What To Expect From Smartphones in 2024
In 2024 smartphones are going to get smarter, faster and more bendable. AI took over search engines and chatbots and now the technology is starting to play a bigger role in smartphones, at the same time foldable phones are only expected to grow in popularity with Samsung alone aiming to sell 20 million foldables according to the elect taken together with AI features and improvements to foldable designs which could make phones feel much more exciting than the routine upgrades we’ve seen in years past.
Here’s a clear look at what we’re expecting from smartphones in 2024.
Like the rest of the tech World generative, AI is expected to be a big trend, we’re already getting a peek at that with the Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro both of which can use generative AI to change facial expressions and photos and have the Google Assistant summarized web pages for you. Qualcomm’s next mobile chip called the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is designed to do just that and in one concept video shown during Qualcomm Snapdragon Summit in October the company showed how an AI assistant could extract key points from a phone call and create a bulleted summary of the conversation.
When it comes to photography, Qualcomm’s chip will be able to zoom out and generate details beyond the frame to make it look like you captured the shot with an ultra wide lens that goes beyond just editing or retouching photos, it’s actually creating an entirely different image that wasn’t possible at the time of capture. Qualcomm chips are important because they usually power smartphones from companies like Samsung OnePlus and Xiaomi. In fact, the newly announced Xiaomi 14 is among the first new devices to run on the Snapdragon 8 gen 3, we could get an even closer look at what generative AI can bring to smartphones as early as February, that’s when Samsung is rumored to announce the Galaxy s24 according to Korean news Outlet (SPS Biz).
Although Samsung hasn’t said anything about the Galaxy s24 yet AI is expected to be a big deal, the company recently announced a new AI experience for phones called Galaxy AI and its own generative AI model since the s24 is expected so soon, it’ll likely be the first phone with Galaxy AI.
We’ve heard a lot about Android phones getting an AI boost but the iPhone will also likely adopt some new AI tricks. Bloomberg reports that Apple is expected to infuse AI into the iPhone’s next major software update which will probably be called iOS 18. If that turns out to be true we’ll learn more about that at Apple’s worldwide developers conference which will likely take place in June 2024. It’s not just the brains inside our phones that are changing, it’s their shapes too.
Foldable phones have been widely available since 2019 but they had a big moment in 2023 as more companies released bendable models, Google and OnePlus for example released their first foldable phones in 2023 meaning almost every major smartphone maker now offers a foldable phone, while companies like Samsung and Motorola also improved their flip phone designs with the Galaxy Z flip 5 and the Razer plus making them feel more worth their $1,000 prices. That’s important because high prices are a big barrier holding back today’s foldables from being even more widespread, Motorola however is trying to change that with the 2023 razor which is regularly priced at $700 making it cheaper than an iPhone 15 or a Google pixel 8 Pro smartphones. Better design and lower prices are expected to continue although there haven’t been many rumors about next year’s foldables, just yet there are a couple of reports about what to expect from Samsung a leak posted on X formerly known as Twitter suggests Samsung could launch a cheaper new foldable likely to compete with a 2023 razor, analyst Ross Young also post on X says Samsung’s next zold NZ flip devices will have bigger screens potentially making them more useful.
Nevertheless, Google also spot spotted what could be a reference to a new Google pixel foldable in code for the Pixel Buds app in October, if accurate that would be assign that the Pixel fold wasn’t just a fluke and could have a regular place in Google’s smartphone lineup there’s still no word on a foldable iPhone but foldable phones are expected to grow in 2024 and Beyond with shipments expected to surpass 100 million units by 2027.
According to Counterpoint research Apple and Samsung both incorporated more more recycled components into their phones and expanded their self-repair programs in 2023, we’re expecting that to continue in 2024 considering both companies have set big sustainability goals for the years to come Samsung for example aims to use recycled materials in all new mobile products by 2025,vApple has also said it hopes to one day make products completely from recycled or renewable materials both companies which are the two largest phone makers in the world by shipment volume made progress in 2023.
The Galaxy s23 Ultra for example includes 12 components made from recycled materials compared to six in the Galaxy s22 Ultra, the iPhone 15 lineup uses 100% recycled Cobalt in the battery but sustainability is about more than just the materials used to build the phone it’s also about how long your phone lasts, software is also a big part of that equation Google will support the pixel 8 and pixel 8 Pro with software updates for 7 years meaning these phones should last until 2030 that’s almost on partnership with Fairphone the Amsterdam based sustainable tech company which offers eight years of software updates for its Fairphone 5 device. These developments could push other companies to provide longer software updates for their own phones for example imagine Samsung extending its software support life cycle to match Google’s since it previously released beats Google with four years of Android version updates but we’ll have to wait until the s24 is announced to know for sure only time will tell whether 2024 will truly be the year of AI foldable designs and sustainable smartphones.
But one thing that is certain is that smartphone makers are thinking a little differently about how to push the smartphone experience forward beyond just improving the camera or screen size.
