When the idea was put forward that we should do a series of posts on what we would like to see in 2013 I realised that there’s been one thing on my smartphone wishlist every year since I can remember:
Better battery life
I’m no expert in battery technology, but it doesn’t seem to be keeping up with the rest of the hardware that surrounds it.
I understand that screens have grown and processors have become more power hungry, but there are a lot of people I know who have to carry spare batteries or chargers with them to get through the day. That’s just not acceptable.
The rest of my wishlist:
Sony to get their act together
Sony have made some great phones and tablets over the past couple of years, but they’ve always been one step behind the competition.
The Xperia T, for example, is a really nice bit of kit, but it is just slightly underspecced for its price point in the current marketplace, meaning people who are after a flagship Android device are more likely to opt for a Samsung Galaxy SIII or Nexus 4.
The same goes for the Sony Xperia Tablet. I’ve got an original Tablet S, and I love it, but I bought it as a second hand bargain: that’s the only way I’d consider its replacement too. It was slightly old hat at launch, and doesn’t deserve the price tag.
Please, Sony, get ahead of the game and launch something truly astonishing.
4G done properly
EE did a lot of things wrong last year, bringing a bad name to Orange, T-Mobile and, what should have been their crowning glory, 4G.
I don’t live in a 4G coverage area, but from what I’ve seen it can be pretty impressive, and something I’ll want in on when it comes to my neck of the woods.
However, I won’t be spending the sort of money that EE think it’s worth. I get all the data I can consume on Three for £12.50 a month at more than adequate speeds for streaming TV catchup and Spotify. Why then, would I pay EE’s inflated prices for such little real world gain?
Sorry, EE, but you’re going to have to buck up your ideas when your exclusivity ends.
A five inch phablet
HTC have brought out the perfect form factor handset for me in the shape of the 5-inch Butterfly J (also known as the Droid DNA), but they haven’t brought it out in the UK!
I own a 5.5-inch Samsung Galaxy Note, which is slightly too big, but and a 4.7-inch Nexus 4, which is slightly too small.
HTC, bring the Butterfly J to the UK so I can go back to being a one-handset man (maybe).
Professional launches of new stuff
A lot has been said about the pathetic launches of the Nexi, Apple maps, and various Windows based devices in 2012, so I’m not going back into it. I just want these professional organisations to do their excellent products justice.
Less focus on lawsuits
I say no more!
Yes bigger batterys PLEASE, I would also love a xenon flash on at least 1 phone (Sony cybershot Android phone!)
Phone makers are in a no-win situation with regards screen size / battery size. It seems that the majority of people want a large screen phone that is slimmer than a butteryfly wing but has a battery that’ll last a week. The problem with having large screens (with hi res too) is that you need some pretty decent graphics power to generate the images. That power drains the battery. So, should they make the phones thicker to give us bigger batteries?
What I would like is a phone with a 720p screen (4″ tops), dual core processor, 2gig ram, 16gig storage and an SD slot with a battery that’ll last 2 days with everything turned on. I reckon that will do me for a good few year. I don’t need a mahoosive phone, I have my tablet for large screen goodness.
You’re right, of course, that there is a demand for higher powered phones, with larger and higher resolution screens. However, I’m not sure there’s sure a big demand for slimmer phones. From many people I’ve spoken to about battery life, they’re happy to sacrifice a few extra millimetres for extra battery life.
It seems to me that there is an inter-manufacturer competition to be able to say they have the thinnest smartphone, whereas most punters don’t really care (as long as they’re not walking around with a car battery strapped to their leg).
I have phones ranging from 4″ to 5.5″. They all give me the same sort of battery life (16hrs using one of them for a normal day), so it seems the batteries that they’re fitting are proportional to the phone’s size and power. Maybe manufacturers see that power/size to battery capacity ratio as a benchmark they’re sticking to?
I quite agree, it is certainly a willy waving competition with regards to who has the thinnest phone at any given time. If customer were really worried about the thikness / weight there would not be a market for extended batteries, or indeed forums full of smartphone users trying their hardest to eek an hour or two more out of their phones!