In the first decade of the smartphone industry, progress was absolutely rapid. We moved from the 2007 iPhone to iPhone X In 2017, each generation of phone manufacturers introduced dramatic changes to design, performance, and software.
Over the past five years or so, however, that progress has petered out, with phone manufacturers chasing marginal gains and squeezing the absolute maximum performance out of existing technology. look again applejumping from iPhone 13 arrive iPhone 14 2022 feels more like a jump, as the latter launches with the same cameras, design, and chipsets as its predecessor.
In fact, at the beginning of 2024, we see the mobile phone market being dominated by hardware that is generally very similar – whether you like it or not iphone 16, Samsung Galaxy S24or Google Pixel 9The average flagship product has a powerful processor, a 6.2-inch or so display that looks great, a dual or triple rear camera system that takes great photos, and a long battery life. A plateau has formed.
With phone manufacturers almost equally matched in terms of hardware, artificial intelligence appears to be the next big decision-maker between brands, Apple information and Google Gemini Ushering in an era of software competition not seen since the early days of iOS and Android.
However, as time goes by, I keep hearing new hardware technology appear in rumors again and again, or bundled into new flagships from lesser-known phone manufacturers. Now, looking ahead to the new year, I believe we will see a resurgence of the mobile hardware race in 2025.
battery boost
The first development I’m really excited about in phone hardware next year is silicon-carbon batteries. While the technology isn’t entirely new — Honor released its first phone with a silicon-based battery in 2023 — adoption of this brilliant new technology has begun to accelerate over the past year.
Since writing our Oppo Find X8 Pro reviewI drive this phone every day and its 5910mAh battery never ceases to amaze me. Lithium-ion mobile phone batteries are currently more common, but as tom’s guide Point out that silicon has a higher energy density, which means silicon batteries can store more charge in the same space.
For a big flagship like the Find X8 Pro, that means charging it every two days and leaving the house with 30% left, knowing it can get you through the night. For small phones like the iPhone 16, silicon carbon technology can finally provide users with truly reliable all-day battery life. After trying it myself, I think it could be a game changer in 2025.
Powerful performance drivers
Sticking with internals, 2024 is the first of several years where we’ll see significant growth in the chipset segment. After several generations of mediocre development by Apple and Qualcomm, we have welcomed the common progress of both parties.
this A18 chipset The A16 in iPhone 16 has 30% faster processing speed and 40% faster graphics processing speed than the A16 in iPhone 16 iPhone 15. Although Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Performance is almost twice that of A18 Pro iPhone 16 Pro when our American Action Editor Philip Berne ran benchmarks to compare the two.
The first Snapdragon 8 Elite phones are starting to be launched by Chinese phone manufacturers such as Millet and Nubia, although I was particularly happy to see what Samsung Rumored chipset indeed Galaxy S25 Ultra. The world’s most powerful phone with the world’s most powerful chipset? That’s enough to get us excited.
MediaTek has also emerged as a serious challenger to Apple and Qualcomm, offering a slew of mid-range and budget phones as well as Chinese flagship phones. Speaking from experience, the high-end Dimensity 9400 chipset in the Find X8 Pro is absolutely tearing – I’ve yet to find a way to slow it down. As we enter the new year, it’s great to have a new competitor join the ranks.
Finally, some nice zooming
There’s a lot to be excited about when it comes to photography, too. If the rumors are true, we may see the release of leading flagships with 1-inch sensors in 2025, thanks to rumors Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. There are other phones with 1-inch sensors, such as Xiaomi Mi 14 Ultra Commemorative Edition and Oppo Find X7 Ultra. But these are not widely used – Samsung, Apple or Samsung’s 1-inch sensor cameras Google Will set a very high standard for the entire industry and will undoubtedly change our list best camera phone During this process.
I expect telephoto cameras to become more and more impressive in 2025, too. this iPhone 17 Pro It is rumored that it will come with a 48MP 5x zoom camera optimized for video – That’s four times the resolution of the 12MP zoom snapper on the iPhone 16 Pro. Further hints indicate Samsung develops telephoto lens with brighter aperture Help take low-light portraits. Some may consider this a niche aspect of mobile phone design, but I’ve always thought zoom was an important part of the phone camera experience And it’s great to see some of the progress being made.
With some of these technologies already available and others still existing only in rumors and leaks, phone manufacturers have to either capitalize on the potential of new models or make the rumored technologies a reality. I also hope for more surprises in terms of display technology, sustainability and repairability, and adventurous design choices.
That being said, one thing remains clear: the foundation has been laid for some exciting mobile phone hardware developments in 2025.