2018 has come to an end. This year was full of innovations, product and service launches and plenty of other things. While we’re approaching the last few days of the year, it’s time we took a recap of all the exciting and trendy events in the technology space. This article should give you a glimpse of it.
The space saver notch
The drift of minimizing bezels on smartphones became a trend with the launch of the iPhone X, which people really liked for some reason. Soon after, pretty much every mobile manufacturer started building phones with a notch-display. Some even designed smaller and thinner notches for more viewing area. For notch haters, companies like Huawei added options to hide it on the P20 model by making the top of the screen, black. This space is utilized for notifications and the status indicator bar above the display.
With this trend, phones are designed with a nearly bezel-less screen adding navigation buttons on the screen and shifting the home/fingerprint button at the back.
Fingerprint scanners are built into the screen
The transformation of fingerprint scanner in phones have changed a lot over years. Older phones had them embedded in home buttons, while the newer generation phones featured them on the back or in some rare cases, even on the sides.
The accuracy of fingerprint scanners depends on newer technologies and the latest is the in-display fingerprint technology. Vivo was the first to get it implemented in the X21 model, while other smartphone brands such as the OnePlus launched it late in the years. Many more are likely to follow this trend. This means you won’t necessarily have to place your registered finger on the sensor indicator. Instead, you can place it anywhere on the bottom half of the screen to unlock it.
Battle Royale multi-platform games – PUBG, Fortnite
PUBG and Fortnite are two of the most popular games of 2018, which created a craze among users. Both, PUBG and Fortnite are available for Android and iOS devices and have a similar plot.
PUBG in comparison to Fortnite is more realistic in terms of graphics. It gives an option to customize avatar, use vehicles and weapons in the game, while Fortnite has a more cartoonish look, but it is still fun to play. You can play it across all popular platforms such as the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. PUBG and Fortnite did not only kist played a lot, but were also the most watched games on YouTube and Twitch.
The trendsetter AI
AI is evolving quickly and 2018 was another year of digital transformation. With the rapid change in customer interactions and business strategies, companies are trying to keep up with the advancement in technology.
Companies such as Qualcomm have even built a new generation AI engine into their latest Snapdragon 855 processor to personalized and automate functionalities. Examples of AI into apps are Google Translate for language translation, voice assistants for human language and chat bots that work as a machine support to interact with humans. Even the fingerprint and face unlock features on phones use AI to identify, measure and analyse human behaviour.
Multiple cameras, multiple possibilities
Most smartphones launched in 2018 have got their backs busy with camera lenses. Smartphone manufacturers have added multi-lens cameras on their high-end phones for clicking better photos. Looking at the enhancements and improvements in the camera quality, we can surely say that mobile phones have replaced point-and-shoots and slowly, even entry-level DSLRs.
The trendy dual-camera setup isn’t really a new concept. It was first introduced by HTC in their Evo 3D model in 2011. It’s not only about number of lenses, but also the magic of image processing software and specialized hardware for clicking great looking photos.
At the moment, most high-end and mid-level phones feature dual cameras. In fact, several popular mobile companies have even designed phones with triple and quad camera setup, where every lens handles a task – either low-light shooting, zoom, portrait or wide-angle shots.
Privacy and security approaches
Besides just using smartphones for the purpose of calling and messaging, they are also used for storing personal as well as work data. Mobile security is on the top list for every mobile manufacturer. We saw companies adding biometric authentication features for keeping confidential files and documents safe.
Besides, there are security status apps such as Google Play Protect, which now regularly check you phone and apps for any harmful behaviour. In early 2018, the Government of India made an announcement in need for strong security in mobile phones and also in case of emergencies. In response to that, every mobile manufacturers have added a SOS feature.
The home is more connected
There is no denying that technology is everywhere and it is many ways, improving our lifestyle. Right from smart devices, immersive reality, home automation and artificial intelligence, everything is part of a smart and connected environment.
There are smartphones, smart TVs, smart watches, smart speakers and many other devices, which have become a part of our lives. All of these devices support voice assistants, gesture controls and many other interesting smart features. Not only at homes, even businesses are reshaping and reimagining things that were not possible long back. Also, with the increasing demand of the Internet of Things (IOT), advancements in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity continues to grow.
Streaming unlimited
The days of spending more and staying tuned in to cable TV and DTH are slowly diminishing with the entry of online streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Jio. By offering a massive content library with all trending TV shows, movies, new releases and originals, these streaming services have gained a lot of attention in 2018. All these services lets you stream unlimited content, once you subscribe to them.
A more surreal picture – HDR
Alongside dropping prices for 4K TVs, HDR TVs was the buzz of 2018. This technology has become more common in TVs and is considered as the future of entertainment. HDR enhances picture quality by making tweaks to contrast levels, brightness, backlighting and colours. It is becoming one of the most desired features in TVs these days, considering a lot of streaming services are also offering HDR content.
Earlier this year, popular companies such as Samsung, Panasonic and 20th Century Fox Film Corporation announced certification for the newest standard of HDR, called HDR10+. Click here to read more about the differences between the different HDR standards.
Laptops – SSD prices continue to plummet
Laptops with SSD storage options are much cheaper than they used to be. This year has seen continuous price drops for SSDs and the reason laptops with solid state drives (SSDs) are gaining attention over hard drives (HDDs). Some of the major advantages of SSDs are much faster read and write speeds, lower power consumption, no noise or vibrations.
The reason for price drop is likely to be the increasing demand, number of competitors and dropping memory prices. If you are looking out to buy a new laptop or upgrade, this is something you need to keep in mind in 2019. These were some of the major trends of the year, 2018. Some of these may become way more popular in 2019, while more launches and trends are likely to pick up. Keep visiting us to stay tuned as we take you through the journey. Till then, wish you all a very happy new year!
