What to Expect in 2013

[SomeDudeAsking]

For 2013 I predict that:

[1] Flagship smartphones will pretty much all come with a 5 inch 1080p 16:9 screen.
[2] A 5 inch screen will become the new standard of what is expected in a modern top end smartphone. Smaller screen sizes will be reserved for mid-level and low-level phones. Everyone will look back at 3.5 inch and 4 inch phones and say how cramped the screens are.
[3] Samsung will introduce a Galaxy Note 3 in the summer with a 5.7 inch screen with even thinner bezels and even bigger battery, causing me to buy it.
[4] All new flagship smartphones will come with wireless charging built in, except for Apple.
[5] 3 GB of ram will be standard for flagship phones by summer.
[6] Samsung's profits will surpass Apple's by summer.
[7] Apple will release an iPhone 5S in October with just a speed bump but the same inadequate 4 inch screen, no NFC, no wireless charging, and will still look the same.
[8] iOS 7 will not have any major user interface changes and will still keep trying to tack on features that are scattered in the Settings menu that no one can find.
[9] Windows Phone and Blackberry will still be major failures.
[10] Smartphone processors will still only have 4 cores but frequency will be increased to 2 GHz

 

[dalbir4444]

You forgot about Android 5.0

 

[ChazUK]

Lawsuit.
Appeal.
Appeal.
Patent granted.
Lawsuit.
Lawsuit.
Nokia goes android.
Lawsuit against Nokia.

 

[zbarvian]

For 2013 I predict that:

[1] Flagship smartphones will pretty much all come with a 5 inch 1080p 16:9 screen.
[2] A 5 inch screen will become the new standard of what is expected in a modern top end smartphone. Smaller screen sizes will be reserved for mid-level and low-level phones. Everyone will look back at 3.5 inch and 4 inch phones and say how cramped the screens are.
[3] Samsung will introduce a Galaxy Note 3 in the summer with a 5.7 inch screen with even thinner bezels and even bigger battery, causing me to buy it.
[4] All new flagship smartphones will come with wireless charging built in, except for Apple.
[5] 3 GB of ram will be standard for flagship phones by summer.
[6] Samsung's profits will surpass Apple's by summer.
[7] Apple will release an iPhone 5S in October with just a speed bump but the same inadequate 4 inch screen, no NFC, no wireless charging, and will still look the same.
[8] iOS 7 will not have any major user interface changes and will still keep trying to tack on features that are scattered in the Settings menu that no one can find.
[9] Windows Phone and Blackberry will still be major failures.
[10] Smartphone processors will still only have 4 cores but frequency will be increased to 2 GHz

Uh, yes, maybe, who knows, maybe, doubt it, doubt it, opinion, doubt it, probably, no.

3 GB of RAM in smartphones is pointless and excessive. No way 2 GHz quad-core A-15 could ever work with current battery technology. Smaller does not mean inadequate (it's one of the best displays on the market). I'm expecting some big UI changes in iOS 7 under Ive's lead.

 

[daveathall]

I think that we are in a good position for some really good things for next year, the high end doesn't now belong to just one company/OS, all sides will need to raise their games and innovate or be left behind. It will be good for consumers next year. IMHO of course.

 

[SomeDudeAsking]

Uh, yes, maybe, who knows, maybe, doubt it, doubt it, opinion, doubt it, probably, no.

3 GB of RAM in smartphones is pointless and excessive. No way 2 GHz quad-core A-15 could ever work with current battery technology. Smaller does not mean inadequate (it's one of the best displays on the market). I'm expecting some big UI changes in iOS 7 under Ive's lead.

Apple loyalists also said that 1 GB of RAM was pointless and excessive when the iPhone only had 256/512 MB of RAM. Now look where you are.

Samsung and the other semi-conductor fabricators will be doing a node size shrink which will enable the 2 GHz quad-core processors to have the same battery life as today's 1.6 GHz quad-core processors.

Smaller displays are inadequate for many of the common smartphone tasks today.

Ive doesn't have any track record for software design. He will fumble it.

 

[dalbir4444]

I think once (if) smartphone start becoming > 5'' in size, 7'' tablets won't be very useful.

