Why I think 2013 is going to be the peak for a while

[toujours_frais]

Looking at the major 2013 release phones this year it has pretty much come to my conclusion that the phones are pretty much at there peak for a while,we have come to main stream 4 cores now and pretty much have peaked at lipo tech in the battery segment also.

lets take a look at what Samsung has done,they have nearly doubled its specs and jammed it all into a slightly smaller shell then its older borther the gs3.

This is a great accomplishment but what can Samsung do next for the gs5? we have so much cpu power now that the gs4 will most def be able to run the next 3 versions of android and they can do a die shrink in the next 2 years to get there octo core to clock higher and stay in the same voltage envelope but I feel that they have finally hit a peak and will stay here for about a year or two.

they can shave off a little bit more bezel in the gs5 and shave a little bit from the top and bottom and keep it a 5in screen but I think 5in will be here for a while and the phablets will just get a little bigger.samsung left ony a few options on the table for a gs5 and Im sure people will not get the same WOW factor on the next galaxy cell.I mean we have 2 versions now and one is sporting a exynos soc that on paper is about 15-20% faster yet the snapdragon s4 can do everything the octo can without the end user knowing the difference,so the spec war is basically at its peak now and no one will care when one phone opens an app 1/10s of a second faster.

I can see htc and lg added micro sd cards back in and going removable batteries but what else can they do either?I think its kinda like computer cpus now and even a cheap I5 chip can make a computer run and feel just as fast as a i7 chip to the end user.

What I would like to see in the next galaxy cell is a 5in screen with just a slightly shorter shell and maybe a carbon fiber front bezel and aluminum around the sides and keep the plastic back cover,but other then that I just don't see the next gs5 or any other flagship android cell wowing anyone after this year.Trust me guys android is also heading to the same position that apple is in but apple has so many areas to improve on while android pretty much all ready threw everything at the wall with the latest flagship phones.

this is the first time that I think I will get a new phone and not need to upgrade it do to hardware limitations and wonder how companies will wow people from this point on

 

[smooth3006]

i plan on sticking with the s4 for at least a year. that's IF the next nexus phone doesn't blow me away sec wise.

 

[20blks]

i plan on sticking with the s4 for at least a year. that's IF the next nexus phone doesn't blow me away sec wise.

It's been since the Nexus one that I really liked a Nexus phone

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Android Central Forums

 

[androidluvr2]

what can Samsung do next for the gs5?

Battery life issues are still a problem on all of the 4G LTE devices except the Razr Maxx.

 

[Raptor007]

I agree with the OP, the phone specs are pretty much topping out with little room for the next big wow factor. I would like to see more emphasis on battery life, software features and not the ones that sound good but never get used. More on radio's so we can have all LTE bands on a US phone and perhaps see the carriers in this country be FORCED to actually allow data roaming which was the original goal of LTE before Verizon and ATT decided to muck it up.

 

[Suda]

You must've forgotten when writing this that Samsung is working on flexible screens and there's the possibility that the next Galaxy or whatever the brand will be will have this technology. Only time will tell if this will catch on or what we can do with it, but Samsung is still trying to push the envelope. Apple is trying to do the same, they have flexible screen patents as well.

 

[AndroidS3]

GS5? Mmmm? 1080p or higher Super PHOLED display, probably 4-8 Cortex A57 cores (BIG.Little A57 and A9), Power VR 6 series or Mali T678 or higher GPU? 3/4GB Ram, 16MP rear camera and 5MP 1080p front camera. 5.2-5.3 inch device, removable battery 3000mah and storage of up to 128GB and expandable (micro sd). Running Key Lime Pie or whatever the next one after that is. Or possibly Tizen?

Obviously im just guessing but if what I have wrote above was the real GS5 I wouldnt hesitate to buy thats for sure!

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

 

[toujours_frais]

You must've forgotten when writing this that Samsung is working on flexible screens and there's the possibility that the next Galaxy or whatever the brand will be will have this technology. Only time will tell if this will catch on or what we can do with it, but Samsung is still trying to push the envelope. Apple is trying to do the same, they have flexible screen patents as well.

That technology isn't available until 3 more years

 

[Suda]

That technology isn't available until 3 more years

I'm not too sure anyone knows for sure when it's available, there are tiny rumblings that the Note 3 will have this kind of technology in some form. I doubt it, but we'll see.

 

[Raptor007]

Samsung seems optimistic that they can get major innovations out the door, they may not be the fully flexible display, but curved and unbreakable displays are very likely for the next gen Samsung phones.

 

[So Cold]

Battery life issues are still a problem on all of the 4G LTE devices except the Razr Maxx.

The Note 2 is no slouch in the battery department. And I would argue is a lot more desirable than the maxx

Sent from my Note 2

 

[androidluvr2]

The Note 2 is no slouch in the battery department. And I would argue is a lot more desirable than the maxx

I agree but I consider it a phablet and in its own category, but your point is well taken.

 

[Raptor007]

The Note 2 is no slouch in the battery department. And I would argue is a lot more desirable than the maxx

Sent from my Note 2

The GN2 does quite well in the battery dept and its a great device I had it, and would still be using it if it wasn't for the lack of internal storage. Oh well GS4 here I come.

 

[MannyZ28]

In the screen department, I believe we have reached the end of the line as far as resolution goes, now it's just about the screen technology, but really, pentile or not, at 1080p, who can tell anymore? There will be better technologies yet, but no end consumer can see those differences without the aid of a microscope. Besides, how pristinely clean are your screen on a daily basis? People complaining about how certain screen technologies look terrible... ** cough cough pentile haters ** won't be able to complain about a 1080p screen anymore. Either way, now screen technology will just be another bullet point on the box for companies to brag about in the spec war.

