MOBINOMY: The evolution of mobile phones towards more economic value

IOL News

01-05-2025

The Galaxy A56 5G guarantees that your pictures always appear their best thanks to Best Face and improved Nightography.
Image: Supplied
There's a shift under way with mobile phones.
In a way, I think this is due to the fact that they've reached a tipping point.
There's little that can be done with their hardware and to an extent software. Now, smart companies are beginning to make mobile phones more meaningful.
I witnessed this while attending the launch of Samsung's latest A-series mobile phones - Galaxy A56 5G, Galaxy A36 5G, and Galaxy A26 5G.
The A range is one of the most economical mobile phone ranges which is important during this tough economic climate.
What was impressive about the latest shiny thing from Samsung is contextualisation of the mobile device.
The safety challenge in South Africa has been taken into account and the device is baked with a feature that is designed to protect the user in cases of emergency.
It will detect when you're being robbed and more importantly it will be an emergency tool when you are stranded and it will connect you with practical rescue.
Now, that is what I call thinking outside the box in the literal sense that what truly matters about this device is not the box itself but the support it provides.
Its emergency services are there for those who cannot afford private security services. Another mobile device that is offering more than just a box and software is the Light Phone 3.
It's a $600 mobile device (latest version to be launched this year) that is a stripped-down phone that does barely anything.
It can place calls, send texts, take photos, show map directions, play music and podcasts and not do much else.
It has no web browser or any other popular apps.
It does not even have email. It lacks some of your popular smart things and it's dumb by design.
Rumor has it that users of previous versions of the phone are more productive and focused.
This phone is part of the minimalist movement which is fighting the connected world that distracts us from meaningful things in life.
It's value is not its form factor or services but the quality of life that is derived from not using it. When you buy it, you are paying for less distraction and a peace of mind.
For some mobile device companies services are becoming more important than the devices themselves.
Devices are just carriers and becoming access points.
There's also a realisation that consumers are now in search of a more compelling reason to acquire gadgets than just getting the latest thing. It's an important shift that is forcing companies to innovate.
I also do think that this period is just a waiting phase for another exciting era of hardware and software. It's almost as if device companies are saying 'hold this, while we build the next big thing'.
In my view, this is a build up to a world that focuses more on value from our devices than just useless elements from them.
We are now slowly moving to a world where our spectacles will offer some of the services that were rendered by mobile devices.
At some point, we will have our own robots who will perform functions on our behalf.
They will allow us to have more time for more important things instead of stealing our time.
I'm almost convinced that they will also enable longevity and add a few years to our short life. I'm sure major mobile phone manufacturers are working on this new phase.
It's an exciting future ahead that I cannot wait to experience soon.
Wesley Diphoko is a Technology analyst and the Editor-In-Chief of FastCompany (SA) magazine.
Wesley Diphoko is a technology analyst.
Image: File.