What Would The Perfect Phone Look Like?

What Would The Perfect Smartphone Look Like?

While Samsung's recently unveiled S9 looks really promising on paper, it’s not quite perfect. As of yet, there’s really no perfect smartphone on the market. With that said, we thought it would be fun to imagine what a perfect smartphone might entail.

We’re not going to focus on tech specs in this gallery, since processor technology is always changing. We’re also not going to get into a debate between Android versus iOS, since that’s largely a matter of personal preference. Instead, we’re going to come up with a wish list that’s largely centered around the quintessential smartphone design.

A gorgeous, advanced display

The display would use an OLED panel that supports HDR. OLED offer the darkest blacks, and HDR provides the widest color gamut. The phone should also feature small bezels so you can get a big screen without a big body. In terms of resolution, the phone should have a high pixel per inch (PPI) density. Something around 500 PPI would suffice. We don’t want it unnecessarily high, as anything higher will produce diminishing returns on a small screen and would strain battery life.

Another wishlist feature we’d like to see is a panel with a high refresh rate. Most phones are locked at 60Hz, but one with a 120Hz screen would look smoother.

Dual camera with optical image stabilization

Using two high-resolution cameras, like two 13 megapixel sensors or higher, with different apertures could allow you to shoot gorgeous photos with beautiful bokeh effects. The optical image stabilization could also make videos look less jittery.

It would also be amazing if the camera could shoot 4K videos at 60FPS--like the iPhone X can-- or higher. This will allow you to produce high-resolution slow motion footage.

Dust and waterproof

The highest waterproof rating there is on the market right now for a smartphone is IP68, so our ideal phone would at least have that. This would allow our phone to be submerged to a depth of 4.9 feet (1.5 meters) for up to 30 minutes. This will ensure that rainy or dusty days won’t make our smartphone break a sweat.

Swappable Battery

Most smartphones don’t allow you to swap out batteries, but having a removable battery is nice since it allows you to pop in a new battery to get a fully charged phone in an instant. We do have to admit that it is challenging to couple a swappable battery with a waterproof design, however.

Two front-facing speakers

While one front-facing speaker beats a bottom-firing speaker, it can’t hold a candle against two front-facing speakers. That’s why our perfect smartphone should have two that can offer loud, crisp stereo audio with good bass.

Great battery life

While smartphones have made great strides in processing power, battery performance has remained relatively flat over the years. As a result, the quintessential smartphone would have a big battery. Something like the 5,000mAh solution found in Asus’ ZenFone 3 Zoom would help it last all day under heavy use.

Nearly indestructible screen

The perfect phone would have a nearly indestructible screen (because who hasn’t dropped their phone?). As a result, a Sapphire crystal lens cover would be a good choice. While they are expensive to produce, they are scratch-resistant and offer arguably the best screen protection on the market.

Expandable storage

When you’ve got a camera that can shoot high-resolution photos and videos, it would be nice to have a phone with a lot of storage. The ideal phone should offer 256GB or more and offer expandable storage through a Micro SD card slot.

Robust charging options

Suffice it to say, the perfect smartphone should offer rapid charging. A USB-C port is a good, emerging option for this. In addition, it should also support rapid wireless charging.

Unlocked

The perfect phone would be unlocked, free to use on any phone carrier. This can be a godsend if you’re traveling for long periods of time and want to pop in an international SIM card.

3.5mm audio jack

Many new smartphones are ditching the 3.5mm audio jack, but it’s still really convenient to have in the event that you forget to charge your wireless earbuds or accidentally leave them home. Many people also use aux cables in addition to their phone’s 3.5mm audio jack to listen to music in their cars.