Predict the future, what will your mobile device(s) be like in 10 years?

Artdeco

Platinum Member
Mar 14, 2015
2,682
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I want a quad folding phone/tablet, with the outside behaving like a current smartphone, unfold it, and you'd have a tablet.

A couple of terabytes of storage, robust LTE and WiFi, cordless/remote charging.

Smartwatches will be cheap, and provide remote access to your phone.
 
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lxskllr

No Lifer
Nov 30, 2004
57,363
7,514
126
I just want a phone that docks, and becomes a full GNU/Linux desktop. It goes without saying that nothing should be locked.
 

desura

Diamond Member
Mar 22, 2013
4,627
129
101
The same stuff I'm using now :). I'll keep them alive by replacing batteries and from time to time also screens.

No, seriously, in ten years what will likely be the result will be basically an iPhone 5s but with a week long battery life. It will be budget by then, but hopefully battery chem and process improvements will reduce battery drain significantly.
 

crashtestdummy

Platinum Member
Feb 18, 2010
2,893
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Phones are going to steadily become more of a commodity. There will still be high end phones for those who want luxury items, but the basic functionality will be mostly the same across all devices.

Battery life will improve (possibly by a factor of 2-3), but it won't be an earth-shattering difference. The power benefits of smaller chip features is mostly gone, and I just don't see a viable battery technology that's going to change energy density.

While phones may not change radically from what we know of them, they will become more interconnected with other items than they are even now, acting as a central hub for everything else. (Not an original thought, I know.)
 

Commodus

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 2004
9,206
6,799
136
I'm more interested in where smartwatches are going than smartphones.

I could see smartwatches struggling to get anywhere, but my suspicion is that they'll eventually become capable enough that you can genuinely rely on one as your 'foreground' mobile device -- that is, the device you turn to first.

They'll get thinner and faster. I'm not counting on better battery life, but cellular data may become a regular option for people who can get by solely on a smartwatch. The category will likely be commoditized to some extent, but not as much as with phones -- watches are still fashion items, and a junky $50 plastic-and-rubber watch just won't look as good as a $500 stainless steel watch with a leather band.
 

Zaap

Diamond Member
Jun 12, 2008
7,162
424
126
In 10 years I expect my phone to be bezel-less. Just a slab of screen.

My hope is it will be modular; while phones for Joe and Jane consumer will undoubtedly be sealed off/walled garden, disposables sold in blister wrap packages at the local drug store with no more care than say a pair of headphones is sold today, my hope is that at the opposite end someone maintains a viable power-user market.

So I'll pop battery/memory/soc upgrade modules etc in and out at will.

The device will charge itself from multiple sources... solar and wireless. Wireless charging pads will be built into my desk and available on a lot of different furniture. Pop out the modular power source and lay it on a charging pad and it will charge by itself.

Bezel-less...??? B-but where will I hold it? On the intelligently touch-inactive edges, of course, the invisible bezel. B-but what about the toddler wrap?? Hopefully that will become as silly an idea on a sleek future-gen device as the idea of childproofing a nice watch from ones self is today.

But: I envision being able to toss this device at a brick wall as hard as you can... picking it up... not a scratch on it. Don't ask me what material will achieve this, perhaps unobtanium out of a tree full of blue people, I dunno.

I don't expect it to be needlessly wafer thin beyond the thinnest current phones. Rather, I'd want it to have a practical amount of heft to be comfortably held and used and to support ample battery. (No, I don't expect the week-lasting battery in 10 years, though would be nice.)

I also don't expect it to be super-cheap, but still around the same price as today's flagships. But for that,I expect awesome bang-for-then-current-buck.

I expect to also transform to a full laptop or tablet by merely docking it with extension units.

I hope it will really be a computer in my pocket, moreso than any current device can be considered.
 

jhu

Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
11,918
9
81
I just want a phone that docks, and becomes a full GNU/Linux desktop. It goes without saying that nothing should be locked.

You can do that right now: screen cast to tv/monitor, hook up keyboard and mouse, chroot to Linux distribution of your choice.
 

biostud

Lifer
Feb 27, 2003
18,193
4,674
136
For what I use a phone for now I can't really see what more I need. Obviously a faster CPU and better battery life is always welcome. What is most important is cellular coverage and speed.

In 2017 all roaming prices inside EU will be illegal, so that will do a lot for using it when traveling around EU.

So for me it is not the phone it self but what evolves around it, that will have the greatest impact.
 

lxskllr

No Lifer
Nov 30, 2004
57,363
7,514
126
You can do that right now: screen cast to tv/monitor, hook up keyboard and mouse, chroot to Linux distribution of your choice.

