Like the previous year, the year 2024 will be dominated by AI. Smartphones – especially with Google's Android – and notebooks have also become smarter thanks to generative artificial intelligence, among other things. But the development of AI devices has only just begun. This is also reflected in the expected trends for the smartphone market.
Smartphone chips: More performance for more on-device AI
The heart of every smartphone is the processor, also called system-on-a-chip (SoC). This unites various components such as CPU, GPU and NPU, which are responsible for the various “computing tasks”. The “Neural Processing Unit” (NPU) plays a particularly relevant role in the AI area, which will be expanded on both Android and iOS in 2025 – especially for tasks that can be completed directly on the device.
The new processors from Qualcomm in the form of the X Elite and the Mediatek Dimensity 9400 should once again provide a push in this area. According to initial tests and benchmarks, the SoCs are on a par with the Apple A18 Pro, which is quite impressive.
Smartphones are being expanded into AI gadgets
Further growth can of course be expected in terms of AI capabilities. Both Apple and Google are adding additional generative AI features to their mobile operating systems.
It is already becoming apparent that with Android 16 it will be possible for a large part of the smartphone to be controlled by voice via Gemini. Apple's iOS 19 is also supposed to turn Siri into a regular chatbot.
Larger batteries without increasing the weight and size of the smartphone
Even if the new processors, which have already been announced and are installed in the first devices, at least in China, are not only faster, but also more energy efficient and could theoretically run longer: the AI calculations carried out on the devices are quite high in consumption. In order not to shorten the running time too much when using AI, many manufacturers rely on larger batteries with silicon-carbon cell chemistry.
What's special about it: The energy density is higher than that of conventional lithium-ion batteries, which means the batteries can achieve a higher capacity for the same size. The first manufacturers such as Oppo and Xiaomi have already presented their models for 2025 and, despite the familiar device sizes, the batteries have now grown to up to 6,000 milliamp hours. Until now, manufacturers have tended to install batteries with up to 5,000 milliamp hours. Insiders even assume that the batteries can increase to 7,000 milliamp hours in the future.
Other manufacturers are also likely to follow this trend, which Honor started with the Magic 6 Pro at the beginning of 2024. The positive thing about it: If you use fewer AI functions, you suddenly have runtimes of up to two days with normal use.
Apple is also said to be using a new cell chemistry in the iPhone 17, which also sounds a lot like silicon-carbon. This means that the manufacturer should largely produce the new batteries on its own. Positive side effect: The charging performance should also increase. This would be particularly desirable for Apple's iPhones, which can be charged with less than 30 watts.
Thinner smartphones as the next trend?
In 2025 we can also prepare for a trend that is likely to be favored by, among other things, the new cell chemistry of batteries. Both Apple and Samsung are said to be introducing particularly slim smartphones.
Thanks to the silicone-carbon batteries, the running time shouldn't suffer much. To what extent the remaining equipment will be reduced remains to be seen.
Aside from the “slim” phones, the manufacturer is also working on shrinking the sometimes massive camera bumps on the back of the device a little. The Oppo Find X8 Pro can be used as an example. In the high-end smartphone with a quad camera, the camera hill has actually been reduced somewhat, which is thanks, among other things, to a new design of the periscope telephoto zoom camera.
New standards, longer lifespan
Numerous innovations can also be expected under the hood that give smartphones new possibilities. We can expect the first devices to be equipped with the new Bluetooth standard 6.0 in the course of 2025.
The successor to Bluetooth 5.4 is intended, among other things, to make “Find My” solutions for Airtags etc. more precise. According to Bluetooth-SIG, new functions are possible for digital key solutions for cars or door locks, for example to be able to set the exact distance at which a lock opens.
The introduction of a new protection class is not to be scoffed at: With IP69, you will be able to take your smartphone into the shower without being afraid, as the devices can withstand even higher water pressure. The IP69 standard is such that corresponding devices would also be protected from high-pressure water jets with up to 100 bar.
Things will also be good for smartphone owners and the environment in the EU from mid-2025: from then on, smartphone manufacturers will be obliged to provide their devices with software updates for five years. Some manufacturers such as Samsung and Google are already doing this, but unfortunately other companies are not yet ready.
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