3D graphics, curved screens and eye-tracking are all futuristic features that can now be found on present day smartphones, but the majority of British users are more interested in battery life when it comes to buying a new device.
New research by price comparison site uSwitch.com has found that Britons see the most important thing about any smartphone is how easy it is to use, with 29 per cent voting it a top priority. Next up was phone call reception with 19 per cent - the same as battery life.
Fingerprint scanners, 3D-like graphics and voice control have all been introduced as mainstream smartphone features in the last two years.
Ernest Doku from uSwitch.com said of the results: "It's becoming increasingly hard for smartphone makers to differentiate their handsets from those of their rivals. They hope that flash features like fingerprint ID on the iPhone 5s, or Amazon's Fire Phone and its 'Dynamic Perspective' display, will give their phones the edge.
"However, our research shows that Brits can spot a gimmick from a mile away. It's actually the basics that affect the every day user experience - like long battery life and a robust design - that people really care about."
Apple introduced a fingerprint scanner to their smartphones when the iPhone 5s launched in 2013, with users being able to unlock and also make iTunes purchases using their fingerprint.
Samsung has since introduced a similar feature to their own Galaxy S5, which launched earlier this year. The Samsung device can also measure your pulse.
uSwitch's research suggest that users do find these features useful - more than half of those who have it on their phone say they use it more than once a day.
However, when it comes to more futuristic aspects like eye-tracking - which monitors eye movement and scrolls the screen accordingly as you read - and voice control, smartphone owners are far less interested, with 75 per cent saying the scrolling technology does not appeal to them.
More than half of those surveyed also said they never used voice control like Apple's Siri or Google Now.
Despite these advances in technology, classic features like battery life remain the most likely to chime with customers, with 89 per cent of those asked saying that a long battery life would make them more likely to purchase a particular phone. Being waterproof and a zoom camera lens also scored highly.
The next generation iPhone is expected to be announced in September, complete with a host of new features, with possibilities ranging from a heart rate monitor to increased fingerprint scanner use.
Share