 

[Vegastouch]

For 2013 I predict that:

[1] Flagship smartphones will pretty much all come with a 5 inch 1080p 16:9 screen.
[2] A 5 inch screen will become the new standard of what is expected in a modern top end smartphone. Smaller screen sizes will be reserved for mid-level and low-level phones. Everyone will look back at 3.5 inch and 4 inch phones and say how cramped the screens are.
[3] Samsung will introduce a Galaxy Note 3 in the summer with a 5.7 inch screen with even thinner bezels and even bigger battery, causing me to buy it.
[4] All new flagship smartphones will come with wireless charging built in, except for Apple.
[5] 3 GB of ram will be standard for flagship phones by summer.
[6] Samsung's profits will surpass Apple's by summer.
[7] Apple will release an iPhone 5S in October with just a speed bump but the same inadequate 4 inch screen, no NFC, no wireless charging, and will still look the same.
[8] iOS 7 will not have any major user interface changes and will still keep trying to tack on features that are scattered in the Settings menu that no one can find.
[9] Windows Phone and Blackberry will still be major failures.
[10] Smartphone processors will still only have 4 cores but frequency will be increased to 2 GHz

Wrong...the GS4 is said to be the same screen size as the GS3. I just doubt 5" will be a standard size for all. Wouldnt make sense to do that. However, i can see starting at 4.5" would be a standard though some new Windows phones are coming in at 4.3".
4" i would say will be gone except on the iPhone....and im talking high end smartphones, not the lessor end ones.

I think Windows phones will slowly get better as far a customers using them.

----------

I think once (if) smartphone start becoming > 5'' in size, 7'' tablets won't be very useful.

Yes because 5" and 7" are about the same thing

 

[dalbir4444]

I said > 5". I see some people have an attitude problem here.

 

[strausd]

For 2013 I predict that:

[1] Flagship smartphones will pretty much all come with a 5 inch 1080p 16:9 screen.
[2] A 5 inch screen will become the new standard of what is expected in a modern top end smartphone. Smaller screen sizes will be reserved for mid-level and low-level phones. Everyone will look back at 3.5 inch and 4 inch phones and say how cramped the screens are.
[3] Samsung will introduce a Galaxy Note 3 in the summer with a 5.7 inch screen with even thinner bezels and even bigger battery, causing me to buy it.
[4] All new flagship smartphones will come with wireless charging built in, except for Apple.
[5] 3 GB of ram will be standard for flagship phones by summer.
[6] Samsung's profits will surpass Apple's by summer.
[7] Apple will release an iPhone 5S in October with just a speed bump but the same inadequate 4 inch screen, no NFC, no wireless charging, and will still look the same.
[8] iOS 7 will not have any major user interface changes and will still keep trying to tack on features that are scattered in the Settings menu that no one can find.
[9] Windows Phone and Blackberry will still be major failures.
[10] Smartphone processors will still only have 4 cores but frequency will be increased to 2 GHz

1. I will agree to that. The "bigger is better" mentality seems to be growing.

2. Same as above.

3. I also agree that 5.7" will be in the GN3. Bigger battery would make sense. And I am expecting a higher resolution on that phone as well, which wasn't mentioned. I would also like to get it

4. I think wireless charging is going to be 2013s NFC. So yes.

5. Not so sure about this one.

6. I think a main reason for this is that Samsung has yet to release an S product. Not S as in Galaxy S 2 or 3, but I mean the GS3 wasn't a GS2S, or a slight bump to the previous model. Each upgrade they have done has been a complete upgrade so far.

7. Mostly agree. Although I think NFC will come with the 5S. Other than that, it will be pretty lame.

8. I think Ive has some good stuff up his sleeves, but we will see.

9. I think Windows Phone will grow, blackberry not so much.

10. Not sure about 2 GHz... but I do think we will continue to see clock speeds above 1.5 for sure.

And as someone else already mentioned, Android 5.0 Keylime Pie (right?)

 

[Dangerdog3000]

I hope your predictions never come true. Honestly, their terrible.

5 inch phones being a standard would be ridiculous. I own a 4.7 inch HTC One X and I feel it's quite large. Anything bigger and you really are pushing the limits of a smartphone.

