Starting from CES 2019, what changes will there be in the smartphone industry?

As a routine technology event at the beginning of the year, CES attracts the attention of technology enthusiasts around the world every year. However, as a comprehensive product exhibition, the importance of smartphones in CES in previous years may not be as important as we think. This seems to be more obvious at CES 2019.

However, although only Qualcomm announced that 30 5G devices will be launched in 2019, and only a few mobile phones such as FlexPai and Samsung folding screen mobile phone (closed-door meeting) appeared at CES2019, we can still find some information about the future development of smart phones in the exhibits of various manufacturers. From 5G to flexible screens, there is no doubt that after the baptism of 2018, the smart phone market in 2019 may be more interesting.

5G!5G!

On the first day of CES 2019, 5G was everywhere at the show. Qualcomm announced that more than 30 5G devices will be available in 2019, mainly smartphones. Intel also released a network system chip for 5G wireless access and edge computing, and announced that it will launch a 5G baseband in the second half of this year.

In terms of terminals, many 5G mobile phones have appeared at the Qualcomm booth, including OPPO Find X 5G version, moto Z3 5G module, etc. If nothing unexpected happens, 5G mobile phones will be officially shipped in the first half of this year.

But as far as the domestic market is concerned, the official launch of 5G mobile phones may be slightly delayed. But this does not hinder the domestic market's enthusiasm for 5G. According to Li Huidi, vice president of China Mobile, China Mobile will start pre-commercial use of 5G in 2019 and officially release 5G mobile phones in the first half of the year.

In addition to operators and terminal manufacturers, Internet companies have also begun to make efforts in the 5G field. For example, Tencent has set up a "Future Lab". The reason is that 5G will bring huge changes to people's lives. Faster connection speeds and lower latency, from the entire city's Internet of Things to personal home smart homes, with 5G as the center, smartphones will truly become the central hub connecting everything.

Before 2019, smartphones were an indispensable data center in each of our lives, but after 2019, what important role will smartphones play in our lives?

Everything in the future is so fascinating.

Bend? Fold!

If we were to choose the annual keyword for the smartphone market in 2018, full screen would surely be a strong contender on the list. From narrow bezels to bezel-less, from curved screens to full screens, from notches to the extreme, smartphone manufacturers have never stopped pursuing a higher screen-to-body ratio.

The advantages of full-screen design are self-evident. A higher screen-to-body ratio brings a stronger visual impact, which in turn brings a more shocking visual effect. In order to achieve a higher screen-to-body ratio, mechanical designs including sliding cover designs have reappeared. Although consumers' evaluation of mechanical design is polarized, it is undeniable that in the pursuit of true full-screen, domestic manufacturers have already taken the lead in the world.

Obviously, how to go further has become a question that many manufacturers have to think about. In fact, even a true full-screen with a screen-to-body ratio of up to 100% will have a size limit due to the body size. How to break through the body size limit and how to get a higher screen-to-body ratio are the problems that smartphone manufacturers have to face in 2019 when full-screen design is almost coming to an end.

Fortunately, this question now has an answer.

If you ask about the coolest device exhibited at CES 2019, I'm sure everyone will vote for LG Signature OLED TV R. Yes, this is the actual mass-produced version of the concept product LG exhibited at CES 2018. LG Signature OLED TV is the world's first mass-produced roll-up flexible TV. Its most unique feature is that when you are not using it, you can choose to let the screen "roll up" by itself and disappear into the base.

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That's right, this is a flexible screen device.

In fact, flexible screens, or more specifically foldable screens, have already appeared in our lives. What seemed like a far-fetched science fiction has now become a reality. Last year, Royole Technology released the world's first foldable screen phone, which was also unveiled at CES 2019. Afterwards, many manufacturers, including Samsung, have announced that they will launch foldable screen phones in 2019.

If nothing unexpected happens, 2019 will also be the year of foldable screen phones.

Samsung Electronics also held a closed-door meeting at CES on January 8, US time, and showed customers a prototype of a foldable phone. An executive of a Samsung customer revealed that Samsung is still optimizing the hardware and software of the foldable phone, and when the phone is unfolded, it will not show any signs of being folded, and the screen of the device feels very smooth.

