[blind-philly-comp] What to Expect from Smartphones in 2020

From: "John Holcomb II" <jhii926@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <blind-philly-comp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 23 Jan 2020 18:26:19 -0500

reviewgeek.com
<https://www.reviewgeek.com/33238/what-to-expect-from-smartphones-in-2020/>

What to Expect from Smartphones in 2020

Michael Crider

10-12 minutes

  _____

Motorola

There's a lot to be excited about if you're looking for something new in the
world of smartphones. And if you happen to be in the market for a new phone
this year, you're probably wondering what's on the horizon. Read on to find
out.

Folding Phones

Technically folding phones arrived in 2019, but I never saw a single one
outside of some kind of presentation. In 2020 they should arrive in earnest,
if only because manufacturers like Samsung and Huawei are desperate for some
novelty to shake us out of our "phones are boring now" malaise.

Lenovo's hitting the folding screen section hard, with both phone and laptop
releases planned this year. Justin Duino

We already know at least one new version of the Galaxy Fold, possibly titled
the "Galaxy Z Flip" or similar, should be coming to Samsung's
don't-call-it-MWC-Unpacked event in February. And Lenovo is pushing hard for
folding screens, both with the revived Motorola RAZR brand
<https://www.reviewgeek.com/27876/motorola-wants-to-sell-you-a-1500-slice-of
-nostalgia-with-the-new-razr-foldable/>  and the ThinkPad X1 Fold
<https://www.reviewgeek.com/31171/lenovos-thinkpad-x1-fold-has-a-13-3-inch-f
olding-display-and-massive-price-tag/>  computer.

Lots of companies have folding concepts to show off, but only a few have
committed to retail releases. Justin Duino

TCL, which is planning a sizable push into the mid-range in western markets
<https://www.reviewgeek.com/31908/hands-on-with-tcls-sexy-new-10-series-smar
tphones/> , is still showing off its own folding screen tech. It seems more
likely the company will sell its folding panel to other manufacturers for
their own entrances into the folding phone world, unless TCL is planning a
big high-end push and hasn't told anyone.

Sorta-Folding Phones

If you can't beat 'em . . . um, kinda-sorta-imitate them. That seems to be
the approach several companies are taking when it comes to folding screens.
Take LG, for example, which made a big deal out of its add-on screen for the
G V50
<https://www.reviewgeek.com/13341/lg-shows-off-the-g8-g8s-and-v50-smartphone
s-at-mobile-world-congress/> . ASUS did something very similar with the
gaming-focused ROG Phone
<https://www.reviewgeek.com/8431/the-asus-rog-phone-wants-to-be-your-game-co
nsole-and-pc-too/> .

Microsoft

You can spot a few more variations on the double-screen design from smaller
vendors, but none are more notable than Microsoft's first self-branded foray
into mobile hardware, the Surface Duo
<https://www.reviewgeek.com/24429/everything-microsoft-announced-at-todays-s
urface-event/> . Along with its bigger, laptop-sized brother the Surface
Neo, the pair represent a refutation of the folding screen trend, with
Microsoft choosing to focus on dual screens with a book-style fold.

Is that because Microsoft truly doesn't believe in folding screens (which,
to be fair, have a lot of issues), or is it that they don't own any of the
expensive and lucrative tech going into those screens? You be the judge. The
point is that, between folding and semi-folding designs, there'll be a lot
of new stuff happening in both physical and UI designs for phones this year.
Whether any of it will stick is the question-it seems at least as likely as
not that we'll go right back to glass rectangles.

Crazy Camera Arrays

The one area of smartphone design that seems to consistently make leaps and
bounds ahead is cameras, benefiting both from the miniaturization of sensor
and lens technology and the advancement of post-processing on the software
side. And multiple cameras for multiple zoom levels and advanced
light-gathering is a crucial element of that process.