1080p screens pose no real benefit to devices yet. Look at the HTC DNA or DLA (forgot the name), it has a beautiful screen but anything beyond a certain PPI is just no discernible to the human eye. I would much rather see more battery efficient screens or color accurate screens in phones rather than higher resolution.

I think we will see some big changes to iOS 7. Nothing overly drastic, but something to pave the way for iOS 8 which I wouldn't be surprised to see is a complete overhaul.

 

[daveathall]

Wrong...the GS4 is said to be the same screen size as the GS3. I just doubt 5" will be a standard size for all. Wouldnt make sense to do that. However, i can see starting at 4.5" would be a standard though some new Windows phones are coming in at 4.3".
4" i would say will be gone except on the iPhone....and im talking high end smartphones, not the lessor end ones.

I think Windows phones will slowly get better as far a customers using them.

I tend to agree with this, I don't think that 5 inch phones will become the norm until technology makes them bendy/foldable (Not flip phone)

 

[SomeDudeAsking]

Wrong...the GS4 is said to be the same screen size as the GS3. I just doubt 5" will be a standard size for all. Wouldnt make sense to do that. However, i can see starting at 4.5" would be a standard though some new Windows phones are coming in at 4.3".
4" i would say will be gone except on the iPhone....and im talking high end smartphones, not the lessor end ones.

I think Windows phones will slowly get better as far a customers using them.

The GS4 isn't even out yet. Where did you hear that it will be the same size as the GS3?

I think Windows phone has too much bad Windows stigma to it and bad branding.

 

[F123D]

[3] Samsung will introduce a Galaxy Note 3 in the summer with a 5.7 inch screen with even thinner bezels and even bigger battery, causing me to buy it.

I'll agree with this one.

Any predictions for next years Nexus?

 

[Dangerdog3000]

Seriously tho, why are people interested in a 5.5 inch phone? I just don't see it. Why not just carry a Nexus 7 with a data plan and use skype/google voice or something.

 

[zbarvian]

Apple loyalists also said that 1 GB of RAM was pointless and excessive when the iPhone only had 256/512 MB of RAM. Now look where you are.

Samsung and the other semi-conductor fabricators will be doing a node size shrink which will enable the 2 GHz quad-core processors to have the same battery life as today's 1.6 GHz quad-core processors.

Smaller displays are inadequate for many of the common smartphone tasks today.

Ive doesn't have any track record for software design. He will fumble it.

This is really biased, man. In several years, I'm sure 3 GB will be standard, but now? Totally unnecessary. The software doesn't need that kind of memory. Instead, I want to see higher storage capacities.

A reduction to 22 nm (which is what I'm assuming you're referring to) will not be able to offset the increased power demands of A-15 and a 20% greater clock speed. Not to mention the fact that these 1080p screens you're banking on will be massive battery suckers. I'm not even sure if we'll be able to switch to a 22nm process by next summer.

Smaller displays aren't inadequate for smartphone tasks. That's subjective, but "inadequate" is a little too harsh.

Oh, you know of Ive's software design record? You know he'll fumble? That's making some big assumptions on your part.

 

[Vegastouch]

I said > 5". I see some people have an attitude problem here.

Ah,...well i dont know about 7" will be useless. Its still much bigger than a 5"+ phone. For example, the Note 2 with its 5.2" screen is huge even compared to my GS3. It is wider as well as longer. However, for me, the 4.8" on my GS3 is as big as i want to go for a smartphone. Now if they can get a 5" screen without making the phone bigger, that would work but usually the phone gets bigger with it. I dont like the Note for its size alone. Just too big for what i want.

 

[dalbir4444]

Ah,...well i dont know about 7" will be useless. Its still much bigger than a 5"+ phone. For example, the Note 2 with its 5.2" screen is huge even compared to my GS3. It is wider as well as longer. However, for me, the 4.8" on my GS3 is as big as i want to go for a smartphone. Now if they can get a 5" screen without making the phone bigger, that would work but usually the phone gets bigger with it. I dont like the Note for its size alone. Just too big for what i want.

I was mostly referring to OP's post where he said that the Note 3 will have a screen size of 5.7". At that size, IMO there's not much of a point of having a 7" tablet.

