Recently I read an article over on Australian newspaper The Age's website that listed the "five technologies to look for in your next smartphone".
The list included things such as a "quad-core processor", "4.5-inch and
larger displays" and "NFC", which they claim can "potentially change
the way you use your smartphone".
I think they're wrong. Here are the five technologies that I think you should look for in your next smartphone.
1. Any next-gen chipset that's not Tegra 3
The Age contended that your next processor should be a quad-core one,
and I couldn't disagree more. To be honest, the amount of cores is
completely irrelevant in general smartphone performance, as many people
can see in Windows Phone running smoothly on single-core Qualcomm
processors. Few apps utilize all four cores of the only quad-core SoC
available right now (Tegra 3), and in other respects the NVIDIA-made
chipset falls behind the competitors.
So if cores don't help, what does? The answer is a combination of
several factors: performance per MHz, battery life efficiency, graphics
processor and media enhancements. The quad-core Tegra 3 chipset uses
current-gen ARM Cortex-A9 processing cores, which in battery efficiency
and performance per MHz is no different to a dual-core Exynos 4xxx or TI
OMAP 4 series processor.
Tegra 3's quad-core processor might seem appealing, but there are better options out there
Next-gen chipsets like the TI OMAP 5 series, Exynos 5xxx and Qualcomm
Snapdragon S4 all improve over their predecessors' processing cores,
with the former two adopting Cortex-A15 processors. They are faster per
MHz, have improvements that reduce battery and all should have GPUs that
are considerably faster than the Tegra 3 chip, making NVIDIA's option
weak against next-gen offerings.
It's not "quad-core processors" that you should be looking for, it's a
chipset that utilizes Cortex-A15 (or equivalent) cores and a beefy GPU
to deliver the best performance, with extra cores a mere bonus to the
package. Next-gen chipsets will be providing this, and Tegra 3 does not,
which is why I recommend anything new that's not NVIDIA's chip.
2. A camera with a decent lens/sensor
Camera enthusiasts have been saying for years that the megapixels don't
matter, and I couldn't agree more. Just like core-counts on smartphone
processors, megapixel counts on smartphone cameras are less relevant
than the other parts of the system. You should be looking for a phone
that packs a decent lens and sensor, with a large megapixel count simply
being a bonus.
Smartphone cameras can be good. I took this shot on an Xperia S
I know it's possible to get a smartphone with a good camera, because I saw it in person with the Sony Xperia S and
its Exmor R sensor. If other companies decide to bundle amazing cameras
into their phones, they have the potential to replace standalone
point-and-shoot cameras and put real pressure on the point-and-shoot
market.
Be on the lookout for devices that pack a decent camera, and the best
way to check this is via product reviews because specifications can't
tell you everything.
3. A big battery
You won't be enjoying your all-powerful smartphone if it dies in just a
few hours, so a phone that has a big battery is going to more appealing.
Something in the range of 2,000+ mAh is respectable, but obviously if
you can go bigger without disrupting the looks of the phone you are
going to get a better experience.
Battery technology really hasn't improved all that much since the
beginning of smartphone use, but big breakthroughs are likely to be on
the horizon; probably not in the upcoming smartphone generations but in
later years. Be on the lookout for phones that claim to have good
battery lives, but make sure to check their claims via reviews.
4. LTE and fast Wi-Fi
The Age's article says that "4G" is something to look out for, but I'd
go one step further and narrow that down to LTE so you can discount
HSPA+ and WiMax. LTE is already rolling out to the majority of the
United States, some of Canada and Australia, with Europe to follow at
some point, so soon you should be able to take full advantage of the new
way to connect.
LTE does suck power at a greater rate than HSPA or CDMA (EV-DO), but
with a bigger battery as I mentioned in point 3, this should be negated.
With your next smartphone you should be looking to connect faster and
LTE is currently the best way to provide this outside your household.
For inside your house you should be looking for a phone that has fast
Wi-Fi, preferably dual-band 802.11n. With a dual-band device you can
connect to less-congested 5 GHz networks provided you have a compatible
dual-band router, which can allow for faster connection speeds inside
your house.
One thing to remember is that most current mobile Wi-Fi chips are capped
at ~60 Mbps even if they support 802.11n, meaning streaming video from
your local network can be limited and choppy. In the future, look for a
phone with a chipset that raises this limit so you can enjoy streamed
video more; although it's unclear if faster Wi-Fi chips are on the way
and if they are, most consumers will probably overlook the feature.
5. Dense displays
720p is all the rage these days with smartphone displays, and it's
definitely something to look for as The Age states. Higher density
displays look crisper and sharper, so anything over 300 pixels-per-inch
is adequate for pixels to be indistinguishable to the naked eye (at a
reasonable distance).
Dense displays do improve sharpness and readability
However 720p is not a definite "must buy", as phones with smaller
displays, which some people prefer, don't require this resolution to
achieve a good pixel density. 1280 x 720 delivers over 300 ppi right up
to 4.9", but 960 x 540 (qHD) is fine for displays smaller than 3.65" and
800 x 480 (WVGA) is good under 3.1". As long as the smartphone you
choose reaches the magic 300 ppi, you should get a very crisp
experience.
Also, be on the lookout for the better S-LCD 2 and Super AMOLED Plus
display technologies; no PenTile displays in either of them and both
look amazing. Gorilla Glass 2 is also a good match to protect your
display from breaking.
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