Technology has always been about owning the latest and greatest, or perhaps latest and greatest confined within a certain budget. In early 2017, affordable smartphones have got a lot better as compared to last year. Manufacturers have been heeding consumer feedback and have focused on improving aspects that consumers actually care for. So, if you are considering buying a new phone, these are the top smartphone trends in 2017 that you can’t afford to miss!
Also Read: 10 Smartphones To Look Forward To In 2017
Dual Camera
The Camera is the single most important Smartphone feature for all classes of users, and in spite of all rosy marketing claims, this is a feature which budget Android phones keep falling short of.
Also Read: Best Dual Camera Smartphones Under 20,000 INR
Dual camera implementation, where an extra shooter is used to gather, should help improve camera performance of affordable phones. The emerging trend is gaining rapid acceptance and we expect to see some great affordable dual camera phones this year.
5 Dual camera implementations that we have come across till date include:
- RGB + Monochrome sensor (Cool 1 dual, Honor 8)
- Depth sensing to add Bokeh only (Honor 6X)
- Bokeh Selfies (Vivo V5)
- Telephoto lens for Optical Zoom (iPhone 7 Plus)
- Wide angle selfies (Oppo F3 Plus)
Samsung Pay/ Mobile Payments
For anyone who keeps multiple cards (credit or debit) mobile payment services like Samsung Pay are a great convenience. You can store all your cards in your phone and ensure that you carry them with you at all times.
Due to MST support, Samsung Pay works at almost all places that accept cards in India, and that gives it a very well pronounced advantage over services like Android Pay and Apple Pay. On the downside, this feature is only exclusive to Samsung phones.
Also Read: Everything you should know about Samsung Pay
If you like to flaunt cool tech, these are some of the features you shouldn’t compromise on this year.
Fingerprint Sensor
Over the last year, we have used a variety of phones with a variety of fingerprint sensors. And to sum it up:
– We tend to continue using the front mounted one more often than the rear-mounted units for unlocking.
– The faster they are, the better.
– And the rear mounted ones are super convenient to shoot selfies.
Most of the fingerprint sensors are fast enough, but that hair split second worth of difference can have a very resounding impact and will determine how often you will be actually using it.
Either way, Smartphone fingerprint sensors aren’t gimmicky anymore and are, in fact, quite handy.
64GB Storage or dedicated MicroSD card slot
The hybrid SIM slot thing could actually be a huge pain in the long run. Most affordable phones come with 32GB of internal storage of which around 25GB is free at user end. Personally, that’s about manageable for me, but life is much simpler with 64GB to spare. I doubt you would ever want to compromise on the storage front once you have tasted the convenience.
Of course, a microSD card can make up for the insufficiency, but what if you need to use two SIM cards ?(which, post Reliance Jio, is a necessity for most of us).
VoLTE
Up until 6 months back, nobody cared for VoLTE or Voice over LTE support. But, now, this is a must have feature because that’s what you need to avail free calling on Reliance Jio networks, without exhausting your data that is. Fortunately, most current generation phones come with VoLTE enabled out of the box.
Big Battery And Fast Charging
Big battery phones have always done well for themselves in the budget and mid-range price bracket. The new crop of chipsets, however, is proving to be a lot more power efficient compared to last year. Besides, battery capacities of 3000mAH have become pretty standard. So, perhaps you don’t have to necessarily invest in a chunky and heavy phone housing a 5100mAh power unit.
At the same time, we would recommend that you go for a phone with at least 4000mAh capacity battery. Not having to scramble for mid-day charging is still an unmatched convenience.
Also Read: Top 5 Phones Under 10,000 In India (December 2016)
Besides, attributes like stereo speakers, high-resolution displays, Gyroscope for VR headset compatibility, Selfie flash, and USB Type-C port also count as added perks but, in our opinion, won’t necessarily have a drastic impact on your overall smartphone experience. Of course, your priorities may differ.
