Make Your Mobile Predictions for 2014

[JeffDenver]

Are you listening to yourself? "It did not really grow. It just got longer." By definition, getting longer means it got bigger.

Apple would agree with you. Most of us saw it for the BS it really way. It's a 640p display still. Nothing significant changed.

PPI stayed the same because Apple believes any pixel count greater than what our eyes can perceive is useless, which I'd have to agree with.

The "why" is irrelevant IMO. I was simply demonstrating why I think Apple will not really change anything. I have no doubt Apple will find new excuses in 2014 to justify why their product looks basically the same as last years product. They have to in order to justify charging you a premium for the same product you already own with minor improvements.

 

[pappy53]

Apple would agree with you. Most of us saw it for the BS it really way. It's a 640p display still. Nothing significant changed.

And it is one of the best displays on any smartphone for clarity, color reproduction, etc.

The "why" is irrelevant IMO. I was simply demonstrating why I think Apple will not really change anything. I have no doubt Apple will find new excuses in 2014 to justify why their product looks basically the same as last years product. They have to in order to justify charging you a premium for the same product you already own with minor improvements.

You mean like the S3 to S4?


It amazes me that iPhones account for more than half of all smartphone sales on each U.S. carrier, even with hundreds of Android phones available.

 

[Geodude074]

Apple would agree with you. Most of us saw it for the BS it really way. It's a 640p display still. Nothing significant changed.

To be precise, the amount of pixels increased from 960x640 to 1136x640. The physical display also increased from 3.5 to 4.0 inches. Whether or not that's "significant" is subjective, but the fact is the display increased in size because consumers wanted a bigger display.

 

[Premium1]

I predict the exact opposite if we see quality smartwatches appear under $50 in the US.

I agree. That may take a few years, but I think we are going to see a ton of smart watches and they get cheaper, as we are seeing with tablets and seemingly every manufacturer putting out a quality tablet for cheap, I mean look at the new polaroid tablets they just announced.

 

[Premium1]

And it is one of the best displays on any smartphone for clarity, color reproduction, etc.




You mean like the S3 to S4?


It amazes me that iPhones account for more than half of all smartphone sales on each U.S. carrier, even with hundreds of Android phones available.

I think the reason iPhones account for so much is because there only is 1 high end iPhone. There are like you said hundreds of androids, and yet still samsung is crushing with all that competition. Apple has no competition on IOS because they are the only ones who make products that run IOS.

 

[pappy53]

I think the reason iPhones account for so much is because there only is 1 high end iPhone. There are like you said hundreds of androids, and yet still samsung is crushing with all that competition. Apple has no competition on IOS because they are the only ones who make products that run IOS.

But still, all Androids COMBINED can't top the iPhone sales on the carriers. That is an amazing stat for Apple.

 

[pappy53]

It all comes down to what works best for each person, regardless of OS. For some it is iOS, some Android, and some to a lesser extent BB and WP8.

 

[JeffDenver]

And it is one of the best displays on any smartphone for clarity, color reproduction, etc.

I totally disagree. Even mid range Android phones are better now.

You mean like the S3 to S4?

Thats a Samsung criticism, not an Android criticism. My Nexus 5 is significantly superior to my Nexus 4 in every way.

It amazes me that iPhones account for more than half of all smartphone sales on each U.S. carrier, even with hundreds of Android phones available.

And it doesn't Amaze you that most people in the US own Android phones despite the fact that Apple had a massive head start here?

 

[JeffDenver]

But still, all Androids COMBINED can't top the iPhone sales on the carriers.

...in the US...

And Android has already done it. There was a time when way more people bought iPhones than Android phones...what happened?

 

[JeffDenver]

It all comes down to what works best for each person, regardless of OS. For some it is iOS, some Android

Not "some", but "most". For most it is Android.

Most smartphones sold in the US are Android phones. Looks like tablets are gonna go the same way.

 

[pappy53]

I totally disagree. Even mid range Android phones are better now.

Obviously, you haven't read basically every review on the planet, if you believe that. You are just fanboying now.

"..in the US...

And Android has already done it. There was a time when way more people bought iPhones than Android phones...what happened?"

iPhone can't compete with the quantity of junk that Android sells overseas.

 

[pappy53]

...in the US...

And Android has already done it. There was a time when way more people bought iPhones than Android phones...what happened?

iPhone has never led in marketshare.

