Wi-Fi 6, UWB to Set Top Phones Apart Amid 5G: ABI

Upcoming flagship smartphones will have to differentiate with advanced functionality such as Wi-Fi 6 and ultrawideband to continue to stand out at the high end of the market as 5G adoption becomes more mainstream, said ABI Research's David McQueen Tuesday. Other features expected to set flagship phones apart are fast-charging technology, foldable and rollable displays, and improved cameras. 5G handsets were largely immune from supply chain disruptions during the pandemic, leading to a more diverse device landscape with a wide variety of prices, the analyst said: “The mobile market is quickly transitioning to 5G and many leading OEMs are pushing ever-deeper into the lower-priced 5G smartphone segment.” ABI forecasts 681 million 5G handsets will ship in 2022. The researcher expects 5G integration and always-on connectivity to appear in tablets, Chromebooks and laptop PCs “as the portable computing and mobile value chains converge more than ever.” COVID-19 boosted demand for mobile computing products, and 5G will become a more prominent feature in high-end products from Samsung, Apple, and Huawei. “Dozens” of always-on 5G portable devices, including tablets and notebook PCs, will hit the market this year, exceeding 10 million next year, said ABI.