It is time for another phone revolution

02 January 2022
The smartphone is dead! The bar form factor has reached its peak a while ago and now we've come to a standstill.

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  • ?
  • Anonymous
  • 8Kf
  • 02 Jan 2022

Vegetaholic, 02 Jan 2022How about making foldable which does not cost over thousand... moreYou can, but with low end specs.
But geeks that read tech sites would bash, because they want 120Hz, 120W, 120MP for $400.
Only the foldable screen costs at least 2x compared to regular screen.

    • ?
    • Anonymous
    • 8Kf
    • 02 Jan 2022

    OfficialTRider, 02 Jan 2022Some improvements that are necessary. Battery: We need hig... moreIf phones had microLED screen, they would cost over $5000.
    People here has zero clue of how expensive microLed is.
    LOL ......

      • ?
      • Anonymous
      • 8Kf
      • 02 Jan 2022

      Note 20 Ultra, 02 Jan 2022So long Apple is the leader in this segment in terms of bus... moreBlackberry is Canada

        • V
        • Vinit
        • 2S5
        • 02 Jan 2022

        I want a pocket drone phone. Use it like a phone, detach a mini remote, unfold the rotors and fly your own phone to take 4k videos.

          • S
          • Sorin
          • psF
          • 02 Jan 2022

          Smartphone innovations these days:
          1. Underworld 6 inch
          2. No notch punch-hole
          3. 3.5mm headphone jack with good audio quality

            How about making foldable which does not cost over thousand dollars? Make it 500 dollars and you have next revolution in front of you in no time.

              I agree, but that said, we reward conservative designs when it comes time to open our own wallets.

              Sooner or later, a company may well re-invent the wheel, as Apple and others did back in the day.

              The problem is how best to interface with human beings who tend to remain pretty much the same shape.

              Look at the mouse on your desk. It may be wireless or wired. It may be optical or laser, but basically it is the same shape as the old ball-mice of the 1990's. Sure, there are track-ball mice, but honestly, how often do you encounter one? The only one I ever saw in the wild was being used by a programmer I knew that had wrist issues. Less than 1% total - by far.

              I don't know what the next phone design will look like but I do know that the ergonomics will need to be based on the human form first and foremost, and on how we interact with the world around us in the most natural way possible.

              Anything short of that will be doomed right out of the gate.

                • g
                • gringo
                • fwF
                • 02 Jan 2022

                Anonymous, 02 Jan 2022"i don't care about the 3.5mm so no one else shou... more... and you should learn to speak about yourself. Your comment is immature : people don't think necessarily like you !

                  • g
                  • gringo
                  • fwF
                  • 02 Jan 2022

                  Smartphones can't evolve to another thing ... think about laptops : they are here since the 80's too. We are not in the natural selection !

                    • a
                    • aldwinishere
                    • Kg$
                    • 02 Jan 2022

                    I don't want to sound like a super downer here, but as long as these rectangular phones sell a lot and people are adamant of ever changing even if it's for the best, innovations will only slowly push in.

                      • ?
                      • Anonymous
                      • 3SI
                      • 02 Jan 2022

                      miaumiaumiau, 02 Jan 2022well, for many of us a phone is a tool. car reviewers say t... moreBang on, discussion closed

                        • ?
                        • Anonymous
                        • 3SI
                        • 02 Jan 2022

                        Z, 02 Jan 2022The smartphone market definitely needs a revolution, but I&... moreI don’t get how anyone wants to buy an expensive phone with a screen that can be scratched by bare finger nails

                          • ?
                          • Anonymous
                          • 63y
                          • 02 Jan 2022

                          Monesh Dedhia, 02 Jan 2022I m fine w/o headphone jack "i don't care about the 3.5mm so no one else should" essentially

                            • ?
                            • Anonymous
                            • 3SI
                            • 02 Jan 2022

                            Victorkci, 02 Jan 2022I Love this article. Made my day. Thank you. I totally agre... moreHow would you do that when you have to power a powerful processor and big screen. It would have to be like the bricks the energizer phones are, a power bank with a screen attached. Old button phones only lasted that long because their hardware was much weaker and people used them way less.

                              • ?
                              • Anonymous
                              • 6wN
                              • 02 Jan 2022

                              Smartphone is never dead. And never will. If you ask me iOS isn't as smart as Android. For me smartphone is an Android phone. Tried both.

                                • ?
                                • Anonymous
                                • 3SI
                                • 02 Jan 2022

                                „We need to realize that the bar form factor as is has lost its momentum and it's time for a change, whatever that is.“

                                I think we heard that in laptops for years as well. And what happened? The most interesting laptop this year is a MacBook Pro that looks like a Powerbook G4 from 15 years ago.

                                I‘m not someone who wants change just for the sake of change, and that’s why I‘m happy with the current improvements to the bar phones. It also means that „cheap phones are getting good“ (we all heard that a million times) and that’s essentially what I want from my next phone, it should be better AND cheaper. I think the Pixel 6 perfectly framed that, it’s basically flagship at just $599. Feels like 2013 again right? Just that we now have budget phones with big A73/A76 cores which I always wanted back in the day.

                                Okay there are some things that I would like to change in the current industry to make it more interesting from the mass of 6.5inch plastic budget phones.
                                1. More variability in sizes. One-handed use is not dead, even if it is not a high priority. I don’t say every phone has to be 4.3 inches again. But when pretty much every major android brand can release 20 6.5inch phones a year, why is there no room for like 2 5.8 inch ones?
                                2. Build material. I get that some people don’t like the trend of glass backs. Reality is though, that most phones are not glass, but plastic that is supposed to imitate glass. I‘d be fine with plastic if it was nice to touch and was removable like on the Galaxy S5. But they are all sealed and water resistant, so the only advantage is that it saves a few Pennies for the company and the users have to deal with scratches and case marks. Those few Pennies are then used for 2 MP depth and macro cameras, not so smart if you ask me.
                                3. ergonomic designs: that’s not something every manufacturer has to do, but back in 2013 we at least saw some odd ball HTCs or Motorolas with fully curved backs. It’s sadly not a very efficient use of space, and big curves can again interfere with wireless charging, so it is not implemented in any high end phones, and because low end phones want to imitate high end phones, they don’t use curves either (even if they have a plastic back without wireless charging). Today‘s phones are not designed with any ergonomics in mind anyway, the first step would be to at least make a slab (just one, not 20) with a smaller screen but even that is too much to ask from anyone but Apple seemingly

                                  I'd take your advice though. Infact this post has given me the permission to openly show my dissatisfaction with some of the later to come phones. Thumbs up

                                    • ?
                                    • Anonymous
                                    • StU
                                    • 02 Jan 2022

                                    Not all of us are at fault, don't lump me in to your crying moaning little group.
                                    Don't like the current phones? Don't buy them then and you won't need to cry

                                      Event Horizon, 02 Jan 2022There was a time when I used to change phones multiple time... moreHonestly you Said it all. We had the same habits I thought there was something wrong with me. I had the passion for phones then I woke up one day and found that it's gone like there's no fire anymore. Back then I had no money but ii still find ways to get another phone or swap. But now. Eh they're pretty much the same. Why bother?

                                        Right to repair, repairability and modularity are essential if we want to keep this planet habitable. Enough with the e-waste and buying a new phone every half a year. More phone makers should allow the user to install whatever the OS they like.

                                        All good innovations mimic nature. In the distant future I see us genetically/biologically enhanced, we don't need external gadgets anymore. Or more likely, watching this modern insane consumerism getting worse, we are no more, and communication is therefore not a problem anymore.