It's clumsy now. I've given it a couple quick tries, but haven't gotten the chroot to work. Maybe I'll give it a real try this weekend. The phone's been bothering me lately.
 

luv2liv

Diamond Member
Dec 27, 2001
3,491
92
91
the phone as we know it will cease to exist.
it will be surgically implanted. VR games/videos will be in your head. AR works in conjunction with your eyes. want to send someone a text? just think about it and the message will auto pop up in his head. unless he has do not disturb status on.
 

JimmiG

Platinum Member
Feb 24, 2005
2,024
112
106
1 mm thick, 7 inch screen (only compatible with iPants). 18 minutes battery life.
16 GB of storage will still be the standard for the budget model.
 

poofyhairguy

Lifer
Nov 20, 2005
14,612
318
126
I'm more interested in where smartwatches are going than smartphones.

I could see smartwatches struggling to get anywhere, but my suspicion is that they'll eventually become capable enough that you can genuinely rely on one as your 'foreground' mobile device -- that is, the device you turn to first.

I think that could happen, but not with current screen technology. A watch screen is too small.

We need real holographic screen technology, so that way your "watch" can have a five in hovering screen to interact with:

iwatch_holographic_display_concept.jpg


But the most depressing thing about 2016 is a lack of credible holographic screen technology. I bet we are all wearing a Hololens first, Wall-E style. But not for 15-20 years.

In ten years our smartphone will be the size of a pack of gum, and you will unfurl them like some ancient scroll or a folded sheet of paper:

Foldable-smartphone-concept.jpg
 
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nOOky

Platinum Member
Aug 17, 2004
2,827
1,848
136
What we want and what we are given will be two different things. What I want is multi-day battery life, ease of use, and durability.

I'd say in 10 years we should not have to worry about dropping the thing and breaking it, charging the battery every day, or installing a stupid app to open a document. It should flex when carried in a pocket, and be water-proof. A projector in the phone would be great, but think of how annoying it would be if people started projecting videos or pictures all around you in public. Wireless, unobtrusive ear-phones would be a must.
 

gorcorps

aka Brandon
Jul 18, 2004
30,736
447
126
the phone as we know it will cease to exist.
it will be surgically implanted. VR games/videos will be in your head. AR works in conjunction with your eyes. want to send someone a text? just think about it and the message will auto pop up in his head. unless he has do not disturb status on.

lol

he said 10 not 100
 

tsupersonic

Senior member
Nov 11, 2013
867
21
91
I just want a phone that docks, and becomes a full GNU/Linux desktop. It goes without saying that nothing should be locked.
I think this is the future, and where mobile computing will be in years. An initial hardware dock would be really nice where you could connect your phone to your monitor to access all your info (emails, docs, apps, etc.) Wireless continuity/continuum would be even better - something similar to Xbox One streaming to Windows 10 PC's. This to me would be the ultimate software experience that would be the "next best thing."

I think hardware is progressing nicely. We are getting more powerful computing hardware (CPU, GPU), and faster storage. What I don't see progressing as fast is battery technology. Sure we have progress like quick charge, wireless charge, and even the type of connector (USB type C), but battery life in smartphones absolutely suck regardless of platform. I miss the days where my dumb phone could literally go one week without a charge. That's what I want in my smartphone.
 

Midwayman

Diamond Member
Jan 28, 2000
5,723
325
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- Folding screens. Only way to get bigger screens in a smaller physical space.

- Lightfield cameras. Already hearing noise about multi element cameras, but this seems like the next big thing and is the way to get big cameras into a shallow space.

- Phone as PC. You phone will dock to m/kb and monitor and transfor into a full featured desktop OS.

- Week long battery life. I keep hearing about amazing battery techs, maybe one of them will finally pan out.

- Printed screen cases. I hear about the ability to basically print screens like and inkjet once in awhile. Can you imagine if the whole phone was able to display whatever you wanted. notifications on the back of the phone, Whatever exterior design you want. Set it like a wall paper.

- Improved biometrics. So your phone only responds to you which leads into->

- Phone as ID/Wallet. Once battery life isn't an issue I can see stuff like apple pay, and secure ID forms over NFC taking over the need to carry a wallet. Combined with a foldable form factor it could really physically replace your wallet.
 

desura

Diamond Member
Mar 22, 2013
4,627
129
101
I don't think we'll see the phone as a PC. What we will see is some sort of continuity of files across phone and desktop, which already exists, but will be better.

