2011 smartphone trends - Consumers Electronics Show & Mobile World Congress will point the way

January 6, 2011 will set the scene as far as revealing new smartphone trends in 2011. That day at the Consumers Electronics Show in Las Vegas as well as in February at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona people will see the latest developments in the mobile industry.

However, without waiting for that there is general agreement on lead the market in 2011.

1. Dual-core processor phones. The industry will continue upgrading processors in 2011 with the introduction of dual-core ones. In December, LG Electronics unveiled the Optimus 2X, a smartphone based on Android and Nvidia's dual-core Tegra2 processor. Apart from this Nvidia, Qualcomm, Samsung and Texas Instruments are independently developing their own dual-core platforms.
2. 3D displays. While consumers are disappointed with the effect of 3D, it will still be the trend in 2011.
3. NFC. The industry starts paying closer attention to the near-field communications technology which has been around for a significant time so far. Now there will be more phones compatible with the NFC. Android 2.3, also known as Gingerbread, includes NFC technology. The Nexus S, made by Samsung, is the first Android-based smartphone with NFC.
4. Video evolution. 2011 is expected to bring 720p to 1080p recording capacities. The LG Optimus 2X comes with 1080p HD video playback and recording, and can connect to an external display using HDMI, which is also expected to be a more common feature next year. The combination of HDMI, support for 1080p and higher download speeds in mobile networks also allows mobile operators to offer more video services.