How Future Smartphones will Stretch Boundaries of Innovation

Innovations in Screens, Sensors, Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and Uniquely Designed form factors will deliver unparalleled experiences to end customers.

Smartphone capabilities are being stretched on a monthly basis – with every new launch, companies are bringing in new-age capabilities to devices and India’s very own Intex is delivering a number of smartphone driven innovations to its customers.

Keshav Bansal, Director-Marketing, Intex speaks with Zia Askari from TelecomDrive.com about the way next generation innovations will shape future landscape for smartphones.

What are some of the big smartphone innovations that are likely to change the dynamics on customer experience of future?

Consumers are increasingly becoming discerning and demanding. Overall device engagement is also increasing and thereby the need to provide more innovative features. There are numerous contributing factors, which are likely to change the overall device experience:

Display: There is likely to be a shift from HD IPS to On-cell or Super-AMOLED as the ecosystem develops. At present, the impeding point is the low yield. However, by Q1 2017 the gap between an HD IPS display to Super-AMOLED or On-cell is likely to narrow down.

Security Sensor: At present there is a demand for fingerprint sensor and the rapid consumer adoption will force handset vendors to come up with some new flavor – something which does not hurt consumer pocket as well. We see IRIS scanners as the next innovation in this field.

Dual Camera: One of the most sought out attribute in a smartphone is the camera. While the flagship phones are saturating at 13MP or 16MP rear camera, the need to differentiate and stand-out of the crowd will lead to defining camera more in detail. Dual camera at a cost effective price point is the likely way forward.

The pace at which smartphone penetration is increasing – is it’s computing power and application handling capabilities are also getting enhanced with time. What according to you are the big drivers for mass acceptance of smartphones of future?

Consumer adoption for high end processors is definitely increasing. This can also be attributed to the segment of consumers which are repeat buyers and they will continue to move on to the next level. In order to tap these repeat buyers, handset vendors will have to enhance the application handling capabilities. If we look around the impact of smartphones on other related devices, then we have a clear answer – in-car GPS devices took beating from smartphones.

Tablets, cameras, pocket music players etc., also got impacted by the onslaught of smartphones. The PC has held out on its own, mostly due to lack of content creation capabilities in a smartphone. The moment one is able to address that problem-with bigger keyboard & display and fitting in pocket size, it would fuel mass adoption.

If we look back – there were many smartphones made of plastic – today it is all about glass and metal. What is your opinion on the materials which can be used to make smartphones of future?

Display screens are one of the most costly parts to replace when broken. We have witnessed huge demand spikes for high quality scratch resistant and toughened glasses such as Gorilla Glass and Dragon Trail. Having said that, in the premium phones we could see higher adoption of Sapphire glass and in the overall phone, we could see different materials like carbon or wood, provided these materials can ensure functionality and durability along with styling and lower costs.

What are some of your innovations on these directions? How are you as a brand working towards delivering the best quality to your customers?

We believe in providing our consumers with the best quality at competitive prices. We have been first to market with a lot of innovative features and services. Be it great designs or high quality screens, we have always provided our consumers with the latest innovations.

One of our latest launches Aqua Secure features a finger print sensor; Aqua View, another recent launch, features a 2.5D curved glass with finger print sensor and integrated VR app. We are bundling a cardboard VR headset, certified by Google, along with the device free of cost to provide a differentiated experience to the consumers.

How important is the design element while performing the R&D on smartphones today? Please share your design roadmap for the coming year? How can design create big market differentiations?

Design is key element today in consumer preference. We are working on innovating the designs to make them more consumer engaging.

As we are moving towards an IoT era - experts say that future smartphones will be a powerhouse of sensors that will instantaneously speak with multiple set of devices and perform critical tasks for users. Please share your thoughts on this?

Yes, mobiles will continue to evolve and become one single, integrated device to fulfil multiple needs. IoT is the future of connected devices and will enable multitasking across several devices at the same time. A great application of IoT is in the area of home automation where you are connected with your home through your mobile.