From MediaTek: "Bringing Smartphone Experiences to the Next Level"

This is part two of a three part series on Technology Trends to Watch in 2019. Read the first article here.

Smartphones are changing the way we connect with friends, share memories, have fun and get work done. Here’s a look at what’s next for smartphone technology in 2019 and beyond.

Smartphone cameras will reign supreme – but the market will move forward in new ways. (New Atlas, Forbes)

Dual cameras have become a standard feature of smartphones, but are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to camera enhancements. Artificial intelligence (AI) is now powering facial recognition to unlock your phone, object recognition to enhance your photos and beauty enhancements to bring your selfies to the next level. AI will continue to be used in new ways to help you get the perfect shot; your phone might predict movements so it can capture the best shot when you’re at a sports game, or determine your surroundings to automatically adjust your photos based on your favorite filters. 

AI is also bridging the gap between the digital world and the physical world with augmented reality (AR). Pokémon GO sparked the imaginations of children and adults around the world, transforming users’ surroundings into a fantasy world where they could interact with the game’s characters. We’ll see AR integrated into more smartphone applications in a wide variety of use cases, such as apps that provide tourists with historical information as they’re navigating a city or medical apps that provide doctors with critical information as they’re treating patients. 

AI will continue to transform all facets of the user experience (Forbes, ArsTechnica).

Beyond cameras, AI promises to improve just about everything you do on your smartphone. AI will help optimize connectivity to provide users with an even more seamless experience, whether you’re streaming 4K video or gaming. Voice computing technology is also changing the way we get information and interact with our devices. As people become more comfortable with giving commands to their smart speakers and other voice-activated devices, we’ll see more users ask their smartphones to do tasks for them – like edit a photo – without even having to tap their screen. 

Smartphones will start becoming all-in-one devices (Computer World)

The first wave of smartphones combined the capabilities of a phone, music player and Internet-connected platform into one handheld device that users could carry with them everywhere. As chipsets have been getting more powerful, we’re seeing smartphones increasingly replace other types of gadgets. Smartphones have become the go-to-camera for many consumers; gone are the days when you need to worry about carrying around your point-and-shoot camera to capture a moment. More consumers are also turning to their smartphones for fun gaming experiences without a gaming console. With the rise of streaming services, many consumers are also turning to their phones to watch the latest content without having to buy a TV. 

The good news is that while smartphones are becoming more powerful, they are also being designed to be more power efficient. We’ll continue to see significant battery life improvements over the next few years – and possibility even all-day battery life – so you can enjoy your phone for longer in between charges. 

Virtual Reality technology will enable us to experience the world in new ways (G2Crowd, Association for Talent Development, CNBC)

When most consumers think of virtual reality (VR) applications, they think of a bulky headset you need to strap to your head. Google Cardboard opened up new possibilities without the big expense of purchasing a VR headset or the hassle of using one. Now consumers can use their smartphone to immerse themselves in exciting VR experiences from watching movies to enjoying a sports game as if they were actually on the field. 

Stay tuned for the next post in our series where we’ll explore more exciting technology innovations reshaping our world.

Source: https://www.mediatek.com/blog/bringing-smartphone-experiences-to-the-next-level

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