMan.com) From flexible screens to a truly waterproof phone, these are the secret smartphone features mobile companies are working on. So what will phones look like next year and beyond? What futuristic features will be available on smartphones? We expect to see many new innovations in the coming months and years and smartphones will be very different from what they are today.
1. Dual lens camera and the hidden secret
From no camera on a phone to dual lens camera on the iPhone X, we have seen so many changes in the smartphone industry. Those who still wonder about the purpose of the dual camera on smartphones, here’s what they need to know. Smartphone makers wanted to add more clarity to the images. The monochrome lens on a dual camera solves this problem, while the second lens is used for zooming. Sometimes, one camera is used to capture the depth of field, while the other works as the normal camera that captures images.
So what’s that “hidden secret” smartphone companies are working on? Well, Apple is currently working on a solution that enables its iPhone cameras to focus on specific spots of a scene. In simple terms, Apple’s iPhone cameras will be able to guide the flashlight to move in a particular direction of the scene where more intensity is set.
For example, you want to take a picture of your friends standing near several objects. Now with this new technology, the flashlight will be guided by cameras. As a result, the light beam will focus on the faces for better pictures. It would be interesting to see if Apple will commercialize this technology in the future.
2. Foldable display
The majority of smartphone community is waiting to see it happening. We wouldn’t be surprised if it happens sometime in the next two years. From the famous YouTube video featuring Microsoft’s vision for 2020 to the foldable phones launched a couple of years ago, it has become very clear that people want this technology for many reasons. If everything goes well, Samsung, Apple or some Chinese company, especially Huawei and Oppo, might be the first to launch a true foldable screen phone.
Patents have revealed not everything but a lot about what these companies are planning to do with the next generation smartphones. The Apple patent showed us how Apple is planning to use a flexible material which will work as a display and can be folded inside and outside. The rumored Samsung Galaxy X is also a strong candidate in the foldable smartphone race.
3. Waterproof charging port
Apple’s iPhones are extremely good in terms of water resistance. But the company has not achieved 100 percent waterproofing and the reason is the overall design of Apple products. Apple uses the Lightning port on its iPhones and it seems that the company will likely make a waterproof lightning port in the future. Apple was awarded a patent in 2018 that describes a way the company can achieve the waterproofing goal. The details suggest that Apple is working on a liquid-tight seal like structure for the port.
We don’t know for sure if this technology will be available in the final product, but if it happens, it will be a big improvement. In the last two years, we have seen smartphone manufacturers are making two major changes in their smartphone design – they are removing the audio jack and trimming down the phone’s width.
4. Removable bezels
Smartphone makers are on a quest to remove bezels from new smartphones. Many of them have been successfully doing this, while others are still trying to find ways to achieve all-screen display. Surprisingly, Samsung is doing something unique with bezels. The company is planning to introduce removable bezels.
If the details described in a Samsung patent are something to go by, the company will release a display device, probably a smartphone with removable magnetic bezels. We have seen a similar design idea in a Huawei patent that shows two metallic strips working as bezels.
Staff Writer; Corey Shaw
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