The Next Innovation in Smartphones

As Apple CEO Tim Cook rose to the stage on September 2017 remarking their newly revealed iPhone X, he referred to it as "the future of the smartphone." Truly, the iPhone X did feature a revolutionary design compared to its previous generations and included greatly upgraded specs and features, such as the A11 Bionic chip, a powerful dual-lens camera, and Face ID. Yet the phone didn't receive the buzz it had hoped for due to the presence of a controversial notch. A truly radical design choice, the notch is the epitome of maximizing screen as opposed to applying a narrow bezel, as illustrated on Galaxy phones. While the phone is edge-to-edge, its notch restricts screen but is necessary to store the proximity sensor, selfie camera, and other functions. So for some, the iPhone X is clearly not "the future of the smartphone." 

The true revolution of the smartphone started from Steve Jobs' reveal of the original iPhone in 2007. Its simplistic design, void of any physical keyboard, offered a brand new experience to users, one that established the popularity and brand of iPhone from then on. However, it seems that since then there have been a lack of these revolutions as smartphones in each generation offer the identical experience as the generation before; the only difference is more speed, better camera, more storage, faster connection, etc. In other words, the smartphone is only enhancing through better performance but not genuinely evolving into something new. For example, people would use the iPhone X for the same reasons they used the iPhone 4, whether if it is browsing the web, playing apps, or texting. On the other hand, the first iPhone was a considerable step forward from the first smartphone Simon Personal Communicator, developed by IBM, as it was a brand new design and interface and was most importantly simple and easy; as a result, the Simon became obsolete. Additionally, the smartphone market is slowly saturating as demand for newer phones declines due to their lack of major changes or a different experience. Nonetheless, smartphone companies are tirelessly researching and experimenting "the future of the smartphone." But that raises the question: what is "the future of the smartphone" and what will it have to distinguish the current competition?

Many rumors have already leaked out as to what the next smartphones could be and what features they will provide that differ from the current ones. The most desired is a smartphone with completely no bezel and a maximized screen to body ratio. In other words, think of an iPhone X with slimmer bezels and no notch. While this essentially will retain the same phone experience, the current technologies have made this a futuristic vision. Already, there are some smartphones that are nearly all-screen and have no notch, particularly the Vivo Nex and Oppo Find X. While both carry a minor chin at the bottom, their screens are impressive and lack any disturbing notches as their cameras pop up from a motor when prompted. So why doesn't Apple imitate this idea? Surely, Apple's engineers have considered numerous techniques such as this to minimize bezel, but they pride themselves on perfection and quality (despite iOS 11's abundant bugs). The Nex and Find X possess significant, worrying flaws. What happens when the motor stops working as it deteriorates over time? What happens if the camera disattaches from the phone when the phone is accidentally dropped? How durable is it? Many difficulties can arise. Apple doesn't plan to manufacture these products with such drawbacks and tradeoffs. 

Another recently hot feature is a folded display. In other words, the screen will be bendable. This technology will truly be a step forward from current smartphones. It is rumored that Samsung will reveal a foldable smartphone next year with its Galaxy X. However, many questions arise regarding this outcome, particularly the how. How would this work? How would smartphone gestures work? In addition, with such a revolutionary feature, this phone will surely be expensive, most likely more than the iPhone X. Nonetheless, the speculation of a folded display is interesting and will surely inspire other smartphone manufacturers to pursue this conceptual idea.

The smartphone will continue to evolve. As of now, there are numerous features or changes that can be added to alter the phone's design and functions. However, the experience will always stay the same. The smartphone of the future will not do something that the current smartphone can't do. The major difference will be its physical looks. Possibly the biggest change that came to the smartphone throughout history and will remain so in the future is the original iPhone revealed in 2007, a true masterpiece that will consistently remind the public of the vision and legacy that Steve Jobs lay.

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