What to Expect in 2013

[SomeDudeAsking]

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.

It's something about the lozenge shape of the Nexus devices that really turn me off and think they look ugly and old.

 

[Dangerdog3000]

It's something about the lozenge shape of the Nexus devices that really turn me off and think they look ugly and old.

Isn't the shape the same as just about any other Android phone. Aka rectangle with slightly more rounded corners than Apple devices?

 

[Squilly]

Agree and disagree. Apple is making the merge to 6 month production periods. Meaning from the iPhone's release in September 2012, an iPhone 5S would come out in ~March 2013. There are rumors coming about on that topic I read about. Everything else seems pretty accurate though.

 

[SomeDudeAsking]

Isn't the shape the same as just about any other Android phone. Aka rectangle with slightly more rounded corners than Apple devices?

It's too round and looks uninspired. I prefer the more angular look like that of the Galaxy Note 2 or the HTC DNA.

 

[zbarvian]

Agree and disagree. Apple is making the merge to 6 month production periods. Meaning from the iPhone's release in September 2012, an iPhone 5S would come out in ~March 2013. There are rumors coming about on that topic I read about. Everything else seems pretty accurate though.

God I hope not. And I really doubt the veracity of that rumor.

There's no evidence of Apple switching to a 6 month upgrade cycle besides the iPad 4, which seems like an upgrade for the sake of Lightning.

 

[skaertus]

For 2013 I predict that:

[1] Flagship smartphones will pretty much all come with a 5 inch 1080p 16:9 screen.

Not all of them. Some of them will, though.

[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.

Android users will. iPhone users won't.

[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.

May be.

[4] All new flagship smartphones will come with wireless charging built in, except for Apple.

Probably not all of them.

[5] 3 GB of ram will be standard for flagship phones by summer.

Maybe. I think 2 GB is more likely, though.

[6] Samsung's profits will surpass Apple's by summer.

Samsung's revenue is already much higher than Apple's (although net income is lower). Samsung produces a much larger range of products than Apple and has far more employees.

[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.

Quite likely. iPhone 5S will probably be released in 2013, with the same design as iPhone 5.

[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.

Have no idea. But I guess iOS 7 may bring some good surprises.

[9] Windows Phone and Blackberry will still be major failures.

Blackberry is already a major failure. Windows Phone 8 will probably not succeed too.

[10] Smartphone processors will still only have 4 cores but frequency will be increased to 2 GHz

Only 4 cores in a smartphone? Wow, what a shame! As much as the lower-end Mac Pro...

 

[inhalewaste]

I don't think there's any reason to be adversed to a 6-month Apple cycle. I don't think they'll do it either, however.

 

[zbarvian]

I don't think there's any reason to be adversed to a 6-month Apple cycle. I don't think they'll do it either, however.

I wouldn't either if contracts weren't 2 years long.

Also, I doubt how high the craftsmanship/quality and design would be if they only had a few months to mull it over and get it on the market.

 

[inhalewaste]

I wouldn't either if contracts weren't 2 years long.

Also, I doubt how high the craftsmanship/quality and design would be if they only had a few months to mull it over and get it on the market.

The 'S' version wouldn't require any remodeling, but I suppose you're right.

 

[inhalewaste]

The big question for iOS and the iPhone is, what will Ive do with iOS? Will it just be cosmetic changes, or will we see some sort of overhaul?

Also, will Tim Cook introduce a 5S sooner than the typical one-year cycle? Or even crazier, will Cook introduce a redesigned iPhone? Personally, both are highly unlikely, but Cook has definitely been breaking traditions (iPad 4, firing Forestall, unifying the hardware/software division, allowing workers 2-weeks of personal "freedom" to come up with new ideas and experiments ala what Google does...).

Who knows what else he'll surprise us with. A lot rests in Ive's hands now... Both exciting and scary.

 

[Dr McKay]

I've gone from an iPhone to a Nexus 4 and I think its a 4.7 inch screen. For me this is a perfect screen size for my hands. I think the high end of 4.x screens will remain. Samsung has already tried to distinguish anything bigger as a phablet category.