There is a lot of room still in the processor department. The GPUs listed above will not go to waste, they will be needed soon for the ever more elaborate games and live wallpapers and whatever else technologies the handset makers come up with. We have come a long way in the camera department, both hardware and software, and it wouldn't have been possible without a stout processor under the hood.

I think what's going by the way side is the "I wish my phone had this" factor. My Evo 4G was great, but it had a crappy gpu and games ran crappy on it. I wished for a better one and they showed up in later phones. At that time I though 480 x 800 was the best resolution they could ever squeeze into these little screens but boy was I wrong...and soon I wished for better resolutions, and they came. I wanted more ram...got that too, so what I guess I am saying is that our wish list for the next phone is growing shorter and shorter, and we are at the point where we wait for the next big thing just wanting to be surprised and blown away by what the next phone will be able to do. You can erase unwanted people from your shots now and take action shots with the GS4 like never before. You can use both cameras at the same time...that kind of stuff....

Either way, there is lots more to come, is just that our wish list has grown shorter due to the new phones fulfilling those wishes.

Lets see what's next....it's a great time to be a smart phone junky, however, I do miss those times were smart phones were in the minority and flippers and texting phones ruled the world. The wow factor of what a smart phone can do just isn't there anymore...you can no longer impress girls with them....lol.

 

[lou61166]

In the screen department, I believe we have reached the end of the line as far as resolution goes, now it's just about the screen technology, but really, pentile or not, at 1080p, who can tell anymore? There will be better technologies yet, but no end consumer can see those differences without the aid of a microscope. Besides, how pristinely clean are your screen on a daily basis? People complaining about how certain screen technologies look terrible... ** cough cough pentile haters ** won't be able to complain about a 1080p screen anymore. Either way, now screen technology will just be another bullet point on the box for companies to brag about in the spec war.

There is a lot of room still in the processor department. The GPUs listed above will not go to waste, they will be needed soon for the ever more elaborate games and live wallpapers and whatever else technologies the handset makers come up with. We have come a long way in the camera department, both hardware and software, and it wouldn't have been possible without a stout processor under the hood.

I think what's going by the way side is the "I wish my phone had this" factor. My Evo 4G was great, but it had a crappy gpu and games ran crappy on it. I wished for a better one and they showed up in later phones. At that time I though 480 x 800 was the best resolution they could ever squeeze into these little screens but boy was I wrong...and soon I wished for better resolutions, and they came. I wanted more ram...got that too, so what I guess I am saying is that our wish list for the next phone is growing shorter and shorter, and we are at the point where we wait for the next big thing just wanting to be surprised and blown away by what the next phone will be able to do. You can erase unwanted people from your shots now and take action shots with the GS4 like never before. You can use both cameras at the same time...that kind of stuff....

Either way, there is lots more to come, is just that our wish list has grown shorter due to the new phones fulfilling those wishes.

Lets see what's next....it's a great time to be a smart phone junky, however, I do miss those times were smart phones were in the minority and flippers and texting phones ruled the world. The wow factor of what a smart phone can do just isn't there anymore...you can no longer impress girls with them....lol.

Screen may not be important to some but after walking into a Verizon store and seeing the note 2 the Iphone 5 and droid DNA i could without a microscope clearly see the DNA had the best looking screen for text and video.everyone,has certain preferences they want in a phone and thus i feel they are not crying,i could say the same about non removable battery and sd cards who needs it.

 

[AndroidS3]

I think screens on mobiles will eventually reach ipad 3/4 pixels but then that's it

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

 

[So Cold]

Screen may not be important to some but after walking into a Verizon store and seeing the note 2 the Iphone 5 and droid DNA i could without a microscope clearly see the DNA had the best looking screen for text and video.everyone,has certain preferences they want in a phone and thus i feel they are not crying,i could say the same about non removable battery and sd cards who needs it.

I would be happy if every phone had the screen quality of the dna. The Note 2 had a good screen but the dna has a great screen

Sent from my Note 2

 

[return_0]

The Note 2 is no slouch in the battery department. And I would argue is a lot more desirable than the maxx

Sent from my Note 2

The Droid Razr Maxx has a 4.3-inch screen and a 3300 mAh battery. The Galaxy Note 2 has a 5.5-inch screen and a 3100 mAh battery. I know there are more factors involved as far as battery life, but based on those two facts alone I think you can determine which has the better battery life.

 

[MannyZ28]

Screen may not be important to some but after walking into a Verizon store and seeing the note 2 the Iphone 5 and droid DNA i could without a microscope clearly see the DNA had the best looking screen for text and video.everyone,has certain preferences they want in a phone and thus i feel they are not crying,i could say the same about non removable battery and sd cards who needs it.

I am talking about comparing phones with the same resolution. In your example the Note 2 has the lowest pixel density followed by the iPhone 5 and the DNA. I was referring to the ongoing battle of people who wouldn't but a phone because it has a pentile display and not an rgb one. At 1080p, this really shouldn't matter much anymore, even if your screen gets to be 6 inches.

 

[Lanhoj]

I think:
2013 will make 1080p screens standard
2014 will make better batteries & cameras standard
2015 will make more storage (64GB local) standard
And by 2016 we'll all be needing more RAM...

All that to say that there's always going to be something to improve so I doubt they'll ever peak.