With Apple, Samsung, and Google embracing the "more = better" school of
camera lenses, expect the expanding bump of rear cameras to expand even
further. Early leaks of one Galaxy S20 model
<https://www.xda-developers.com/exclusive-leaked-samsung-galaxy-s20-hands-on
-confirms-120hz-display-ultrasonic-under-display-fingerprint-scanner-and-no-
headphone-jack/?utm_content=bufferf2c56&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter
.com&utm_campaign=buffer>  (because "Galaxy S11" is a bit of a mouthful)
indicate that it'll have at least five rear cameras, covering wide-angle and
super zoom capabilities. The fashionable rounded square on the rear of
phones might just stretch to a rectangle.

Better photos are an easy sell to consumers. Not everyone knows or cares
about the differences in better processors or more memory, but show someone
side-by-side photos from a better and worse camera, and they'll instantly
know which one they prefer.

High Refresh Rate Displays

OnePlus got the ball rolling, soon most high-end phones will have 90 Hz or
120 Hz screens. Cameron Summerson

Once you get used to a screen with a faster refresh rate, it's tough to go
back to old-fashioned 60 Hz. That's less important for a monitor or TV
(unless you're playing a game), but the animation-rich interfaces of phones
and apps benefit from it quite a lot.

Previously restricted faster screens were limited to "gaming" phones like
the Razer Phone <https://www2.razer.com/eu-en/mobile/razer-phone-2> , with
its double-quick 120 Hz panel. OnePlus and Google are now using 90 Hz
screens-not as fast or battery-sucking as 120 Hz, but still much better than
standard-on the OnePlus 7 Pro/T and Pixel 4 series, respectively.

Samsung is expected to bump up its AMOLED display panels to 120 Hz for the
S20, and presumably the next Note as well. It's a small but noticeable
change, so expect to see it pop up more often. OnePlus has also confirmed
that it's bumping its next phone up to 120 Hz
<https://www.reviewgeek.com/33124/oneplus-shows-off-its-upcoming-buttery-smo
oth-120-hz-display/> .

Face Unlock/Facial Recognition

Whatever your feelings on replacing biometric fingerprint sensors with 3D
facial scanning-and no, not everyone is a fan-it seems to be here to stay.
When it works right, it's undeniably convenient to simply glance at your
phone and be sure it's securely unlocked. It's a small but crucial change in
the way we use phones, saving a couple of precious seconds every time. It's
not much, but it's more than enough to make you miss it when it's not there.

Samsung, Apple, and Google are all-in on face scanning. Cameron Summerson

All of the major phone manufacturers have gotten onto face recognition in
one way or another, and even mid-range phones can technically do it. But
they're usually using older 2D systems of facial recognition, which are
slower and can be fooled much more easily. A dedicated 3D scanning system is
a boon for user convenience and security, and it allows the manufacturer to
save money and volume in the phone itself. Expect 3D facial recognition to
push into the cheaper mid-range in 2020.

And speaking of which . . .

5G Pushes into the Mid-Range

High-speed 5G wireless has been all that carriers want to talk about for
about a year, but manufacturers are more hesitant to jump on. Samsung is
leading the charge, perhaps because 5G adoption has been so much faster in
South Korea, where densely-packed urban areas make it much more effective
than Europe or the U.S.

But manufacturers are starved for novelty and differentiation. Now that
suppliers like Qualcomm have had a few whacks at integrating 5G radio into
silicon <https://www.qualcomm.com/products/snapdragon-x50-5g-modem> , expect
to see it spread beyond the limited edition, ultra-flagship models that are
more footnote than actual mass-market products. Like 3G and LTE in years
past, 5G will start spreading into mainstream and mid-range devices quickly.

Whether 5G's high-frequency, short-distance coverage and miasma of
incompatible carrier bands will translate to actual utility for users has
yet to be seen. But that hardly matters-in a year or two, a 5G capability
will be a lot like 4K resolution on televisions: Not everyone can make use
of it, but everyone will have it nonetheless.

2020 Big Phone Road Map

If you don't follow the minutia of the phone world in excruciatingly
obsessive detail. . . well, good for you. Seriously, this isn't entirely
healthy. But if you'd like the arguable benefit of that obsession without
putting in years of gadget blogging, here's a broad outlook of the major
phone releases coming later this year.

