Happy New Year! Here are 5 predictions for Android in 2015
Today marks the beginning of a brand new year! You’re either overly aware of that fact thanks to a hangover, or it doesn’t really matter to you. One thing we can agree on is that 2014 was an awesome year for Android. New devices, new product categories, and many new apps and games. But what about 2015? The writers at Phandroid share some predictions for the coming year.
Joe Fedewa: Android Wear goes high-end
Android Wear was announced and launched in 2014. We saw some great devices from the usual suspects (Samsung, LG, Motorola), but there are still a few partners who have yet to participate. Most notably is Fossil. They were announced as a partner back in March, but we haven’t heard a peep since.
I predict that in 2015 we will see Android Wear devices from some high-end watch-makers. Fossil is an obvious choice for these watches, but I’ll take it a step further and say another company will jump on board as well. The launch of the Apple Watch will force watch-makers to take smartwatches seriously. Android Wear will be waiting for them.
Kevin Krause: Samsung Gear VR leads the consumer virtual reality revolution
The Gear VR was one of the most pleasant surprises to arrive in 2014, offering an unexpectedly rich virtual reality experience in an inexpensive package thanks to a combination of existing smartphone hardware and cutting edge VR technology from Oculus Rift. In 2015, expect more refinement with the Oculus Mobile platform and potential partnerships with other Android makers.
Samsung will release a refined version of the Gear VR for the masses while other manufacturers will jump on the bandwagon. Might Sony figure out a way to incorporate Xperia-powered VR into their PlayStation? Will we see a Nexus VR by the end of the year? Look for VR to be the next big thing in the new year.
Chris Chavez: Return of the low-cost Nexus
2014 was arguably the best year yet for Android. Tons of great handsets and although every device has its share of shortcomings (gotta keep people upgrading), I think Android has finally matured to a place where just about all flagships from their respective manufacturers are finally worthy of taking on — and beating — the iPhone in terms of hardware performance and software features.
Looking ahead to 2015, I’d have to say I’m most excited about Project ARA. Just the prospect of fully customizing a device according to your wants/needs gets my all goose pimply. Want a DROID Turbo, but find a 1440p display overkill? Downgrade that display to 1080p. Don’t care much about taking nice photos with your phone? Get a cheaper 5MP camera module instead. The possibilities are almost endless and I think Project Ara could be the thing that fills Android with wonder and excitement again. That, or it will crash and burn in a blaze of glory.
As for my prediction, I really think we’ll see the return of a low-cost, reasonably sized Nexus device. While the Nexus 6 was a great followup to the Nexus 5, I think it’s safe to say this was more of an Android Silver device than anything. With Android Silver out-of-the-way, OEMs can once again get back to building a low-cost smartphone with Google handling the software side of things. Now that they’ve finally got all their bases covered in terms of screen size, Google will launch a followup to the Nexus 5 with a newer Nexus 5 (2015) model complete with smaller bezels, bigger battery, faster processor, and more internal storage.
Quentyn Kennemer: The line between Android and Chrome gets blurry
Many have worked to shoehorn Android onto things where it doesn’t quite fit yet, and I think Google is ready to make the lives of those folks easier. I predict that they’ll bring Android full circle in 2015 and finally make it suitable as an operating system worthy of replacing something as robust as Linux or Windows. Google has already shown flashes of going that route with their “Android on Chrome” development introduced in the middle of last year.
Will Android become a full-blown operating system for use without any other underlying platform? Will it eventually be spun into Chrome for the two to become one in the same? Not likely. But the lines are definitely being blurred for some eventual serious mingling between the two worlds at some point in the near future.
Derek Ross: An eye on India
Throughout 2015 we’ll continue to see Google, Motorola, Xiaomi, Oppo, Micromax, and other companies battle over connecting the next billion consumers in the world’s fastest growing smartphone market, which is India. By fall 2014, only 29% of nearly a billion mobile users were using smartphones in India, making the country poised for exponential growth in the coming year.
Google, with Android One, and other Android handset manufacturers are all gunning for their piece of the Indian market, offering low-end hardware coupled with extremely wallet-friendly pricing. While it’s too early to tell which tech company will come out ahead in 2015, when we’re talking a billion users, there’s room for a variety of consumer options. Thankfully Android gives consumers these choices, allowing us to be together, but not be the same. Here’s to watching Android’s market dominance continue to grow in 2015 thanks to emerging markets such as India.
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Those are our predictions, but what about you? What do you think will happen with Android in 2015? We can only hope it’s half as exciting as 2014. Happy New Year!