 

[JRDroid]

Obviously, you haven't read basically every review on the planet, if you believe that. You are just fanboying now.

"..in the US...

And Android has already done it. There was a time when way more people bought iPhones than Android phones...what happened?"

iPhone can't compete with the quantity of junk that Android sells overseas.

I strongly suggest you just drop the argument with JeffDenver. I have been part of more than one thread that ended up locked because of discussions with him.

However, I agree with you. There may be midrange Android phones that are higher resolution than the iPhone, but there is a TON more that goes into screen quality than just resolution. Color reproduction, brightness, contrast ratio, gamma, and other factors also hugely impact screen quality. It is in these areas that the iPhone BLOWS the mid range (and some flagship) Android devices out of the water and to such a degree that it has a vastly superior screen than the higher resolution competition. Once a phone reaches over 300 DPI, I really don't care what its resolution is, because at the distance I personally hold my phone from my face 99% of the time, I cannot see individual pixels and text looks perfectly clear and smooth, so I get no benefit from higher resolution. Sure, you get more content on the screen, but then it is smaller so I either have to hold the phone closer to my face or zoom in to read text. Not to mention throwing more (largely unneeded) pixels on a screen reduces battery life.

 

[Duncan1982]

This is all very interesting but tech moves in one direction and it's also physics based that processing power will increase. True octa core 64bit chips will happen also ram will increase year by year from the 4gb in 2014 to 5gb ram in 2015 ect ect also I revert back to processors from the 2.5ghz to 3ghz in 2015.

Screen tech will jump to 4k and I'm not sure if it would go beyond that and to many and myself it's not required but if it is more efficient then that is the plus.

Battery needs to improve although on my Note 3 is pretty decent. This will no doubt get better also.

But I think Samsung will push tizen and hopefully utilise that in an optimum way that is more pleasing than touchwiz.

But where will design and functionality go beyond what is been mentioned is the very question and we can at this point only speculate.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[Ry]

My predictions:

In 2014, companies will continue to iterate on based on their existing products. Processors will get faster. OEMs will put more RAM in their phones. 16/32GB will be the starting points for internal memory and 64GB options will still be rare. I suspect that 64GB will only be significant options on phones that shoot 4K video.


Nexus and Google Play edition

New Nexus 10 (finally). Not made by Samsung. The next Nexus phone will be a Nexus 5 (2014). The next Nexus 7 inch tablet will be the Nexus 7 (2014). There will Google Play editions of the next Galaxy S, the next HTC One. Motorola will not make a Nexus phone in 2014.

We will see a Google Now smartwatch released in 2014. Motorola will be involved in the smartwatch.

Oh and no Nexus device will have a expandable memory card slot. And forget about a removable battery.


Samsung

Samsung will release a Galaxy S5 and a Galaxy Note 4. The Galaxy S5 will have a slightly larger screen and the overall size will grow just a bit. Samsung's plastic will remain. I'm also predicting that the Galaxy S5 will have a slight curved based on the Galaxy Round. The Galaxy Note 4 will go the same route (slightly larger) but with the faux-leather.

This will also be the year where Samsung launches with Exynos in major LTE markets instead of Qualcomm's Snapdragon chips.

Tizen will remain irrelevant to the US market. But they'll still make a boat load of devices (Megas, Cameras, Tabs). Samsung may have jumped the shark in 2013 though.


HTC

HTC continues it's slide towards irrelevance. The follow up to the HTC One will be a good looking device but HTC won't have the marketing dollars to see it through. HTC will continue with Mini and Max variants of the next "One" and the Desire brand will continue on for budget and prepaid lines. Motorola and LG will distance themselves from HTC in terms of global marketshare.


LG

LG will grow based on strong products but it won't be anything significant. I see them launching multiple curved screen devices in 2014 and tech reviewers will prefer LG's curved phones over Samsung's curved phones. Only way LG makes a significant dent though is if they spend Samsung money on Marketing. LG will release a smartwatch.


Motorola

Motorola will continue to build on the software strategy: 1. Ensure that we build on a foundation of pure Android, 2. Build experiences that compliment Android and Google services, not compete with them, and 3. Ensure that we can build software that gives value back to the user.