Note that, with the exception of the Galaxy S20 and Motorola RAZR, we're
only guessing at very probable phone names. Similarly, as the list grows,
details will get thinner and thinner. We're not fortune tellers, people.

Motorola RAZR: February

Motorola initially planned to have its vertical folding throwback to 2002's
favorite flip phone ready just after Christmas, then bumped the release to
January. That seems a little hasty at this point, so we'll guess it's going
to go on sale next month. Verizon is the exclusive retail partner in the U.S
<http://redirect.viglink.com/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.verizonwireless.com%2Fsmar
tphones%2Fmoto-razr%2F&key=204a528a336ede4177fff0d84a044482> .

Samsung Galaxy S20: February-March

This is the only major phone release of the new year already nailed down to
the calendar, as Samsung has sent out invitations to the latest Unpacked
event on February 11. We're already packing our bags for both this
presentation and the following Mobile World Congress.

Expect bigger screens, faster processors, better cameras, a few software
tweaks, and at least one new Galaxy Fold model (possibly the "Galaxy Z
Flip/Bloom
<https://www.sammobile.com/news/galaxy-fold-2-galaxy-bloom-samsung-secret-ce
s-meeting/> " with a clamshell design) and a 5G edition when the phones hit
the market at the end of the first quarter.

Google Pixel 4a: Summer

91mobiles
<https://www.91mobiles.com/hub/google-pixel-4a-design-renders-punch-hole-dis
play-exclusive/>

This more budget-friendly variant of the Pixel 4, already leaked
<https://www.91mobiles.com/hub/google-pixel-4a-design-renders-punch-hole-dis
play-exclusive/> , should be launched sometime in the late spring or early
summer if Google follows the roadmap of the Pixel 3a. Rumors indicate that
there will be a 5G variant, too, but that seems a bit more far-fetched.
Still, you can expect a killer camera for a price that won't break the bank.

OnePlus 8: Summer

The next release from the dark horse of the phone industry is expected in
May, with both OnePlus 8 Pro and a regular or "lite" variant. According to
some very early leaks
<https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2019/10/18/20920488/oneplus-8-pro-l
eaked-render-hole-punch-notch-rumor> , the pop-up selfie cam is out (more's
the pity), and OnePlus is going with a more conventional hole-punch camera.
We'll probably see a 5G variant and (we can but hope!) wireless charging.

Samsung Galaxy Note 20: August-September

Samsung's dual-phone approach to the top end of the market is as regular as
Daylight Savings Time: Galaxy S in the spring, Galaxy Note in the fall, with
each release often borrowing major features from the previous one.

iPhone 12: September-October

Apple reliably announces its yearly iPhone updates in September or October
of each year, with releases coming just a couple of weeks later.

Google Pixel 5: October

Since transitioning from the Nexus brand to Pixel, all of Google's phone
announcements have come in October. At the moment, we're too far out to
predict what the Pixel 5 will feature, or even if it'll be called the Pixel
5. Disappointing sales from the last two years might lead Google to make
some drastic changes . . . or just plod on, because they've got more money
than they know what to do with. We'll see.

  _____

As fun as it is looking at what's coming up, it's also worth remembering you
don't have to upgrade your phone every year. Or even two! With smartphones
continuing to get faster and more powerful, their lifespan is also
increasing
<https://www.reviewgeek.com/26029/when-it-comes-to-buying-a-new-smartphone-p
atience-is-a-virtue/>  so you can hold on to that $1,000 purchase for
longer. That's better for your wallet and the environment.

But hey, if this is an upgrade year for you, then you have a lot to look
forward to.

Source:

https://www.reviewgeek.com/33238/what-to-expect-from-smartphones-in-2020/

Follow-Ups:
- [blind-philly-comp] Re: What to Expect from Smartphones in 2020
  - From: David Goldfield

[blind-philly-comp] What to Expect from Smartphones in 2020

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