STACK #250 August 2025

TECH FEATURE

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AI integration

Smartphones move fast these days. Every year new models are able to tap into more advanced technology to make our lives easier, and getting your head around what your new phone can do – and the differences between it and your faithful older model – can take time. Lets look at some of the major new features and trends that you’re likely to encounter on your brand new phone. Words James O'Connor & Scott Hocking What’s new and trending in SMARTPHONE TECH

Part of the reason why chipsets need to be more powerful is to run the AI features in new phones. AI assistants are becoming more and more commonplace, helping you to navigate your phone and providing greater and more convenient access to online information and conversational answers to general questions. However, many of the ways AI is being used aren't as immediately apparent – it works quietly behind the scenes to ensure your phone is able to keep up with everything you want and need from it.

Many phone brands have their own proprietary AI systems – Google’s Gemini, Samsung’s Galaxy AI, OPPO AI, and Motorola’s moto ai are just a few examples – but there's a lot of overlap in what they can do. Using a neural processing unit (NPU) within the chipset, AI can be used to generate images and text, and also enhance existing media. A phone with AI-driven tools may be able to immediately improve the photos you take, present you with a summary of the day ahead in the morning, and search for a specific bit of information or an image that you remember receiving in a text message or email, finding it with ease.

The latest, greatest chipsets

Mobile chipsets have become extremely powerful. The notion that smartphones are computers you carry with you everywhere is becoming more true – a new phone you bought today could theoretically be more powerful than a decent laptop you bought a few years ago.

Last year, Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon 8 Elite, the fastest mobile processor to date, and now we're starting to see new phones equipped with this extraordinary chip, such as the new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7. The Google Tensor chip in the Pixel series has also continued to evolve, and the MediaTek Dimensity 8350 chipset – found in OPPO’s Reno13 series and Motorola’s Edge 60 Pro – is capable of amazing things. These are just a few examples, with most flagship phones now seeing huge increases in power. These advances in mobile technology have improved the experience of using your phone, including better GPS, faster web browsing, improved experiences with games, superior camera systems, speedier multitasking, and importantly, improved power management to extend battery life. These super chips have also made it easier for phones to detect scam calls, along with improved notifications, and for apps to more seamlessly interact with each other. They're also enabling all-new features via AI integration – a huge trend in the world of smartphone tech.

AI transcription summaries are great for reading through your voice messages or transcribing interviews, while real-time AI translation on your phone is changing the way we travel and communicate – the language barrier has been broken and cross-cultural communication has never been easier! AI is, of course, still an experimental technology and its full capabilities will emerge over time, but for now, it’s making the lives of smartphone users a little easier.

20 AUGUST 2025

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