INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Foldable screens, support for 5G networks, multi-cameras and smart biometrics are four features that manufacturers are hoping will encourage
consumers to upgrade their smartphones over the next decade, analysts claim.Smartphone sales have plateaued due to saturation in developed
markets, a dearth of growth opportunities, and a perceived lack of innovation in hardware which has led to people hanging out to their
devices for longer periods of time.However, ABI Research believes this search for expansion will see smartphones completely transformed by
out while creating differentiation, they must continue to develop and offer new transformative features that provide consumers with new,
The first commercial networks will go live later in 2018 and will eventually offer ultrafast speeds, higher capacity and ultra-low latency
The first compatible smartphones will arrive in 2019 and ABI predicts there will be more than 1.4 billion 5G handsets by 2027.During the
same period, it is expected there will be 553 million handsets with supports for fingerprint on display (FOD) biometrics, while flagship
smartphones will add even more camera sensors to improve the quality of photographs.One of the most transformative changes in form factor
will be foldable displays which allow for a tablet-like experience on a smaller device
Such smartphones have been touted for some time, but the complex manufacturing and robustness has been a barrier to implementation.However
it is thought the rumoured Samsung Galaxy X and the new RAZR devices will sport foldable displays and that there will be 248 million of them
