This article is divided into three parts:
PART 1: 1. Networking technology | 2. SIM technology | 3. Body specs | 4. Hardware | 5. Memory & Storage
PART 2: 6.1. Display type | 6.2. Touchscreen | 6.3. Resolution | 6.4. Pixel density | 6.5. Aspect ratio | 6.6. HDR | 6.7. Refresh rate
PART 3: 7. Camera | 8. Sound | 9. Comms | 10. Sensors | 11. Battery
In the final part of this series, we will look at:
- Camera
- Sound
- Comms
- Sensors
- Battery
If you have missed any of the previous parts, you should start here.
7. Camera
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G (left), Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max (centre), and Huawei Mate 40 Pro+ (right).
Pixel size and megapixels
Pixels are the tiny blocks of colour (picture elements) that make up a digital image. A million of these blocks is known as a megapixel. The more pixels a camera has, the higher the resolution of the images it produces. This means the photos will be sharper and more defined.
The size of the pixels, which is measured in micrometres/microns (µ), is also important because the larger the pixels are, the more light the camera can capture. This is particularly beneficial when taking photos in low-light conditions.
Sensor
The camera sensor is probably the most important component of a smartphone camera because it’s the device that captures the light that enters the camera and converts it into a digital photo. This is where the camera’s pixels (also known as photosites), which capture the light, can be found.
The size of the image sensor (typically shown in fractions of an inch) matters a great deal in smartphone cameras because the bigger the sensor, the bigger the pixels can be. Also, you can fit more pixels on a larger image sensor.
Aperture
The aperture is the opening through which light enters the camera. The wider the aperture, the more light can enter the camera. The narrower the aperture, the less light the camera sensor can capture.
How wide or narrow the aperture is, is expressed in f-stops, for example, f/2.0. The lower the f-number, the wider the aperture is.
Focal length
Focal length, usually expressed in millimetres (mm), gives you an indication of a lens’s optical properties and how much of the scene can be captured, known as angle-of-view (or field-of-view).
The shorter the focal length, the wider the angle-of-view and therefore, the more of the scene can be captured. The longer the focal length, the narrower the angle-of-view, which magnifies the subject but cuts out the rest of the scene.
Smartphones with multiple cameras often have different lenses with different focal lengths on each camera. Cameras with wide-angle lenses give you wide shots, as the name suggests. Cameras with telephoto lenses are usually double or triple the focal length of the wide-angle lens for a narrower angle-of-view.
Frame rate
When a camera records a video, it’s actually taking many still photos per second. Each still photos are known as frames. The more frames per second there are, the smoother the video will look. If there aren’t enough frames per second, the video will look choppy.
Smartphones, by default, shoot at 30 frames per second, commonly shortened to ‘fps’. Smartphones that can shoot at 60fps, 120fps, and even 960fps are great for slow-motion shots. The more frames per second you can shoot, the more you can slow down the video and still have smooth motion.
Video resolution
Video resolution is very similar to display resolution in that it refers to how many pixels can be displayed in each dimension. The common resolutions for recoding video on a smartphone are:
- HD= 720p
- Full HD = 1080p
- 2K= 2K
- 4K= 4K
There are plenty more camera specifications you can find for smartphones, which I haven’t included here to avoid making this article to avoid making it longer than it already is. These include specs such as HDR, OIS, Zoom, Autofocus, and more. You can learn more about them and others here.
ALSO READ: How Does A Smartphone Camera Work?
8. Sound
Mono/stereo loudspeaker
The main difference between mono speakers and stereo speakers on smartphones is the number of channels they use. Mono speakers only use one channel, which means that no matter how many speakers they have, they will all reproduce the same copy of the signal.
Stereo speakers are designed to mimic our two ears. Stereo sound uses two channels instead of one. This allows a signal to be sent to the left channel and another signal to the right channel. This creates better sound perspective and dimension.
Sound quality (bits/kHz)
High-resolution audio generally refers to music files that have a higher bit depth and sampling frequency than a CD, which is 16bit/44.1kHz. The more bits there are and the higher the sampling frequency, the better the sound will be.
So, 24bit audio will sound better than 16bit audio, just as an 88.2kHz sampling frequency will sound better than 44.1kHz.
9. Comms
The comms section of a smartphone’s specs details the technology that the phone uses to connect to other devices or satellites.
WLAN
WLAN stands for Wireless Local Area Network, more colloquially known as Wi-Fi. Specs here show you the Wi-Fi protocols the phone uses, the bandwidth, and whether it supports Wi-Fi Direct.
Bluetooth
Over the years, Bluetooth technology has developed and introduced new versions into the market. The most recent version is Bluetooth 5, which has extended battery life and an extended transmission range from 50 meters to 200 meters.
GPS
Smartphones don’t actually use GPS for navigation. They use AGPS (or A-GPS), which works specifically with smartphones because of how they can connect to cell towers.
Other satellite constellations that the phone can link with are listed in this part of the specs. They include BDS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS, and NavIC.
NFC
NFC stands for Near Field Communication. A device that has NFC can communicate with another NFC device and exchange information simply by coming into close proximity with it. An example of NFC in use is tapping your smartphone at the cashiers’ checkout till to pay wirelessly for your purchase.
Infrared port
A smartphone with an infrared port can be used to control other electronics with infrared sensors. For example, you can use it as a TV remote control or use it to adjust the airconditioning in the room. Very useful for when you lose the remote, but unfortunately, not many smartphones have this feature anymore.
