Smartphones, the devices that occupy most of my waking thoughts, testing hours, and experimentation, are commonly regarded as a mature product category. In the past five years or so, there hasn’t been a defining moment for the industry comparable to the launch of the iPhone. The year 2023 didn’t bring such a moment, and I’d wager that 2024 won’t either.
However, this doesn’t mean that it was a dull year for mobile tech; quite the opposite. While there wasn’t a singular groundbreaking innovation, there were numerous smaller ones that, when combined, could have a substantial long-term impact.
For instance, partnerships and group chats involving both Android and iPhone users became a bit smoother. New photo editing tools blurred the distinction between a photo and a memory. Additionally, with a slightly larger screen, foldable phones became significantly more practical. While these individual innovations might not grab headlines in the 2023 consumer tech landscape, their cumulative effect is more significant than one might think.
Let’s delve into three key trends of 2023:
Improved coexistence for Android and iPhone users
Life became more convenient for households with both Android and iPhone users. Specifically, the introduction of a change in iOS 17 allowed iPhone users to maintain iMessage features even when interacting with Android devices. While it doesn’t entirely solve the issue for Android users, it at least enables iPhone users to receive high-resolution images without complications. Apple’s announcement of support for RCS in 2024 also promises better photo and video sharing in group chats between Android and iPhone users.
Foldables take centre stage
The size difference between a 1.9-inch screen and a 3.4-inch screen may not seem significant, but it made a notable impact on foldable phones like the Galaxy Z Flip 5. The increased size of the Flip 5’s cover screen made it more practical for tasks beyond checking notifications. Phones like the Flip 5 and the Motorola Razr Plus, which preceded Samsung in the big-outer-screen-flip-phone concept, allowed users to type responses, schedule events, and view selfies on a larger display. Contrary to intuition, more screen on the phone’s front means fewer trips to the main screen and potentially less time spent looking at the device—a small victory for attention spans.
The Pixel 8 and the ‘What is a photo’-pocalypse
Undoubtedly, the popularization of generative AI stands out as one of the major tech narratives of 2023, though its integration into smartphones has only just begun. While Apple’s annual iPhone launch barely touched upon AI, Google took the spotlight with the introduction of the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro.
Among various features, these devices bring forth new photo and video editing tools in Google Photos, leveraging generative AI. Notably, Best Take enables users to swap different expressions on faces in burst photos. Audio Magic Eraser allows amplification or minimization of various sounds in videos, facilitating the removal of unwanted background noise. However, the most potent, albeit complex, tool is the Magic Editor.
Magic Editor, an enhanced version of Magic Eraser, goes beyond mere removal of unwanted photo elements. It enables users to select objects, relocate them, adjust lighting, and even replace the sky. While it excels at certain tasks, attempting too much can yield peculiar results, as witnessed when trying to erase background items in a photo, which led to their replacement with an alien-like houseplant.
Despite occasional quirks, Magic Editor raises profound questions about the authenticity of photography. Should family photos faithfully document the past, or is it acceptable to make aesthetic adjustments for a more pleasing final product, even if it depicts a moment that never technically occurred?
This moral dilemma currently pertains mainly to Pixel 8 and 8 Pro owners. However, with the imminent widespread integration of generative AI on phones in the coming year, it becomes a contemplation that all smartphone users will need to grapple with.
