MWC 2017 (Mobile World Congress) is over now and every year it’s where we see the trends or what to expect on smartphones for the year, at least on Android devices, Apple tends to go their own way. With so many devices announced this year, we take a look at the two key trends on the devices announced.
LG, Huawei, Samsung, Sony, Blackberry, ZTE, Motorola, Alcatel and Nokia were in attendance, just to name a few and they all had something in common here or there. Android 7.0 Nougat becoming more and more common on the devices, however, the main feature there is Google Assistant, the AI feature that was only available on the Pixel before is not making its way to more devices.
As Amazon’s Alexa gains traction, thanks to the Echo, it only makes sense for Google to make it available to more devices to ensure they gain market share. Having said that, we will see other Android devices with the Alexa too; Motorola already announced that the G5 Plus will see Alexa soon and Huawei Mate 9 in the US will get Alexa too.
AI is not only limited to assistance, though, it will also be used at the software level to help improve device user experience when it comes to battery life, how notifications are delivered and even device speed. Using AI, you can learn user behaviour and deliver what’s needed and when it’s needed the most. Huawei for example, use AI in the Mate 9 to ensure it stays just like new no matter how far down the line you’ve owned the device and HTC too for notifications and more.
This year and beyond, it won’t be surprising to see more devices using AI in various ways.
HDR, 4K displays and content from service providers will go hand-in-hand
As streaming services and more movies or TV shows become available to mobile platforms, there will no doubt be more devices with HDR or 4K displays, even a combination of both as seen with the Sony Xperia XZ Premium. What this means for users is we get devices with vibrant displays and better colours to make watching movies more enjoyable.
With more smartphones sold, it will only make sense for the likes of Amazon and Netflix to invest more in getting content to the users. What’s also interesting is how more people will consume content on their mobile, more than ever before, hence why they will work hand-in-hand. Better media consumption tools = more money invested in better content to cater to users’ needs.
Where we’ll go from here in terms of display technology is yet to be known, we’ve seen curved, big, HDR, 4K and even a different screen ratio like that of the LG G6, but what’s next should be interesting. We have yet to see what Samsung may have up their sleeves, but time will tell. The next Galaxy device is set for launch at the end of the month, and IFA is next up.
Thanks to Vodafone UK for powering out data connectivity out in Barcelona with their 4G service.
