Ever wonder why, over the years, your phone has slowly been getting bigger, while your laptop has probably been getting smaller? Well there’s been a good reason for this trend, but things may be about to change.Computer hardware abides by Moore’s law, which roughly states that processors double in power every two years. Computer chip sizes have gotten incredibly small over the years, which has led to more powerful smartphones and smartwatches. Meanwhile, laptops have gotten slimmer, and the use of bulky PC towers has lessened. Let’s look to AMD for some insights. AMD is one of the two largest chip manufacturers in the chip market right now. After two generations with 7nm chips, they are finally ready to move to 5nm chips. A smaller chip size means two things. First, it means better performance thanks to more cores. With Zen 3 maxing out at 16 cores, Zen 4 will most likely max out at 24 cores – a 50% increase is quite the step up. And such core capacity increases will probably apply to AMD’s whole lineup. Smaller chip sizes also make the computer chips more power-efficient, i.e., they need less power to perform the same tasks. The power supply is often the largest hardware component; if power supplies get smaller, computers will be able to shrink dramatically.So with shrinking PC and laptop sizes, why have phones been growing in size for the last 10 years? Well, there’s a lot that goes into it, but the biggest reason is people tend to prefer bigger phones. The iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro have way outsold their smaller counterpart, the iPhone 12 mini1.Having a larger phone has added benefits as well, such as room for additional ports and a larger battery. Plus, a bigger screen is a plus to most people who spend significant amounts of time on their phones.Living with a small computer and a big phone may seem like the ideal situation for a lot of people, but the future may see us moving in a different direction. Computers will likely continue to get smaller because there’s little downside to their shrinking. Note that computers can shrink without screens shrinking alongside them – you could have a computer the size of your coffee mug that could plug into a 30-inch, 4k monitor. Phones’ getting larger, on the other hand, does pose an issue, and quite a simple one at that. Eventually, your phone will no longer be easy to travel with. A ten-inch screen is not going to fit in your pocket, let alone your hand. Since a screen is directly connected to the phone, a phone cannot really differ too much from today’s industry standard. If the screen gets a lot smaller, it will be impossible to see, and if it gets a lot bigger, it won’t be practical. But wait, what about folding phones? Well yes, folding phones do partially solve this dilemma. A ten-inch screen that has been folded in half will fit into your pocket. But does this solve the issue entirely? Absolutely not. Regardless of how many times the phone is folded, holding a ten-inch screen in your hand is still going to be uncomfortable. In my opinion, we’ve reached a good point for phone sizes. I think we will continue to see 7ish-inch phones, which will decrease in size when folded. And who knows, maybe we’ll start wearing Elon Musk’s Neuralink within the next 20 years, completely eliminating the necessity of phones. How can you get involved?If the future of computer hardware sounds interesting to you, a career in infrastructure support may be a good option. Apprentice Now offers an immersive online learning experience that helps you land an infrastructure support job. With employer-paid learning, it’s a risk-free pathway to a fulfilling, high-paying career. Sources
