Weekly poll: what will be the most exciting feature of 2020 smartphones?

One year ago, you voted 2019 “the year of 5G”. The year saw the launch of multiple 5G-enabled handsets and many carriers were quick to expand their coverage so that millions could try out the next generation network, both mmWave and sub-6GHz flavors.

What do you think will be the defining feature of 2020 smartphones? Last year made it clear that upcoming premium phones will have 100+ megapixel cameras and telephoto lenses with high magnification. Multicamera setups are becoming common place too, we already have phones with two zoom lenses – will this year bring three?

Speaking of cameras, we’ve had our fill of pop-ups and punch holes, will we finally see an under display selfie camera? It has been two years since the first phones with optical under display fingerprint readers, but so far we have only seen prototypes of under display cameras.

A prototype of an under display selfie camera

Foldable phones had a challenging 2019. This year promises to be better - Motorola delayed the reimagined Razr due to “high demand”, Samsung seems to be working on a vertical folder too.

And clamshells are the new hotness when it comes to foldable designs. That’s not to discount the other foldable form factors, of course, a horizontal fold makes for a large tablet-like screen that still fits in your pocket.

High refresh rates already made the transition from niche (gaming phones) to mainstream flagships. This year 120Hz may become the new normal and the first 240Hz mobile displays are already a reality. 2020 may finally spell the end of 60Hz, which has been around since the dawn of color television.

Charging speeds have been on the rise and there’s a good chance that we’ll see the first phones with 100W wired and 30W wireless charging this year. But how fast is fast enough?

VR seems to be dead with Google, Apple and others shifting their focus to mobile AR. A growing number of phones sport a 3D sensor on their back, which will make motion tracking easier (a boon for AR). But will developers finally find a compelling use for the technology?

So, what will be the feature that you are most excited about in 2020?