Tencent Digital [Weibo] Wenxin October 27, 216 at 15:5

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[ Abstract] Although it seems that the development speed of smart phone technology has greatly slowed down or even stagnated, more black technologies will be applied to smart phones in the next few years to provide users with a better experience.

Tencent Digital News (Wenxin) Macworld article discusses the development of smartphone technology in iPhone 9(22) and the next few years. As time points to the "distant future" day by day, related predictions will be based more and more on speculation, and many of them may never come true.

battery and energy development

the era of rapid development of smart phone technology and great differences in experience between different manufacturers and different generations of products has become a thing of the past. Smart phone technology is quite mature, and there is little difference between the newly released mobile phone and the one released last year, so users' motivation to buy a new one is not strong. The current smart phone is "good enough".

one of the most promising areas for smart phones-and one of the most neglected areas so far-is battery life. Battery technology is developing, but smartphone manufacturers are also constantly improving the resolution of display screens and adopting processors with more powerful processing power, which increase energy consumption, while constantly reducing the size of batteries in pursuit of thinness and thinness, especially in Apple.

Macworld predicts that battery life will be paid more attention by mobile phone manufacturers and consumers in the next few years. Part of the reason is that the thinness and speed of mobile phones can meet the needs of users, and part of the reason is that some cool battery technologies are already suitable for smart phones.

stacked battery cells

The battery technology developed by Apple for the 12-inch MacBook-corrugated, layered battery cells are stacked in the case to make full use of the space, so that a larger battery capacity can be obtained in the same or even reduced space. There have been rumors that Apple will use this technology for future iPhone.

because engineers don't need to consider the fixed battery shape when designing products, this technology will even lead to major changes in the overall design of the iPhone. Although smart phones are quite mature, it is not necessarily impossible for a bold mobile phone manufacturer to do so.

Lithium-air battery

The battery capacity and efficiency will definitely improve in the next few years, especially if the lithium-air battery is successful. The article Nature explains that the service life of lithium-air batteries is much longer than that of lithium-ion batteries widely used in smart phones at present-although there are still some technical problems, the service life of the former may reach five times that of the latter.

sports charging

sports charging and other technologies provide different ideas. Many years ago, the principle of sports charging was applied to many watches. Some media reported that Apple had considered this technology when developing Apple Watch. Sports charging uses the kinetic energy of the user's movement to charge the battery-the traditional mode is that the mechanical watch winds up by the swing of the user's arm, and the wearable mobile phone charger adopts a similar method, so that the battery life of the mobile phone can be extended by an average of one hour every 5, steps taken by the user.

sports charging technology needs to be improved before it can be accepted by the public. It would be better if this technology can be integrated into mobile phones. In addition, it is very important that sports charging technology can collect the energy of small-scale movement when the mobile phone is put in a pocket or bag, so users can't be required to hold the mobile phone in their hands all the time.

solar energy

Another technology that can complement the traditional battery charging technology in the foreseeable future is solar power generation. Sunpartner Technologies has developed a very light mobile phone case, which can use light to generate electricity. It is suitable for both indoor lighting and natural light, but it performs better in natural light environment. In the right environment, this technology can extend the battery life of mobile phones by 1%-15%.

Of course, Apple has always promised to adopt clean energy, and a patent obtained in 215 shows that Apple is putting this strategy into action. Patent application materials show that Apple plans to integrate solar cells under the touch screen of smart phones in the future. The solar battery will charge the battery during the day, so users don't need to plug their mobile phones into the power supply to charge. This really kills two birds with one stone, which not only protects the environment, but also facilitates users.

solar cell clothing

even if the solar cell is integrated in the mobile phone, the surface area of the solar cell is still too small. How about letting users wear solar cell clothes?

researchers have developed "smart fibers" to make clothes that can use solar energy to generate electricity and store electricity during the day, and then charge mobile devices.

to enter the mainstream market, there are still some obstacles to be overcome. One of them is that the dyes used are not friendly to the environment and contain volatile organic compounds that may be harmful.

