The pandemic has impacted our lives in several ways and it has led to the emergence of what many refer to as “the new essentials” and smartphones top this list for many. Customers across the country are seeking economical smartphone upgrades that help them access important services from education to healthcare and entertainment. As brands continue to innovate and launch new models, everyone can find a smartphone which is within their budget and suits their various requirements. Based on consumer understanding, e-tailing giant Flipkart sees these trends driving smartphone buying in 2021:
5G-enabled phones: 5G rollout will drive new use cases for smartphones and therefore, upgrading to a 5G-ready smartphone will become a key customer consideration. Expect brands to introduce 5G-enabled phones at affordable prices, enabling an easy adoption of 5G.
Picture perfect: Due to the increasing use of superior cameras on smartphones, there will be more devices launched with better camera quality and larger camera sensors to ensure high quality pictures even in low lighting. Larger camera sensors with as high as 108MP resolution will become more commonplace. The recent launch of the first commercial phone with an under display selfie camera is also proof of the evolution of smartphone cameras. This technology will get refined over the course of the year and it is an exciting proposition to look forward to.
Better battery efficiency: 5nm processors introduced in top end phones will allow for a more powerful performance with better battery efficiency. Processors will also see better AI features integrated, with the immediate impact of a better camera performance due to computational photography.
Faster Charging will remain a priority: Given that phone usage has increased manifold, brands have become cognisant to the demand for smartphones with fast-charging and longer battery life. Expect powerful battery 6000mAh phones to become more democratised in the smartphone market. High-powered chargers packed with over 100W power could be on the horizon, to enable faster charging speeds.
Gamers delight: To ensure that the active gamers can enjoy the benefits of a better equipped phone, brands will introduce better features like adaptive refresh rates to allow for smooth performance without the impact on battery life.
Fresher looks: The traditional smartphone design is also seeing drastic changes after staying fairly consistent over the last few years. While foldable phones have been introduced with varying features, flexible OLED screens now allow for rollable screen phones. These however are likely to remain in the enthusiast and early adopter realms in 2021.
More customer delight: With a growing aspiration of upgrading to a new smartphone, there will be a deeper need to avail auxiliary services such as convenient payment options, exchange programs, etc. that make this decision wallet-friendly. Flipkart’s newly launched programs like the Smart Upgrade will be able to address this need.