5 most electrifying technologies this 2018

5 most electrifying technologies this year 

A lot of things happened with Phones in 2017, but probably the biggest advances were in the actual design of the phones with a lot of devices now featuring a very minimal bezel and a screen that dominates the whole front of the phone. In 2018, we will probably look at devices with big bezels like a thing from the very distant past as technology marches forward in leaps and bounds.

So among the rumors and leaks, what are the important new features and innovations that will change the world of mobile technology next year? We've been watching the industry closely and we think we have a good idea of where things are going, so here is a list of the 10 most important and most exciting new technologies coming in 2018. Of course, Apple, Google, Samsung and the rest from the company have proven that they can deliver a surprise and we are sure we will be surprised with other new tech as well. That's part of the fun of being in tech. And nope, no flying cars are coming in 2018, but here is what we do expect to see:

1: The first fold-able phone?

We have been hearing about fold-able phones for years and we have seen sloppy attempts from some companies (we're looking at you, ZTE Axon M), but the technology is finally expected to reach its final stages towards the end of 2018.

In a leaked slide, Samsung is said to be considering showing a foldable phone at the very end of 2018: the Samsung Galaxy W, but the company has said that it has postponed the actual launch until 2019 as it is working on perfecting the technology and it still has its successful curved Super AMOLED displays around.

We do not know much about this fold-able phone, but we might finally learn what is the idea behind it towards the end of 2018.

2: Voice assistants that sound indistinguishable from humans

Voice assistants are becoming a more integral part of the phones experience and Google with its Assistant is clearly leading the way.

The most exciting new development at Google's voice department is the new ability for the machine to sound almost indistinguishable from a real human speech. Google published an official paper about this technology, saying that it is possible because of the company's advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning.

3: Great affordable phones from China incoming

China is no longer the underdog when it comes to phone-making. Huawai, Oppo, Xiaomiare all brands that have grown tremendously and have an original design with a lot of interesting features.

Until now, though, you could not officially buy their phones in the United States.

This will change in 2018. Huawei, the world's third largest phone maker, has confirmed that it will bring its awesome Mate 10 Pro (review here) to US carriers. AT&T will be the first one to have the Mate 10 Pro in the US this February.

Meanwhile, Xiaomi has entered Europe in 2017 with one pilot market - Spain. The company has said that it is planning on expanding to the United States as well, but wants to arrive with a bang and is preparing itself carefully. All of this means more devices and more choice for consumers.

4: Under-display fingerprint scanners

The first commercially available phones with a fingerprint scanner embedded under the display glass will come in the first quarter of 2018.

Unfortunately, it will not be Apple or Samsung who will be the first with the technology, but instead it will be Vivo, a Chinese company that does not officially sell its phones in the United States. Still, we expect it to be first of many and other mainstream brands may follow suit if the technology works well (and that is one important 'if').

This first under-screen fingerprint scanner is developed by Synaptics with its Clear ID FS9500 chip, a small CMOS device placed below an AMOLED screen. It illuminates the finger, so that the fingerprint scanner can read the reflections of the finger scan and work its magic.

5: Apple’s first augmented reality headset

Apple is all in with augmented reality. Leaks all agree that the company is actively working on an augmented reality headset, a technology different from the existing virtual reality wearable s because it does not require full immersion into a virtual world.

It is not yet clear whether Apple will even launch this new headset, but we expect more information to surface about this project throughout the year. The company is allegedly aiming at a 2019 launch for the AR headset and it could come as its next big category that could one day succeed the iPhone.

So far, we know that Apple has hired a big team of top industry experts exploring AR. People from the film industry, programmers and other specialists are figuring out the uses of the augmented reality headset and recently, we've heard reports that Apple has already placed orders for displays for the glasses at a Chinese manufacturer.