Top mobile technology trends

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1. 5G

5G network has been the talk of the town for years, but its rollout is expected to mature by 2021 as more telecom companies like T-Mobile begin to offer this technology. 5G connections are expected to increase by up to 15 times more in 2021. With its speed reaching 100Gbps, the highly efficient 5G technology is said to be 100 times faster than 4G. With 5G's low latency feature, users will be able download and stream 4K videos with no issue, launch compute-intensive apps that use Augmented Reality (AR), VR, and mobile app developers can add new features to enhance the business performance of their respective industries. 5G will pave the way for IoT. According to Analytics Insight, about 51 percent of businesses that use IoT will learn more about their customers' preferences and practices. Lastly, 5G-enabled smartphones can be easily integrated with AR glasses. This fusing of two technologies will allow users to run AR apps with highly advanced "audio-visual entertainment functionalities" per Electronic Products.

2. Augmented & Virtual Reality (AR & VR)

The mobile game Pokémon Go is one of the most well-known apps that incorporate AR. Unlike VR which immerses the users into a fully simulated environment by stimulating their hearing and vision, AR simply "enhances a real-life view with digital images" and is most often used with camera lenses. The overlay images blend into reality, which help users tell the difference.

AR is set to grow further in 2021. For instance, IKEA's app lets users see how their furniture will look in their homes when they take a photo of their interior and add the furniture's photo. In the medical field, neurosurgeons use AR to project a 3D image of the brain when in surgery. Military pilots have AR helmets to check the plane's speed, altitude and more. The app of makeup brain L'Oreal has a "virtual makeup" feature that allows users to see how they look with said makeup, as mentioned in Linchpin. In addition, the smart AR glasses will continue to gain traction. Police officers in China make use of smart glasses in identifying suspects or criminals in the crowd.

While VR is mostly associated with gaming platforms such as PlayStation VR and Oculus, this 2021, it is branching out to education like in museum galleries, medical surgery training and flight simulation in aviation training. In the US, the military uses a VR software called VirtualShip to train the Army, Coast Guard and Navy.

3. Cloud-based storage & mobile apps

At present, Salesforce, Google Drive, Slack are already a necessity. By 2021, Cloud technology will be expanding to mobile apps. With data being stored mostly in the Cloud, less internal storage of the phone will be used, enabling users to save more memory in their phones. According to Grape City, the market worth of cloud services grew 17 percent, reaching US$266.4 billion in 2020, and is expected to rise in value in the next five years. The flexibility and scalability of storing data in the cloud makes it more secure and convenient.

4. M-commerce, mobile wallets & payment (more advantageous payment thru cards)

The pandemic has pushed the use of cashless transactions even further. In the US, Google Pay, Android Pay and Apple Pay have become a mobile wallet favorite, especially among millennials. These e-wallets, store users' bank, and credit and debit card details for speedy access during purchase. The convenience, efficiency, safety and security mobile wallets offer when users pay bills, purchase items online and offline are the top reasons why mobile eCommerce will continue to boom from 2021 onwards.

5. Wearable devices & health apps

Wearable devices have been in the market for a few years now, and in 2021, more apps that sync with wearable products will be developed. These include more user-friendly health, and social media and fitness apps. Users will then be able to download apps from their smart watches according to Linchpin. Smart bracelets, smart watches, GPS watch trackers and other smart wearables have been gaining popularity since 2019 as people are becoming more health conscious and fitness-driven.

6. Foldable phones + integrated apps

Back in 2019, Samsung made waves with its first-ever foldable phone, the Galaxy Fold. Since then, the South Korea company has released follow-ups like the Z-Flip and the Fold 2 in 2020. By 2022, it is estimated that about 50 million foldable phone units will be sold. According to an Electronic Products article, smartphone manufacturers will continue to develop their foldable phones as the production of flexible AMOLEDs also expands.

7. Beacon technology

Beacons are miniscule transmitters that send Bluetooth signals to other devices like what indoor positioning systems do. Beacon technology is mostly used by businesses in retail, hotel and healthcare since it adds "high-level functionality to mobile apps" as noted in Hyperlink Info System. Most commonly, entrepreneurs use beacons to track buyer behavior in brick-and-mortar scores. They are able to gauge how much time buyers lend their attention on a specific product. The use of beacons is expected to expand in more industries in 2021.

Buyers who are on the lookout for the leading products in 2021 may want to keep an eye out on 5G-enabled smartphones, foldable phones, mobile accessories, AR and VR devices, Bluetooth beacons and smartwearables. Verified suppliers on Global Sources readily offer source-worthy electronics.