2012 was a pretty good year overall for smartphones, but personally I'd like 2013 to be an awesome year. In 2012, it was mostly about the CPU - quad cores to be specific. One can't ignore the midrange phones, which now have dual cores (which was 2011's brand new technology). So how/where can improvement be made?
Predictions
Obviously there will be a race for 1080p screens (HTC is there already with the Droid DNA/Butterfly), and there are already strong rumors for the upcoming CES. I don't think 1080p screens are necessary, unless on tablets/ridiculous sized phones, but it's another number companies can advertise as "new!", "better!" and all that.
I'm guessing that there will be lots of 5" phones, following the trend of increasing screen sizes. It really started with Samsung's Galaxy S lineup. The original S had a 4" screen - larger than the industry's standard 3.5". The next in the lineup, the Galaxy S 2, also had a screen that was considered massive (4.3"). The Galaxy Note continued this trend, trumping the S2 with a 5.3" screen. The Galaxy Note 2 currently comes in at 5.5". I can't see phones going much larger than this at all in the future: there is a point where a mobile phone just isn't mobile enough due to it's massive size.
Dreams
I really hope that the major issue dealt with in 2013 is battery life. It got a bit better in 2012 (the S3 improved on the S2's battery life, same story with the Note 2 and original Note). Motorola really led the way with it's Razr Maxx phone (3300mAh battery in a somewhat average phone). They also have SmartActions, which is software that can adjust settings (GPS, wifi, data, flightmode, ring volume etc) based on your specifications (eg: 'when at home turn mobile data off' or 'go in silent mode between midnight and 7am'), which can save up to 30% battery if used properly (or so they say).
Another dream I have is that OEMs start paying attention to smaller phones. I frequent the subreddit /r/PickAnAndroidForMe, and there are lots of questions about a good, small phone. Lots of people really prefer a 4-4.3" phone as opposed to 4.7-5" phone. I realize that it's easier to make a bigger phone - things have more room to fit, but even just 1 top-tier phone that is 4-4.3" would please so many people.
Manufacturers seem to be scared to make a heavy, thick phone. I've held the Nokia Lumia 920, and it feels damn fine. It's hefty without feeling heavy - it feels extremely well built, and the weight seems to really add to the feel. It is also very thick, but it's curved so that it still feels great to hold. I don't know about the general consensus but to me the iPhone and Motorola Razr are just too thin - nearing uncomfortably thin. When I hold my phone I want to have that feeling of "man, is this a beastly phone or what?". I may not the the typical user though.
I would really like to see consumers look into their purchase of phones more and rely less on advertising. I do like Samsung as a company (I am currently using their Galaxy S 2 as my daily phone), but HTC, Motorola, and even LG now make very nice phones too that are often overlooked. I have a good feeling that Motorola will turn around and become a more major player (thanks mostly to Google, the new owner).
HTC should really focus more on functionality than design. All of their recent phones lack a microSD card (which can be really useful), and a great battery. Sure, their battery is alright for light users...but I recently just sold my HTC One X because I couldn't even get 1 hour of screen on time in my average day. In comparison, currently on my Galaxy S 2 I've had the screen on for an hour, and its been discharging for nearly 12 hours. It is still at 40% battery which is really nice.
That's my wishlist for 2013. What's yours? Share the dreams by tweeting with the hashtag #2013phoneDreams!
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