HAS THE INNOVATION IN THE SMARTPHONE MARKET REACHED ITS PEAK!?

More than 60% of the world population uses smartphone and/or feature phone. In the developed countries this percentage is way above. Macedonia is head to head with Croatia and Estonia with 78%*. So, we can definitely say that smartphones are an everyday tool, gadget etc for a long time. Major players in this area (Apple, Samsung, Huawei, Xiaomi…) are fighting for their market share with their own strategy. But, putting their sales results, market share and profit aside, there is not much to brag about in terms of innovation. Well, innovation in terms of making life easier for the consumer which should be the key focus.

Let’s see. What are the key innovations past few years…

a.?????We have better screens (OLED is a standard, great resolution, increased screen refresh rate)

Ok. Everyday consumer cannot really tell the difference from FHD to 2K or to 4K as well as going beyond the now established 120Hz refresh rate standard in flagships. The screen sizes are simply too small to have visible difference for the consumer. So OLED with FHD/2K/4K and 120Hz is the sweet spot and that’s it in terms of screen technology.

b.?????Processing power (A15, Qualcomm Snapdragon 888…)

In this part the companies are speaking about let’s say 20% increased speed, 10% better energy efficiency, 20% faster GPUs etc. Does this make a difference among the ordinary consumer. No. Try every flagship phone from past few years it is simply fast beyond every need that each of us may have. So no real innovation here to be expected.

c.?????Design

Here each company tries to completely remove the notch. Some are decreasing the size faster some slower, but they will all get there at some point (some have reached like ZTE with their Axon 30 Ultra). Then there are the camera bumps which everyone tries to make more interesting. Or trying with the smart flip phones which is interesting, but does not make the life of the consumer easier. Ok, maybe a bit more interesting as stated?:)

d.?????Camera?

Hm. I must point out that here we have seen a lot of development. Great camera lenses backed up with great processing power and software utilization has enabled excellent 4K videos and vivid photos with a lot of features. For the consumers interested in this area, I would say there is still place for innovation.

e.?????Battery

For this area I strongly believe that companies have a lot of space for innovation and improvements. For now the standard is 24-48 hours maximum that we can use our smartphones before we need to plug it which is not that good actually. So the focus has diverted into fast charging and wireless charging options while companies are lacking better solutions or innovation in extension of the battery life. This focus would mean as many predict in port-less smartphone future. Well, we will get used to it. Like we did without the headphone jack.

To end it in in a funny connotation, the only innovation that we as consumers felt is losing the adapter and headphones when buying a new smartphone. What a great innovation for increasing the profit of the companies?:)

And a small end note, what is most important for the consumers when we have enough power, great designs, excellent screen technology and cameras, what is the most important thing is to have a phone that would be able to last for a week. Whoever reaches this milestone will have the bestseller among a “sea” of smartphones.

* https://www.statista.com/statistics/1134059/smartphone-reach-in-cee-region/