After looking at the phone, the Samsung customer executive said that if the phone is fully folded, it will be damaged, so Samsung is conducting tests to slightly raise the edge of the phone when folded. Although Samsung's prototype will leave creases when folding the phone, this problem will be solved in the final product.

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According to Samsung, the prototype of Samsung's foldable phone will be very slim when fully unfolded. When the phone is folded, it will feel more secure to hold, rather than feeling thicker. Samsung did not show the phone to public visitors this time, but only privately demonstrated it to client companies visiting the CES exhibition area.

According to industry insiders, since Samsung's foldable phone is equipped with the latest flexible screen and battery technology, its price is likely to be at least $1,336 (about RMB 9,122). Therefore, the user group of Samsung's foldable phone is 40-year-old men with great purchasing power. In addition, it will be released in the first half of 2019, and only about 1 million units will be produced, far lower than the 10 million production target of Samsung's flagship Galaxy S series.

Foldable screen phones can bring a larger screen display area, break the boundary between smartphones and tablets, give smartphones more possibilities, and inject new vitality into the smartphone market. However, similar to 5G phones, the upcoming foldable screen phones will inevitably face the problem of being too expensive. Of course, this is inevitable in the early stages of new products.

If you want a unique experience, you have to pay a price.

However, unlike 5G phones, the foldable screen phones that are initially launched will inevitably face a series of problems such as ecosystem adaptation. Whether terminal manufacturers can come up with feasible system solutions and whether APP manufacturers are willing to adapt software in the first time, all of this may make the first year of foldable screen phones less smooth.

Under-screen fingerprint or structured light?

With the emergence of foldable screen phones, the competition between structured light and under-screen fingerprint recognition may reach a new peak. As for structured light, there will also be a fierce battle between 3D structured light and ToF technology.

As for the question of which is better, structured light technology or under-screen fingerprint technology, no one can give an answer in a short time. It can even be said that there will be no answer for a long time in the future. The only thing that can be predicted is that with the continuous improvement of the industrial chain, under-screen fingerprint technology may be decentralized to mid- and low-end products in 2019. Similarly, structured light technology may also be gradually decentralized to mid-end products.

However, the competition between 3D structured light and ToF technology may be concluded in 2019. For a long time, due to the different working distances of 3D structured light and ToF technology, the market has almost assumed that 3D structured light is used for front unlocking recognition, while ToF technology is used for rear camera distance measurement. However, the shorter application distance of 3D structured light means that it cannot replace rear ToF technology, but can ToF technology not counterattack from rear to front?

The answer is yes.

At CES 2019, Lenovo released a new notebook YOGA S940, which is claimed to be the world's first notebook with a 3D glass screen. But what's more interesting is that Lenovo stuffed a ToF camera above its screen, which not only brings more secure authentication, but also brings some functions based on head tracking.

Considering the unclear relationship between laptops and smartphones, we have reason to speculate that in the near future, ToF technology will completely replace 3D structured light and become the new favorite of smartphone biometrics. In fact, with ToF technology, based on its powerful motion tracking capabilities, we may be closer to freeing our hands to use smartphones.

Summarize

Although mobile phones were not the main attraction at CES 2019, and the highlights were hard to find, this did not prevent us from understanding the development trend of smartphones in 2019 from other aspects of the exhibition. One clear fact is that many manufacturers, including Samsung, LG, and Sony, have stated that they will release 5G smartphones in 2019. Although no actual prototypes have appeared yet, for consumers, it is enough to have hope in their hearts.

Of course, in addition to technology upgrades, we also need to see changes in the market. As the Matthew effect becomes more prominent, the smartphone market is bound to continue to be a situation where the strong get stronger in 2019. Whether it is technology research and development or supply order, it is difficult for small manufacturers to gain enough say. However, difficulties do not mean there are no opportunities. Whether it is 5G or foldable screen technology, as long as they are willing, small manufacturers can also make wonderful products and gain public recognition.

So, facing 2019, facing 5G, facing foldable screens, are you ready?