CONSUMER TECH 2021

Words by Ren Alcantara

A lot is going on in the consumer tech world, and as we look forward to this year, we're probably going to see a lot of innovation that might just help us forget about 2020. Let’s take a quick dive and see what we’re going to be spending on this year. There is a lot of getting back on our feet that has to happen before some of the technologies really start going at speed, but it’s still encouraging to be moving forward.

The 5G rollout continues

Among other things, 5G connectivity brings great speed to the table. As telcos increase the 5G coverage, manufacturers will continue to bring 5G-capable phones to the market. The technology will trickle down to even more inexpensive handsets, allowing all of us to reap the benefits of high-speed, low-latency mobile internet. Whether or not people will appreciate it remains to be seen, but the experience is significantly better. Expect the price of your average 5G smartphone to drop sharply over the course of 2021, with more options across all the brands. This will also bring changes to how we use apps and an even greater reliance on cloud technology. Better start saving up for a good data plan.

“Unusual” displays

As more and more material research is put in we’re going to see even more interesting, unusual displays hit the market. Folding screens, which are currently crazy expensive, will start to become less so, though they’ll still be a bit more expensive than most of the current flagships, just because of the tech needed, and to create a little bit of a “premium” difference within the top tier. Dual display devices might also start popping up here and there, as will more exotic ones such as scrolling screens that roll-up. Also here are the next generation of displays (Mini-LED) that offer great image quality at a lower price than OLED screens.

Gaming

The growth of the esports industry has been affected by the pandemic in good and bad ways. While more people are getting into gaming, live events and tournaments have been hit hard, and online viewership hasn’t exactly been the same for many tourneys. With more people playing now, and the potential end to the pandemic in sight, we’re hoping that 2021 is going to see a revitalization of esports as a whole. Streaming has gone up with the increase in gaming, and that as a form of entertainment can only mean good things for the esports scene.

Augmented Reality

Because of the increased availability of 5G connectivity, AR apps and services will increase. These require low latency for the best effect, which 5G has, and re-locating the processing load from the device to a powerful server somewhere (something 5G is also great at) means that lowerspec’d devices will be able to do some interesting AR things. It’s only a matter of people making the apps, but the hardware and infrastructure will be more than happy to oblige.

Healthcare

The pandemic has created a surge in the reliance on remote healthcare, and this momentum is likely going to continue. As methods and services become more refined, and better smoothed-out, even more people will turn to teleconsultation and app-based services. This, combined with a rise in the use of wearables, might mean a change in how we take care of ourselves is on the horizon. Making monitoring and consulting might actually mean we take better care of ourselves, which is definitely a good thing.

The rise of the machines

Ok, so it might not be as apocalyptic as the title might make it sound, but AI will be more pervasive in 2021. From chatbots to photo rendering, video production, and dedicated AI cores on devices, we’re going to see more of this tech in our devices. Again, this is tied in with 5G rollout, but also the continuing development of the tech. We don’t need to worry about our toasters coming after us in our sleep, at least not yet, so just continue to enjoy the benefits AI brings.