Smartphones for 2013: they are going to get even cleverer

In 2013, smartphone screens will feel different. Apple has patented a “haptic feedback” screen. Until now, haptic feedback has meant a vibration as you touch the screen. In the next phase your fingers will feel individual “keys” on the touchscreen keyboard, pushing up as you touch.

Screens will also go HD. The HTC Droid DNA, one of the first phones with a full HD screen, is just out in the US. The Samsung Galaxy S4 (rumoured for release in April) is predicted to follow suit with a

4.99-inch, full HD screen.

Meanwhile Samsung, Apple and LG have all been granted patents for flexible smartphone screens. These are OLEDs (active-matrix organic light-emitting diodes) — display technology used in high-end TVs that is thin enough to be placed on plastic instead of glass. Next year could bring an end to smashed screens as plastic OLED screens can be hit repeatedly with a hammer without causing any noticeable damage. Eventually they may even feel like glass.

These screens can also be folded and rolled. The manufacturers need to work out how to make bendy internal components too before the entirely flexible phone arrives, but it can’t be far off.

On the exterior, Windows 8 this year brought us phones in a range of bright colours from both HTC and Nokia. Rumours around the next iPhone suggest it may go the multicoloured way of the iPod touch.

We’re already seeing cases turning phones into another device. The

i.am + turns your iPhone into an interchangeable lens camera and the AliveCor transforms it into an ECG heart monitor. Several crowd-funded projects that hope to reach finance targets next year are making cases to turn the iPhone into a proper games console. Others include a case that gives the iPhone a second screen on the back and one that turns the phone into a stun gun.

At the heart of phones next year will be a range of new apps. Highlights include Nokia Music, which lets users stream music for free — like Spotify but without the annoying adverts.

The Mailbox app, arriving early in 2013 from award-winning developer Orchestra, treats emails like to-do lists, with a save for later option and alerts to remind you of important mail.

To catch up with Instagram, Yahoo has updated its Flickr iPhone app so that users can upload photos to Twitter. Meanwhile, Instagram is developing a range of cameras for easy snapping and editing. They have a built in printer and connect to wifi so photos can be instantly posted to Facebook and Twitter.

Next year will be about more core. We’ve already seen quad-core processors in phones such as the HTC One X + and the Google LG Nexus 4. Essentially these processors allow you do a lot at once — such as run a game and send emails at the same time. Samsung is said to be announcing a device with an 8-core (or octo-core) processor in February.

That will no doubt need a lot of battery, so meanwhile others are focusing on improving battery life. The processor in the Nokia Lumia 620, due early in 2013, is designed to minimise power use. The phone claims to last for up to 10 hours, or 330 hours in standby mode.

And, since the existing Nokia Lumia (820 and 920) devices have kicked off wireless charging (they sit on a charging plate, instead of being plugged in) wires are undoubtedly on the way out. If you’re wondering what you will then do with all of your cables, we’re soon going to have USB power outlets in our walls at home and it won’t be long before the kettle, for example, is powered by USB.

Don’t forget that 4G will also roll out across the rest of the networks next year (and you’ll be able to get 4G speeds abroad, too) so expect a big range of 4G phones to come.

Imagine if all of your credit, debit and store cards, your gym card and your office pass could be stored on your smartphone. In the US, Google Wallet has been available for about a year. It allows users to connect their smartphone to their bank, credit or debit cards. Users then swipe their phone over a card reader, just as many already do with contactless credit and debit cards in the UK at retailers such as Pret A Manger and Costa Coffee.