Trends to watch out for in 2016

The mobile phone is now an extension of oneself. Phone manufacturers have been pushing the boundaries, adding never-heard-of capabilities to this gadget. Thankfully, the mad race for bigger screens and zippier processors has been overwhelmed by the need to improve user experience - be it the quality of calls, durability or battery life, among others. A look at the trends likely to dominate in 2016:

Phone-as-workstation

This technology, in the strictest sense, isn't new. We've had glimpses of it earlier, especially when BlackBerry launched BlackBerry 10 or BB10, its operating system (OS) in 2013. Connecting a BB10 device to a screen could get a lot of jobs done in office. But then BB10 isn't exactly the most popular OS for PC users. So when Microsoft introduced the Lumia 950 and 950XL with a Display Dock late this year, there was much cheer. A phone running Windows 10 with Microsoft Office, connected to an external monitor, keyboard and mouse, via a dock. Are you sure you need a PC still?

Better call technologies

The biggest bane for any urban mobile phone user in India is a call drop. From regulators to legislators, all have tried to get rid of this bane, but without much success. Two acronyms have been doing the rounds - VoLTE (voice over LTE) and VoWiFi (voice over Wi-Fi). "They allow faster transmission of data and voice preventing calls from dropping," says Amit Gujral, marketing head - mobiles, LG India.

Onus on security

Our phones contain our lives. Thus it makes sense to save our lives from prying eyes. We've had PIN codes, tap codes, pattern codes and finally fingerprint scanners on phones. While every security measure can become vulnerable when faced with a dedicated hacker, there are some which are more difficult to break and may require significant resources. Next year, it is rumoured that LG will incorporate iris scanning on its flagship G5. While LG didn't say anything on this, Gujral says retina scanning "would be attempted in years to come".

Improved battery management

In terms of technology, things have moved pretty slowly on the battery front. While we still haven't found a way to pack in a high-capacity battery without compromising on the sleekness of the device, a couple of ways around have been found. One, better management of battery draining apps and an extended battery mode by shutting down services. Second, fast charging, wherein a quick charge of five minutes or so would help run a phone for a few hours. This trend is set to continue in the coming year. Mike Wang, CEO of Oppo Mobiles India, which calls its flash-charging technology VOOC, feels this could be a game changer next year.

Richer and improved experience

Besides the above trends, which would definitely improve one's experience with mobile phones, there would be other small but significant improvements such as tweaking the OS to make it faster, yet lighter on resources; sharper and better screens which would be easy on the eyes; connected devices, which would be part of the Internet of Things, to make our lives easier; and more interactive scenarios using technologies such as augmented/virtual reality and 3D touch.