I don't think foldable screens are possible. At best we'll get a phone that can flex to a degree.

Biometrics tied with ID and payment are the holy grail that lets me leave the house with just a phone and no wallet. Given that you'd have to get it working across government...not likely, not to mention battery life issues. I think it would be cool though if all of your government ID could be stored in an NFC chip that you could slot into your smartphone. Payment is definitely more likely, though it seems off to a slow start and probably would take at least two decades to really become prevalent.

It would be really cool if low light performance could be improved on cell phones. I've always thought that they ought to do moves like making a significant portion of the back, like 1/3 of it, a very very wide lens which focuses light to the sensor. But otherwise, even looking at iPhone 6 photos there are physical limitations of their cameras given the size. It is still pretty easy telling apart iPhone photos from DSLR.
 

lxskllr

No Lifer
Nov 30, 2004
57,363
7,514
126
You can do that right now: screen cast to tv/monitor, hook up keyboard and mouse, chroot to Linux distribution of your choice.

Thanks for the kick in the ass. Still playing, but I have debian on my phone now. Just need to access android's file system :^)

0Fqidn7.png
 

sm625

Diamond Member
May 6, 2011
8,172
137
106
Let's take a moment to consider the history in 10 year increments:

1996:

18kylqi8mubm6jpg.jpg


2006:

1274380461_94612236_1_Black_Berry_Pearl_8100_Sind.jpg


2016:

GalaxyS6EdgePlus-Press-01-650-80.jpg


Ok so that may not be the best 2016 has to offer, but its pretty much there. Given each of the past 10 year leaps, it seems to be flattening and increasing towards 100% screen coverage. I would expect it to be something that folds in half with the screens on the outside unlike the images posted by poofyhairguy where the screen folds on the inside. That way it can still be used whether it is in its folded or unfolded state.

But I think it is equally likely that the device simply stays in your pocket all the time and the display is beamed directly to a lens in your eye. If that isnt 10 years off it certainly is within 15. Either a lens or even glass frames. I want to say the cpu would fit on a watch but I doubt this. Current technology will fit on a small watch 10 years from now, but the bigger and better and more powerful stuff that we will have will still require more weight than what most people will want to wear on their arm. It could be an ankle bracelet, but there is a stigma around that which would make it unmarketable I would think. But who knows, in 2025 we may finally have accepted these things for what they are, and so we may be willing to wear them on our ankles. :biggrin:
 

Yayo3p

Member
Mar 11, 2015
65
0
0
I know it will be another company that creates another type of cellphone which will then become another Samsung or LG ect. Maybe our usual cell phone brand companies will create something cool. Who knows.
 

jhu

Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
11,918
9
81
Thanks for the kick in the ass. Still playing, but I have debian on my phone now. Just need to access android's file system :^)

0Fqidn7.png

Awesome! What phone?

Also, since you have root, you can write a script to automatically start up the chroot upon screen cast+keybaord+mouse hookup.
 

poofyhairguy

Lifer
Nov 20, 2005
14,612
318
126
Let's take a moment to consider the history in 10 year increments:

1996:

18kylqi8mubm6jpg.jpg


2006:

1274380461_94612236_1_Black_Berry_Pearl_8100_Sind.jpg


2016:

GalaxyS6EdgePlus-Press-01-650-80.jpg


Ok so that may not be the best 2016 has to offer, but its pretty much there. Given each of the past 10 year leaps, it seems to be flattening and increasing towards 100% screen coverage. I would expect it to be something that folds in half with the screens on the outside unlike the images posted by poofyhairguy where the screen folds on the inside. That way it can still be used whether it is in its folded or unfolded state.

But I think it is equally likely that the device simply stays in your pocket all the time and the display is beamed directly to a lens in your eye. If that isnt 10 years off it certainly is within 15. Either a lens or even glass frames. I want to say the cpu would fit on a watch but I doubt this. Current technology will fit on a small watch 10 years from now, but the bigger and better and more powerful stuff that we will have will still require more weight than what most people will want to wear on their arm. It could be an ankle bracelet, but there is a stigma around that which would make it unmarketable I would think. But who knows, in 2025 we may finally have accepted these things for what they are, and so we may be willing to wear them on our ankles. :biggrin:

Great post.
 

swanysto

Golden Member
May 8, 2005
1,949
9
81
Don't really care about the phones. I am hoping that service(data and voice) is never an issue. I can do whatever I want wherever I want without having to worry about my distance from a tower, or being inside a certain kind of structure that degrades service.