(Newswire.net — June 29, 2021) — While 2020 was a bit of a tech slump, 2021 promises some exciting and first-of-their-kind innovations in technology. With eyes glued to smartphone screens more than ever, companies are scrambling to continually up their game to bring users the latest technology.
Read on to discover some of the incredible smartphone innovations to expect in 2021.
Senior-friendly smartphone technology
While state-of-the-art tech is often marketed at a younger demographic, one company tirelessly works to keep senior citizens in the mobile game. Lively Direct, a senior-friendly cell phone retailer, has taken the mobile industry by storm in 2021 with its cellphones and mobile plans aimed at seniors and their unique lifestyle needs.
Amidst the whirlwind of senior-specific smart home technologies and elderly-friendly virtual reality platforms, companies like Lively Direct have followed suit by adopting a no-frills approach and crafting senior smartphone technologies.
Unlike their AI-enabled and app-abundant counterparts, senior-friendly cell phones eliminate unnecessary features known to stun technologically unsavvy senior citizens. These companies also offer affordable mobile plans developed with savings in mind. By allowing seniors to pay for the cell phone services they need—and doing away with the fluff—they can pivot their focus from their bank account balances to their tech know-how.
The under-screen selfie camera
Smartphone developers are in constant pursuit of decreasing the bezels on the screen. Unfortunately, one hurdle throwing developers for a loop is the selfie camera. For starters, the upfront-and-center position of the selfie camera is inevitable. Not to mention, the selfie camera’s raging popularity renders discontinuing selfie cameras an unthinkable option.
One proposed idea is the under-screen selfie camera. ZTE released one in 2020, but the tech wasn’t advanced enough. However, a few companies, including Samsung, are planning to release a purportedly new-and-improved model in 2021.
Cheaper smartphones to hit the market
Because of their hefty price tags, smartphone technology remains out of reach for much of the population, especially in countries with high poverty rates. Fortunately, Mozilla plans to release $50 smartphones in 2021 in hopes of addressing this smartphone disparity.
Cheaper smartphones could be a gamechanger. A smartphone translates to access to the internet, which can help close the information and education gap between the top 1% and those families sinking below the poverty line. With billions of Google search results tucked into their back pockets, impoverished communities can reap the financial fruits of on-the-go education, health information tracking, and improved communication with employers, job recruiters, and loved ones alike.
Faster charging
Since the advent of smartphones, developers have been working on increasing battery life and charging batteries faster. While there have been some slow improvements, 2021 promises to be the year of ultra-fast charging.
At the moment, Xiaomi holds the record for the fastest charge, achieving 70% battery life in about five minutes. With this lightning-fast charge as the success metric, companies are working tirelessly to compete with Xiaomi’s record. It’s even rumored that the iPhone 13 will be portless, necessitating a connection to a faster charger.
More AR & VR
Augmented and virtual reality technologies have received airtime in the tech sector for quite a few years. Though, initially, outsiders looking in believed these technologies would solely benefit the gaming community.
Surprisingly enough, in 2021, AR and VR will come into their own and move out of the realm of gaming. With 5G becoming more widespread, AR and VR can integrate into the lives of many.
For example, after 2020 saw the world go remote, educators began to notice the benefits of AR and VR for learning. Besides gaining traction in the education sector, AR will also receive a boost as Facebook and other companies plan to release AR glasses.
Before you go
2021 is the beginning of a new decade. Technology is growing at exponential speeds, to the point where it can be difficult to predict what’ll come next. Though these five innovations can sweep techies off their feet, what’s in store for 2022 will blow expectations out of the water.