However, in a few years, it is really possible for us to wear such a solar cell costume. An American polymer science professor estimates that the first commercial solar cell clothing will come out in the next five years, and it is likely to be first used for military and outdoor purposes.

energy collection

the technology that can collect the energy emitted by mobile phones in the form of radio waves (useless radio waves, not radio waves for communication) already exists, and the collected energy can be transported back to the battery. This is not a long-term solution: the collection rate cannot reach 1%, and some energy will be consumed in the form of radio waves, and internal components and display screens need to consume a lot of electricity.

The current experiments show that this technology has little increase in battery life, will not change the user experience, and is not attractive enough for ordinary users. However, we can imagine that the iPhone in the next 1 years will adopt the above three technologies at the same time: collecting the kinetic energy generated by the user's body movement, collecting the ambient light and the energy of the radio waves emitted by the mobile phone. At that time, the battery life will no longer worry users, and perhaps the mobile phone battery will be "self-reliant", and users will no longer need to charge the mobile phone battery.

physical design

iPhone is a delicate product, and users are usually careful when using it: either give it a strong protective case or risk falling to the ground when taking out the phone from their pockets.

given the variety of futuristic materials that may be used for the iPhone in 22, this situation may change. The following design progress makes the iPhone 9 and later models stronger than users think, and some interesting changes will occur in the design.

sapphire glass

The iPhone display is made of a material called gorilla glass, which is much stronger than ordinary glass, but even so, when it falls to the ground, the iPhone display will crack or even break. The sapphire glass screen is stronger, and the Apple Watch display uses sapphire glass. Apple may now be interested in using sapphire glass in the iPhone.

There was a rumor that Apple invested in a sapphire glass factory in Arizona (which can produce 2 million 5-inch iPhone screens every year) and planned to rely on this factory to provide sapphire glass screens, but this rumor went bankrupt. Recently, some media reported that Foxconn, the OEM of Apple, stepped up the construction of sapphire glass factory in Taiwan Province, China, with an investment of US$ 2.6 billion.

chameleon design

Yanko Design once put forward a crazy concept: a smart phone that can be clipped to the ear like a Bluetooth headset, and can change its color according to the user's face, thus achieving the purpose of invisibility.

although it is only a concept at present, it is favored by users.

curved surface design

Patently Apple published in August 216 that Apple applied for a patent for curved glass iPhone with virtual buttons displayed on the side. If the report is true, it may be similar to the rumored OLED touch bar of the new MacBook Pro.

the pictures in the patent application materials also show that in the future, the iPhone will adopt curved glass screens similar to Samsung Galaxy S6 edge and S7 edge. This enhances the credibility of rumors that Apple plans to make major changes to the iPhone design to welcome the 1th anniversary of the iPhone.

Apple's design must be different from Samsung's to prevent it from being considered as copying Samsung's design. In the past 1 years, most mobile phones have copied the iPhone design to some extent. Apple has no problem producing such an iPhone, because these patents show that it has the right to produce a mobile phone with this design.

Project Phire

Corning, which is famous for its gorilla glass, announced its superhard composite code-named Project phire in early 215 to deal with the approaching threat of sapphire glass.

James Clappin, president of Corning, told investors, "We said last year that sapphire glass has excellent scratch resistance, but it will cause problems when falling. Therefore, we have developed a new material that has the super anti-damage and drop performance of Gorilla 4 glass, and the scratch resistance is close to sapphire glass. "

Apple has never discussed the materials used for iPhone screens, but it is good news for consumers that suppliers are competing to provide the best and most durable screen glass.

graphene

Some models of Apple Watch and all models of Apple Watch Series 2 use sapphire glass. Project Phire seems to be in the late stage of development, but we will welcome more sci-fi materials.

graphene is a substance different from graphite. It is the thinnest material known to mankind, and its thickness is only about one millionth of the diameter of human hair, but it may be the strongest material-1 times that of steel, and it also has excellent electrical conductivity-1 times that of copper. Besides, it is almost transparent.

these characteristics make graphene popular with manufacturers of technology products. Most obviously, it can be used to produce protective materials for screens or any part of equipment with extremely high durability. In addition, graphene can replace silicon in processor chips to produce more efficient batteries and solar cells.

viscoelastic materials

in addition to the screen, other parts of the iPhone will also welcome new materials with higher durability.

