Google’s open-source operating system, Android, has the largest market share of any other mobile OS. As of the second quarter of 2018, Android had 88% of the global smartphone market share according to Statista, which is almost eight times the market share held by Apple’s iPhone operating system iOS.
This data highlights just how popular Android phones are and just how many people out there enjoy the handsets. But brand awareness doesn’t shift smartphones alone, especially not in the highly competitive high-end smartphone market (which is the domain in which Apple competes). As such, Android smartphone manufacturers need to pull no punches and have to really make an effort to stand out.
Immersive Speaker Systems
When you think of a smartphone, the sound quality is probably quite low on your list of reasons to purchase. However, in the coming months and years, the power of a phone’s speakers could become an important factor. This is because Apple has continued to push audio quality as a selling point, meaning that Android phones will have to match this in order to compete.
You need only look at the recent iPhone XS presentation in which game developer Bethesda showed off The Elder Scrolls: Blades running on the XS Max. In this showcase, the surround sound-like speakers and the ability to immerse players in The Elder Scrolls’ fantasy setting through sound were highlighted as major selling points.
A High-Quality Screen
As smartphone quality has increased across the board mobile users – gamers especially – have demanded that their handsets rival the power offered by computers and even games consoles. 4K video recording and HDR photo taking cameras are now back of the box features but this means little without a stellar screen to display them on.
If you’ve played games on a desktop then you’ll be used to splashy graphics and eye-catching visuals that really make the most of every PC pixel. Slot games and their winnings, such as William Hill’s online jackpots are a very good representation of this, with games like Angel Princess borrowing the bold animation style of Japanese anime shows to offer some tooth-achingly sweet and colorful graphics. Meanwhile, Mega Fortune has to display symbols like jewelry and cars perfectly in order to immerse players in the lavish lifestyle. Ultimately, with players on PC getting used to this, they will expect all of the games they play on mobile to offer the same visual level. While these games aren’t too demanding in terms of CPU, they rely on graphics and gameplay to attract players.
Longer-Lasting Battery Life
Android users will also expect their high-end handset to offer a longer lasting battery life. Our phones are now an important part of our day to day, holding important information including contacts, events on the calendar and much more so we need the battery life to keep up with us.
There are plenty of battery saving tips and tricks including keeping an eye on the most battery-hungry apps and buying a phone case that charges your phone. However, this isn’t something that consumers should have to research and their phone should just be able to keep up with them from the jump.
The high-end smartphone market may be highly competitive, but there are some ways to make an impact. By delivering what consumers want, we could see new, successful smartphone startups emerge.