USB
There are a number of different types of USB such as USB-C, as well as different versions of it such as USB-C 3.1. Whichever type of USB a smartphone supports, it’ll be listed in this section.
10. Sensors
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G (left), Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max (centre), and Huawei Mate 40 Pro+ (right).
Biometrics
The aim of biometric sensors is to increase the level of security on a phone by validating access to it by capturing human metrics. This includes facial recognition, iris scanning, and fingerprint analysis.
Face recognition
A face recognition sensor uses a camera to capture your facial data that can then be used to validate your identity.
Fingerprint
There are three types of fingerprint sensors found on smartphones:
- Under-display:Smartphones with under-display fingerprint sensors have no dedicated fingerprint scanner on the body of the phone. Instead, you can scan your finger on the display itself.
- Optical:Optical fingerprint scanners are the most common type of fingerprint sensor. They use the light and dark areas created by the ridges of the fingerprint to detect and match the fingerprint on record.
- Ultrasonic:Ultrasonic fingerprint sensors are more secure than optical fingerprint scanners. They work by reflecting a sonic pulse wave off your finger to create a 3D image.
Iris scanner
Smartphones with iris scanners shoot a harmless, invisible infrared light into your eye to detect the unique patterns in your eye that can be used to identify you. These patterns are as unique to you as your fingerprint but are invisible to the naked eye.
Accelerometer and gyroscope
In smartphones, the accelerometer is used to detect linear movement of the phone such as the rotation.
So, if you have your mobile phone set to auto-rotate and turn it sideways to watch a video, this is the sensor that “sees” how the phone is positioned and relays this information so that the display is rotated to landscape mode to match the phone’s position.
A gyroscope (or simply gyro) works similar to an accelerometer but it measures angular movements of the phone such as twisting and tilting.
An example of a gyroscope at work is when you’re playing a racing game and you turn the phone in the direction you want to steer. When you shake your phone to skip a song or flip it to mute it when it rings, the gyroscope is responsible for detecting those motions and relaying the information to the processor.
Proximity
As the name suggests, the proximity sensor is responsible for detecting when objects are near the phone. This is commonly seen when the phone’s screen turns off when a user has it held to the ear during a call. That way it kinda helps save the battery, but mostly prevents you from accidentally touching the ‘end call’ button while your phone is to your ear.
Another example I’ve come across is where the phone’s screen is switched off while on standby, but lights up as soon as your hand reaches for it. The proximity sensor detects your hand movement towards the phone as you’re about to grab it.
Compass
A sensor inside a smartphone known as a magnetometer forms the basis of a smartphone digital compass, so the phone will always know which way north is. This sensor makes it possible to know which direction you’re facing or travelling in.
A practical example of this sensor at work is when you’re using a digital map on your smartphone and it rotates the map on the screen to match your physical orientation.
Barometer
The barometer is a sensor that measures altitude data, which helps the GPS system work even better. This sensor can also be used by fitness apps to measure how many floors one has climbed.
Barometers can also make indoor navigation possible, to the extent of knowing which floor someone is on in a building.
11. Battery
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G (left), Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max (centre), and Huawei Mate 40 Pro+ (right).
Types of batteries
Smartphones mainly have two types of batteries– lithium-polymer, a.k.a Li-po, and lithium-ion, a.k.a. Li-ion. Both have their advantages and disadvantages, but the biggest difference between the two is the chemical electrolyte between their positive and negative electrodes.
Lithium-ion (Li-ion)
Li-ion batteries have the advantage of storing a lot of energy in a small space and cost less than Li-po batteries. Unfortunately, lithium-ion batteries discharge even when not in use, and their capacity decreases over charge cycles.
They can also be a bit unstable at high temperatures. However, unlike traditional batteries, Li-ion batteries include an electronic controller that regulates the flow of power to avoid overheating or exploding.
Lithium-polymer Li-po)
Unlike Li-ion batteries, Li-po batteries are much safer and have a very slow self-discharge rate, so they won’t go flat quickly when you’re not using them. The downside is, the price tag is quite high and you don’t get as much energy density.
Milliamp Hour (mAh)
Milliamp hour, commonly abbreviated as mAh, is a measure of the capacity of a battery. Generally speaking, the more mAh a battery has, the more capacity it has and, therefore, the longer it will last.
So, a battery that has a capacity of 4500mAh has more capacity to store energy than one that only has 3000mAh.
Charging
Fast charging
Fast charging is a feature that allows you to charge your smartphone’s battery in only a fraction of the time it would the traditional way. Fast charging only works with smartphones that are designed to use one of the fast charging standards. You also need to use adaptors and cables that are optimised for that standard.
Wireless charging
Wireless charging allows your smartphone or electronic device to charge its battery without plugging into any cables. All you have to do is place the back of your phone on directly on the surface of a wireless charger and it will start charging.
An upgraded version of this is fast wireless charging. It works exactly the same as wireless charging but with more power for a faster charge.
Reverse wireless charging
Reverse wireless charging is a feature that allows you to use your smartphone to charge other devices that support wireless charging such as other smartphones and smartwatches. The devices don’t even have to be from the same brand.
But as cool as it sounds, reverse wireless charging is best suited for emergency situations because it’s not as powerful as traditional charging. It may take a while to charge a large-capacity device using this method.
Qi/PMA fast charging
Smartphones that are compatible with Qi Fast Charge or PMA will charge even faster, as long as the charging base is also compatible with Qi Fast Charge or PMA.
Conclusion
So, there you have it. All the smartphone specifications and what they mean. Hopefully having a better understanding of it all will help you make an informed decision when you want to get yourself a new smartphone.