Patent application materials show that Apple is developing a viscoelastic material. The iPhone will be wrapped in this material, and its drop resistance will be greatly improved. This patent can also be used for all Apple mobile devices and notebooks, but it will obviously be used for iPhone first.

Flexible iPhone

Apple obtained a patent in January 215, indicating that it is considering producing a flexible iPhone-this article will not discuss the flexible iPhone.

The patent shows that by making the iPhone flexible, Apple can "release" new control methods. For example, users can open an application by bending the body in a specific way, or use the flexibility of the iPhone to control games. Although it sounds a bit unreliable, it is a fascinating concept.

in addition, the iPhone with flexible design should have higher impact resistance, so it is more durable.

Waterproof ability

A patent application published in December p>215 shows that Apple will adopt a strange but interesting solution to solve the flooding problem that has plagued the iPhone in the past (it should not be in the future, because the iPhone 7 has IP67 waterproof ability): make the water flow out of the iPhone body through the speaker grille.

interestingly, apple has adopted similar technology in Apple Watch Series 2.

progress in screen technology

The screen is the center of the iPhone, and users communicate with the iPhone through the screen. In the past, the screen resolution of iPhone was not the highest in smartphones, but they were bright and responsive. Apple also added new features to the screen, such as 3D Touch and Night Shift.

the following are Macworld's expectations for the development of iPhone screens in the next few years.

Flexible or Curved Screen

According to the Nikkei News, Apple will release three iPhones in the autumn of 217, among which the flagship model will be equipped with a curved OLED screen. Competitors such as Samsung S7 Edge and Note 7 have adopted this design, which helps to increase the display area without increasing the size of the mobile phone, and the mobile phone can display notifications on the side of the screen.

A source in the Nikkei News said, "The iPhone released next year will have a 4.7-inch model and a 5.5-inch model, and the other high-end model will be equipped with a 5.5-inch or larger display screen, which will be bent to two sides."

As the Nikkei News reported, the curved OLED screen is Samsung's "specialty": If Apple chooses this design, there will be an interesting situation: Will Samsung supply the curved OLED screen to Apple and cultivate the Note7 killer?

Apple Patent No.914659 describes "an electronic device equipped with a surrounding display screen", saying that a curved screen can display more contents without increasing the size of the device. Although the patent mentions "flexible display assembly", it is worth pointing out that this is not a patent related to flexible display.

however, in the medium and long term, it is not excluded that the iPhone is equipped with a truly flexible display. Dongsen News reported that Samsung is investing billions of dollars in factories and equipment in order to get screen orders for Apple's next-generation iPhone. For many years, manufacturers have been showing flexible display screens in the proof-of-concept stage.

Macworld believes that truly flexible displays will not be popular until the end of 21s, especially if Apple is quite conservative about updating its successful product design.

3D display

According to Economic Daily in Taiwan Province, China, the iPhone may use 3D display in the near future, and Chenhong Technology, Apple's supply chain partner, is engaged in a project related to "naked-eye 3D display", which can watch 3D content without wearing special glasses. It is disappointing to have to wear a pair of special glasses every time you look at your mobile phone.

holographic technology

However, 3D is somewhat outdated after all. People hope that Apple will take a step forward and equip the iPhone with a holographic display. However, users may have to wait for a while.

At present, users can use smart phones to experience the "holographic effect" based on eye tracking technology. Although this is not what we expected, it is quite interesting.

borderless design

On May 17, 216, Apple applied for a patent for a borderless design device. In the future, there will definitely be noticeable borderless devices.

A designer named Marek Weidlich released a rendering of the iPhone with a borderless design. This may mean that Apple is still innovating in the field of smart phones.