The smartphone industry has taken a surprising turn, with Gartner Research reporting the first ever decline of worldwide smartphone sales during the fourth quarter of 2017. At first glance, it may sound like the smartphone buying frenzy has cooled, but in reality, it points to a new trend for consumers. Gartner reports that one reason for the slow down in sales points to consumers choosing quality model phones and keeping them longer, thus lengthening the replacement cycle of smartphones. Demand for quality is also rising with fewer people going for cheap phones that break more frequently and need to be replaced.
The trend for quality and durability ushers in a new focus on luxury smartphones made with high-quality materials and standards. But with so many on the market, which do you choose? Here’s what you need to know about the latest luxury smartphones.
A11 Bionic Chip
When the iPhone X was released, people scooped them up for their sleek and sophisticated design and lightning fast processing time. However, what’s going on inside the phone is often overlooked in favor of its 4.7″ retina HD display and 12 MP camera. Both the iPhone X and the iPhone 8 include an A11 bionic chip that’s 30 percent faster than the Imagination-based GPU used in iPhone 7 models, according to AppleInsider. But for consumers, that means that Apple’s processing time is faster than ever and requires about half the power consumption of previous models.
Advanced Personal Assistants
Personal assistants are now the norm for smartphones, but not all are created equally. Samsung released its own version of Siri with Bixby, a personal assistant that can adapt to the way you talk and interact with your smartphone. Bixby eliminates the need for taps and typing on screen, and it can also open up your camera and even change the resolution of your camera upon request. Bixby can also help with more complex tasks like finding your latest photos with a particular caption on Instagram. Bixby can’t do everything and is a little slower than Siri, but is robust enough to help you through your regular tasks on an ongoing basis.
Extended Battery Life
Battery life is a big issue for avid smartphone users who need their phones for extended periods of time for business, travel or to navigate day-to-day life. Huawei Mate 10 Pro made a big splash into the U.S. market with high-end products and performance. Huawei’s line comes with the battery life of two days or better.
Rugged Durability
The days where smartphones shattered at first drop are largely a thing of the past for quality phones. Today’s phones are built with water, dust, and breakage in mind to keep phones working longer and retaining their luxurious look. Motorola’s Moto Z2 Force is renowned for its durability and unbreakable screen. This smartphone isn’t just break-resistant, its screen can survive a beating and intense drops. The casing is also outfitted with durability in mind with an aluminum skeleton without compromising on a simple yet elegant look.
Luxury smartphones should come with the bells and whistles consumers want, but they shouldn’t stop at just a high-quality camera and apps. Quality luxury smartphones must also compete on processing speed, durability, and enhanced features like personal assistants to compete in today’s marketplace. So before you upgrade your next smartphone, make sure it stacks up to the competition and is worth the investment.