Motorola phones of 2014 won't match specs with the flagship devices from folks like LG, HTC, and Samsung. But even with "lower" specs, Motorola's 2014 devices will perform just as good as the higher-spec'ed devices from the other OEMs. Motorola will stick to Super AMOLED screens for their flagship devices that are 4.7" and larger.

Motorola won't release a MAXX phone outside of the 2014 DROID line - and yes, the DROIDs will continue.

And because they're putting apps like Motorola Assist and Touchless Controls in the Play Store, the Moto X will be able to do the same things as it's successor.


ZTE/Huawei

For these guys, their high-end devices won't make a dent in the US. But expect to see them continue to be the white label provider for carrier-branded phones.


Sony

Sony will release a Windows Phone device. Sony's Android phone still won't break through in the US market.


Nokia

Nokia grows marketshare for Windows Phone completely distancing itself from BlackBerry as the defacto number 3 option. Windows Phone updates will bring features that people have been asking for (like a "proper" notification center) but visually, they won't be like what people have been wanting.

Nokia's Android phone will be released, but it'll be more like Amazon and their "forked" Fire OS.


Apple

The next iPhone (iPhone 6, presumably) will NOT go over 4". It will roughly be the same size as the iPhone 5S. It'll carry over the fingerprint scanner. The processor will be bumped up. The camera specs will be bumped up. But the next version of iOS will be the story.

The next iPad will get the fingerprint scanner and iOS 8 will add proper multi-user accounts for their tablets.


The upstarts

Blu, Cyanogen, Firefox OS, Ubuntu, Sailfish will remain niche products, irrelevant to the mass market.


BlackBerry

R.I.P. 2014


Differentiation in Android

More important than hardware will be the software. Motorola's 2013 phones will get Android updates faster than Google Play edition devices from 2013. Google Now will add new commands. Samsung won't stop adding S-software. Software and UI changes that OEMs add to Android (or make replacements of existing features) will continue. Get over it if you want all Android phones to run "stock" Android out of the box - technically the Nexus 5 does not.

64-bit support will be on most Android flagships, but nothing is going to fully take advantage of it in 2014.

And companies will continue to call their improvements revolutionary when they're just evolutionary and iterative. And people will still be upset over that marketing message.

 

[JRDroid]

Apple

The next iPhone (iPhone 6, presumably) will NOT go over 4". It will roughly be the same size as the iPhone 5S. It'll carry over the fingerprint scanner. The processor will be bumped up. The camera specs will be bumped up. But the next version of iOS will be the story.

The next iPad will get the fingerprint scanner and iOS 8 will add proper multi-user accounts for their tablets.

This is the only place I think you are way off base, the rest all seems very likely. I really think Apple created the "c" line of iPhone in perperation for a bigger iPhone. The iPhone "6" will go larger, likely 4.5" or 4.7", it won't be phablet territory. The iPhone "6c" will be the iPhone you described. iOS7 was a major overhaul of iOS, I don't think we will see major things on the OS front from Apple. iOS 8 will be itterative. Siri improvements, maps improvements, Safari improvements, etc. will be what it brings. If there is major news, I think it will be one (or both) of two things. First, the multi user profiles you discussed for tablets. Second, I think there is a real chance Apple allows you to assign alternate default applications for a select few apps. I think browser and email are likely candidates for that.

 

[Ry]

This is the only place I think you are way off base, the rest all seems very likely. I really think Apple created the "c" line of iPhone in perperation for a bigger iPhone. The iPhone "6" will go larger, likely 4.5" or 4.7", it won't be phablet territory. The iPhone "6c" will be the iPhone you described. iOS7 was a major overhaul of iOS, I don't think we will see major things on the OS front from Apple. iOS 8 will be itterative. Siri improvements, maps improvements, Safari improvements, etc. will be what it brings. If there is major news, I think it will be one (or both) of two things. First, the multi user profiles you discussed for tablets. Second, I think there is a real chance Apple allows you to assign alternate default applications for a select few apps. I think browser and email are likely candidates for that.

I don't see Apple going beyond 1136x640 on a phone yet.

 

[wizzrah]

I don't see Apple going beyond 1136x640 on a phone yet.

Why not? They might, but the transition might be a little too late...

Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk

 

[Ry]

Why not? They might, but the transition might be a little too late...

Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk

"Yet". I think eventually they will, just not in 2014.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[wizzrah]

"Yet". I think eventually they will, just not in 2014.

Posted via Android Central App

Ah ok.

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