Smartphones: Four trends to watch closely in 2023

If fewer smartphones were shipped in 2022, a year in which innovation was sometimes restrained, we can hope that the mobile phone market will take on some color in 2023 thanks to welcoming innovation.

Really bigger photo sensors

Smartphone photography remains one of the key differentiating areas for top-of-the-line models. 2022 saw the race for pixels intensify again, especially with the arrival of the first smartphones equipped with 200-megapixel sensors. There should be more and more of these sensors, reviewed with mixed success in terminals signed with Motorola or Xiaomi, Samsung – master of the matter – introduced new Isocells with such a purpose during the year, for example Isocell HPX. Note that a premium mobile chip is required to use such definitions; we’re thinking specifically of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 and 8 Gen 2 or their MediaTek counterparts.

One of the photo challenges for 2023 should be not just the definition of sensors, but also their size. In June, we saw the Xiaomi 12S Ultra in China, equipped with a Sony IMX989 1-inch sensor, and we also tested it in the lab. But this innovation (not so new, the first tests were carried out in 2014 with the famous Panasonic DMC-CM1) should be democratized in 2023. We already know that at least one smartphone, the Xiaomi 13, will be equipped with it. If it follows in the footsteps of the Xiaomi 12, it will be launched in France. We can also hope that Sony will introduce comparable sensors to other manufacturers in the coming months…

Folds on all floors

Folding smartphones are still Samsung’s business, with modest competition from Motorola and its Razr 2022 or Google services from Huawei and the P50 Pocket. The manufacturer of Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Galaxy Z Fold 4 will probably bring their successors in August 2023. We can also hope for an overhaul of the design or even the integration of the stylus into the model for this new generation. .

One thing is for sure: the competition is not going to stay behind for another year. Oppo has chosen to limit the marketing of the Find N to China, but has confirmed that a new version called the Find N2 Flip will be launched in France in the first quarter of 2023. At least one other manufacturer will join him. Honor also confirms the European release of Magic Vs, without a specific date. The resurgence of leaks around the Pixel Fold gives hope that Google will join the party by the end of the first half. However, what is missing is an “iPhone Flip” call from Apple, which is not rumored.

Even faster charging

2022 has seen the proliferation of ultra-fast chargers from Xiaomi, Realme and Motorola that deliver power up to 120, 125 or even 150W for the case of Realme’s GT Neo 3. 2023 should see new devices go even further. In China, the 10 Pro from Iqoo (branded by Vivo) has just been announced and offers 200W charging, while the Redmi Note 12 Discovery Edition claims 210W. There are even rumors that the Realme GT Neo 5 will have a power of 240 W. W charger… In short, a race that should not make us forget that with 66 or 80 W loads and batteries between 4500 and 5000 mAh, most smartphones manage to reduce the required time to about half an hour.

However, the integration of such technologies is not without problems. Oppo, one of the pioneers of fast charging in smartphones, has not yet integrated the 240 W SuperVooc charge, introduced in March 2022, into a commercial product, as battery heating remains a major challenge to iron out.

USB-C for everyone

USB-C is now used in all Android smartphones, with very few exceptions and entry-level products. This standardized connection caught the attention of the European Commission so much that the decision was made in early December. By the end of 2024, all smartphones must be equipped with a USB-C charging port. Therefore, it is Apple, which relies on home Lightning connectors, that must first comply with European legislation. The iPhone 15, expected in the fall of 2023, is already rumored to have it.