2020 Smartphone Wish List: 16 Thing I want to see
Smartphones are really quite good, for most people a mid range phone is now good enough. So at a time when the difference between the top 10 smartphones is nuanced and a flagship and mid range comes down to component pricing, what do we need smartphone makers to give us in 2020?
Surprisingly, even though phones are pretty darn good, we have a very long list of demands!
Better Battery Life
I want two day battery life, I might not need it, but I want it. What surprises me is that many phones struggle to keep me connected if I get up at 7am and stay out until the wee hours of the morning. Phones should keep up with the most extreme moments of our life style. Not the average.
More Plastic!
Phones that have glass on both sides just mean that I have two surfaces to shatter. Plastic and Polycarbonate have evolved to offer more premium finishes. Let’s redefine high end to exclude expensive repairs. Having said that I’m not opposed to the return of the metal phone either, but I’d like to keep the weight of the phone down. So as I attempt to reduce my plastic consumption in all parts of my life, my phone is the one place I’d like to keep it.
5G That makes sense
It’s coming, we love it! But right now phones are getting hot, running out of battery and the infrastructure is so spotty. In Germany they have 5G phones and no network. If you’re going to keep talking about 5G, give us a network we an get excited about.
Waterproof
Welcome to a world where we jump into lakes and forget our phone is in our pocket. Or you spill a drink. It’s 2020 people, this should be standard!
No More Assistant Buttons
If you’re going to give me a single use product it better be really good at whatever it does. Though some might like launching Bixby or Google Assistant useful, it’s useless for pretty much everyone else.
On a side note, if you do know someone who likes using the Samsung Bixby Action button they’re likely a physcopath. Having an easy way to identify these dangerous individuals is a public service, even still. Let’s drop that single use button.
Give me a Silence slider
Yes, I realize I just said that I don’t want anymore single use buttons, but OnePlus and Apple are making our world a less noisy place by letting us mute our phones by touch. These allow people to silence their phones quickly and discreetly. OnePlus has even one upped Apple by adding a vibrate only option.
No Software buttons
The Meizu Zero has no ports and no buttons, it has software buttons to turn it on and control the volume.
I need to use my phone by touch, hence why I like the action slider. I get smartphone makers are enamored with the new design possibilities, but let’s go function over form on this one!
More headphone jacks
I’m a wireless audio convert, but I want the option to plug in. Audiophiles love it because it offers better audio quality and let’s be real, sometimes your headphones run out of battery
Stop teaching us how we should be using our tech, Android is about customization, use it how you want. Let it be our choice when we want to go wireless.
Stereo Speakers
We share music and videos with our friends, having sound come out of a single speaker on the bottom is frustrating. Realize how we use our phones and give us balanced stereo speakers.
WiFi 6 & Bluetooth 5
These should be standard for every single phone shipped in 2020. Wi-Fi 6 has new security features that protect consumers. Bluetooth 5 is more efficient and drains less battery Added bonus, it future proofs your phone.
Smaller Phones
I spend an abnormal amount of time looking for phones that will replace an iPhone 5. 4.7 inch display don't exist anymore. Give me a good phone that fits into the back pocket of a girl who wears a size 4! There is a market for small phones that have a good camera. Please! Someone service this market!
Under Display Cameras
No more notches, no more hold punches, no more pop up cameras. Let’s get the full screen experience we all crave.
Triple Camera Phones with three perspectives
Wide angle, standard and telephoto. Triple camera is very common let’s give everyone all of the creative opportunities available. Add in a depth sensor for a bit of bokeh and we’re golden.
4K 60fps
We all need our home bloopers to me smoother than ever. Or content creators are doing more with phones and making the move from 4K at 30fps to 60fps generates a way better product for YouTube.
More $200 phone and less $2000 phones
We understand the fight for the top means putting out crazier and crazier phones, but we’d like to see the same amount of effort making a $200 phone increadible with few compromises.
Affordable Flagships
I’m a OnePlus Fan Girl, part of the reason behind that is they put out great phones at a more affordable price.
If you have something that isn't on this list, let me know in the comments!