I hope for the GS4, Samsung replaces the capacitive buttons with on-screen buttons, but unlike the Nexus 4, also decreases the bottom bezel. That way, the GS4 can have a 5" screen and still have the same dimensions as the GS3. One can hope.

 

[SomeDudeAsking]

I'll agree with this one.

Any predictions for next years Nexus?

I predict that Google will keep with it's trend of making the Nexus phone cheap and with non-class leading specs. Google is just interested in marketshare, nothing else. There will be nothing tremendously special about the new Nexus, just that it will be adequate for a portion of users who don't want to spend too much.

Seriously tho, why are people interested in a 5.5 inch phone? I just don't see it. Why not just carry a Nexus 7 with a data plan and use skype/google voice or something.

You've obviously never tried the Galaxy Note 2.

 

[dalbir4444]

Seriously tho, why are people interested in a 5.5 inch phone? I just don't see it. Why not just carry a Nexus 7 with a data plan and use skype/google voice or something.

I think that's the point of a "phablet". It's meant to replace your smartphone and tablet.

 

[Vegastouch]

The GS4 isn't even out yet. Where did you hear that it will be the same size as the GS3?

I think Windows phone has too much bad Windows stigma to it and bad branding.

Its been talked about already and said it could be here in March...but i doubt it. I think it will be in June/July as always. Also said to have 3GB of RAM and the screen will be 5" but the overall size is the same as the GS3. But you know, its all hearsay right now.

 

[F123D]

Seriously tho, why are people interested in a 5.5 inch phone? I just don't see it. Why not just carry a Nexus 7 with a data plan and use skype/google voice or something.

You can't see someone using a 5.5" phone but someone carrying a 7" tablet and using skype/google to make calls makes more sense?

 

[SomeDudeAsking]

I was mostly referring to OP's post where he said that the Note 3 will have a screen size of 5.7". At that size, IMO there's not much of a point of having a 7" tablet.

I hope for the GS4, Samsung replaces the capacitive buttons with on-screen buttons, but unlike the Nexus 4, also decreases the bottom bezel. That way, the GS4 can have a 5" screen and still have the same dimensions as the GS3. One can hope.

There is still a big jump from a 5.7 inch screen to a 7 inch screen. Total screen size does not scale linearly with the diagonal measurement. A 5 inch screen has a surface area of 69 cm^2 whereas a 7 inch screen has a surface area of 135 cm^2. That means the 7 inch screen has twice the surface area even though the diagonal size is only 1.4 times as big as 5 inches.

 

[dalbir4444]

There is still a big jump from a 5.7 inch screen to a 7 inch screen. Total screen size does not scale linearly with the diagonal measurement. A 5 inch screen has a surface area of 69 cm^2 whereas a 7 inch screen has a surface area of 135 cm^2. That means the 7 inch screen has twice the surface area even though the diagonal size is only 1.4 times as big as 5 inches.

I agree it might make sense for others. I was just speaking about my opinion. Personally, I would rather get a Note and a 10" tablet.

 

[Dangerdog3000]

I predict that Google will keep with it's trend of making the Nexus phone cheap and with non-class leading specs. Google is just interested in marketshare, nothing else. There will be nothing tremendously special about the new Nexus, just that it will be adequate for a portion of users who don't want to spend too much.

Hold on there for a moment. How is the Nexus 4 not a class leading device specs wise? The quad core S4 pro is as good as it gets right now.

2GB RAM is the max were going to see in a device until the next gen.

Wireless charging being built into the phone when no other Nexus has had it (officially). In fact, only 3 phones (to my knowledge) have wireless charging and were released in 2012. The Nex4, Nokia 920 and HTC DNA/DLA. Not even the Optimus G (which the Nexus 4 was built from) has wireless charging.

The NFC chip built into the Nexus 4 is the first of a new wave of next gen NFC chips (according to Anandtech).

Oh yeah, and it's cheaper than any other Nexus ever released, with a beautiful, non crappy plastic build quality.

I think it's funny that you say Google is only interested in market share because that's never been what it's about for the Nexus line. It's about introducing Google's vision of an Android phone to the world. It's about saying FU to the carriers who subsidize and choose to rip consumers off by blowing off software updates for months.