Must-Have Smartphone Technologies Will Include VR, AR, Says Gartner Analyst

Fast charging, wireless charging and augmented and virtual reality functionality will be the top three smartphone “technologies and capabilities whose developments and transformations” through 2017 that no vendor can “ignore,” Gartner said Wednesday in an online Q&A with its research director, Roberta Cozza. Though the “current appearances” of AR and VR are new, “better display technology, improvements in sensing and tracking hardware and software for things such as motion, gesture, head and eye tracking, and real-time graphics will increase interest and adoption,” Cozza said. Burgeoning developments in 360-degree and depth-sensing imaging “will provide enhancements to and the availability of environmental mapping capabilities,” she said. “In addition, 3D and 360-degree imaging devices can further accelerate this trend.” Head-mounted displays using AR and VR are expected to sell 40 million units by 2020, “which provides the highest revenue opportunity, together with smartwatches,” she said.