The future of smartphones

Honor believes the future of smartphones lies in artificial intelligence (AI) and to make the technology more accessible, it offers AI features on mid-range and entry-level devices.

It also expects foldable devices to play a big role in the future of smartphones.

This was revealed during a discussion between Honor’s general manager for South Africa, Fred Zhou, Cell C CEO Jorge Mendes, and Google’s head of Android partnerships for North and South Africa, Vinod Nenwani.

“I want to believe AI and foldables are the future of this industry,” said Zhou.

However, he noted that many brands offer AI features exclusively with higher-end devices. Zhou said he believes these should be available on mid-range and entry-level devices.

“AI only lies with the flagship. But right now, we drop the AI functions down to the middle range, and they refer even to the entry-level,” he said.

However, Nenwani said it is critical that players monitor AI to control what it is learning and what it is being used for to ensure responsible use of the technology.

“There’s also the responsibility that we need to ensure we’re keeping an eye on when it comes to AI and what it is learning and what it is being used for, what’s on this position,” he said.

Mendes said it is critical to find a balance between the risks and uses of AI.

“There are various portfolio committees, etc, on policy, and it’s a little bit late because you don’t know what you don’t know. And so if you regulate too hard, you compromise something, if you regulate too likely. Then, of course, it becomes a free-for-all,” he said.

“Then you run those risks, and it’s finding a good balance, but it’s finding a good balance with things that you don’t even know yet. We’ve got to be responsible.”

Zhou explained that Honor monitors AI regulatory policies in a wide range of markets in which it operates to ensure its AI is used responsibly.

On the topic of foldable devices, Mendes said phones continue to evolve and that he is unsure of their role in the future of smartphones.

“Nothing surprises me anymore, to be honest. A phone is any shape and size these days… but they just keep on evolving,” he said.

“The pure thought of foldable glass some time back would be just unheard of.”

The smartphone market, particularly in Africa, has surged in recent years.

Citing a third-party study, Zhou said smartphones surpassed feature phones on the African continent for the first time in 2024.

He also said smartphone sales grew by 24% in 2024’s first quarter compared to the same period the year before.

Mendes highlighted that mobile networks will have to adapt to the increased adoption of smartphones.

“It’s just everything all together in one so what’s going to happen is you’re seeing a lot of circuit switch voice decline. You’re seeing a lot more of the data network. You’re seeing a lot more growth in the data networks of voice over LTE,” he said.

“So networks have to do things differently, and therefore, the capability of devices is enabled by that.”