In this day and age, there is an increasing pressure on individuals to keep up with the latest technological innovations. However, according to the research company Gartner, smartphones have taken their first decline in sales since they began tracking the market in 2004. This is perhaps partly due to years of uninspiring innovation leaving many users deeply frustrated. Perhaps innovation and functionality has now effectively plateaued. As an iPhone user myself, I have always found myself disheartened by its poor battery lifespan, for example. However, Apple may just be about to spice things up. They reportedly have plans to release their brand-new iPhone X plus, which boasts an impressive 6.5-inch, edge to edge display. These announcements include the development of new power management chips, aimed at rapidly increasing battery life. 

Samsung remain the leaders in the smartphone market, sitting comfortably at the top of the list measuring global smartphone vendor shipments, ahead of both Apple and Huawei. This should come as no surprise as the brand-new galaxy S9 is absolutely stunning. It’s cool, sharp aesthetic has made it a huge hit among smartphone users. Clearly, we have a lot to be excited about. Here are some of the latest smartphone marketing trends to look out for in 2018.

Fingerprint and face scanning security:

Apple previously innovated new fingerprint security for iPhones. This feature has been widely criticised following research that suggested it was not as secure as we might think. According to James Titcomb in his article for the Telegraph: “researchers were able to create a set of “master prints” that could fool a scanner up to 65 percent of the time.” This is potentially part of the reason for Apple’s new facial recognition feature, included in the iPhone X model. This new innovation allows iPhone users to unlock their device using their face as a passcode. This new trend is almost certainly here to stay. It’s efficient, reliable and personal. This new trend will leave you feeling like an MI5 associate. 

Despite its criticism, fingerprint security is still in use. Vivo are forerunners with this technology, releasing a device with a fingerprint reader built into the display. The built-in fingerprint reader has an edge on other mobiles with fingerprint technology as it relies less on the positioning of the user’s finger and takes more accurate readings.

Dual Camera Technology:

Dual camera technology is by no means brand new. LG released the G5 back in 2016 sporting this exciting feature. However, new models are bound to develop this feature in the months and years to come. This new trend see’s smartphones sporting two cameras on the rear side, leaving shots more vivid, detailed and dynamic. This feature is especially useful when taking shots in darker lighting conditions. Apple introduced this feature with their iPhone 7 plus model and we can only expect them to build on from these advances

Edge to edge display:

This slick new trend see’s mobile phone displays covering the entire front of the device. iPhone and Samsung are both opting for this aesthetic with their latest models. both the iPhone X and Samsung Galaxy S9 are both sporting this prepossessing design. This is a turn away from previous models with the home button built into the bottom of the display. Edge to edge displays give the phone a sharp and professional aesthetic and this will no doubt be popular among consumers. I suspect this trend will be here for the foreseeable future.