We know of a number of technologies and innovations among smartphones of today. New operating systems, powerful hardware features, large screens, new display technologies, better camera, and what not! In this sea of features, what should a new customer be really looking for? Most of us simply get confused while peering through the tech specs of a newly released smartphone. We don’t know if it has the right kind of features or if it is worth the money. Let me tell you about a few select features that new high-end smartphones must have.
1. The Right Kind of Processor
If you know about mobile processors, you should be able to spot the right processor as soon as you look at the tech specs of a new phone. Check the name of the processor, and then go into the details of it. For this, you have to do a separate Google search for the processor model and see which ARM Cortex specification the processor follows. At least Cortex-A15 should be available in the next processor. It is more important than how many cores it has or its speed.
If you want even better configuration and future-proofing, you should look for ARM Cortex-A50 or higher that support 64-bit computing on smartphones. This will become not the option, but the norm in the coming days.
2. Gorilla® Glass® III
Corning has announced the upcoming new edition of Gorilla® Glass® to be showcased in CES next week. It is expected to be 50 percent stronger than the current edition, and it will be even lighter. Note the fact that iPhone and iPad don’t probably use Gorilla Glass technology. In your next phone, you should definitely have this scratch-resistant glass for protection.
3. 4G LTE
LTE, Long Term Evolution, is definitely the next generation of wireless technology. With this, you will have amazing data transfer speeds (of theoretically up to 299 mbps, with proper MIMO setup). Also, LTE will provide superb connectivity during travel. Battery savings will be much better than the current 3G technologies (although people experience poor battery life in a hybrid setup available today). 4G LTE is the truest form of fourth generation telecommunication technology.
4G LTE was not available in even the iPhone 4S, but it is now available in iPhone 5, making it highly desirable. However, Google Nexus 4 doesn’t take advantage of LTE—a big disappointment indeed.
4. NFC
Something that Apple has always ignored, Near Field Communication (NFC) is an electronic payment technology that turns your phone into a virtual wallet. A number of Android devices already extend support for this. As NFC becomes more and more popular, mobile payment systems will emerge and will be able to process payments at the tap of your phone.
In the future, Apple should include NFC (not yet available even in iPhone 5) into its devices to stay firm in competition.
5. Better Storage Options
has puny storage of maximum 16 GB, out of which only about 12 GB is actually usable. It also doesn’t have a MicroSD slot. But it provides you with a cloud option through Google Drive. Many people are disappointed at this tactic of promoting Google Drive.
We want a proper data storage option, and MicroSD or USB On-the-Go is the answer (if you are not providing us with high internal storage). It must be available on your new smartphone. Also, it is desirable if the phone supports high speed USB 3.0 technology.
Conclusion
I have only included only the must-have features in this list. There are others that people want, such as better build quality for instance. Apple iPhone has the best build quality among smartphones today. It’s pathetic to note how fragile other smartphones like Samsung Galaxy III look in an ugly plastic body.
Other things like the operating system and upgradability are also important. But none of them is as important as these five features mentioned here.
[Image source: the Verge]