2020 was the year of foldable phones. As major companies launched foldable phones one after another, it has become a new trend in the smartphone market.
In addition, new technologies such as display fingerprint recognition and high refresh rate displays attracted attention.
On the 18th (local time) of the US IT media, Phone Arena introduced innovative technologies that can be expected in the smartphone market in 2021.
1. Under display camera
China’s ZTE launched its first under-display camera (UDC) smartphone’Axon 20 5G’ last year. There were reviews saying that the under-display camera installed in the Axon 20 was disappointing due to the poor camera quality, but the media reported that the first thing to consider is that the UDC technology was first applied. When Royol introduced the world’s first foldable phone, FlexiFi, in 2018, before the full release of the foldable phone, the market reaction was cold.
Currently, many large companies are developing under-display camera technology. It is known that Samsung has also been researching under-display camera sensors for a long time. Recently, the famous IT tipster Ice Universe predicted that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 could become Samsung’s first smartphone equipped with an under-display camera, raising market expectations. According to some reports, Apple is known to be developing a similar technology.
2. Super fast charging technology
The battery charging rate is constantly increasing. Xiaomi introduced a 100W fast charging technology called’Super Charge Turbo’ last year. This technology can fully charge a 4000mAh battery in 17 minutes.
Samsung Electronics also unveiled the power delivery controller semiconductors’MM101′ and’SE8A’ supporting the latest high-speed charging standard USB-PD 3.0 in 2019. The power transfer control semiconductor is embedded in the charger, and is a semiconductor that supplies optimal power by selecting a fast or normal charging mode depending on whether the electronic device and the charger are certified as standard and the amount of current charging.
Unikorn Semiconductor in China plans to expand the production of chips for high-speed charging devices from 65W chips to 100W chips in the second half of 2021. Therefore, 100W chargers are expected to become more popular at the end of this year.
3. New foldable form factor and self-healing display
Foldable phones are expected to continue this year. China’s ZTE has applied for a patent for a foldable phone that folds the screen three times, and LG Electronics is also raising expectations by releasing a teaser video for a rollable phone. It is known that Samsung Electronics is also developing its own rollable phone.
The most important thing in a foldable phone is durability. Now, smartphone manufacturers are researching products that have a flexible screen and a strong durability. One of the solutions to this problem is self-healing display technology.
Last year, Apple recently registered a patent for a foldable device with a self-healing function that repairs itself even if the smartphone screen is scratched. This technology allows the device to repair scratches or scratches on the screen by itself without user intervention.
In a patent document, Apple said, “The self-healing function of a foldable device is automatically activated when the device is charging or according to a predetermined schedule, and it uses heat, light, or electric current to repair the protective layer on the display.”
4. Fortress Phone
Smartphone makers are constantly removing ports. The 3.5mm jack is now almost gone from flagship smartphones, and Apple recently released the iPhone without chargers and wired earphones. Samsung Electronics also removed the microSD card slot.
As the microSD card slot and earphone jack disappear and the wireless charging function becomes stronger, the port on the smartphone is expected to disappear in the future. In fact, China’s Meiju also launched the Meizu Zero, a sleek smartphone in January 2019 that closed all holes except the camera and microphone.
Renowned IT tipper John Proser predicted that the iPhone 13 Pro model that will be released this year is likely to be a fortress model without a Lightning port.
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5. Micro LED display
There have been rumors that Apple will install a micro LED display on the iPhone from 2016, but it has not been applied until now. However, recently there was news that a micro LED display will be applied to the foldable iPhone.
In addition, as smartphone makers such as Sony are striving to popularize microLEDs, microLED displays are expected to be released soon, Phone Arena predicted.