As 2013 Comes To An End, Here's What Smartphone Users Like You Can Expect In 2014

In 2013 for the first time, more than one in every two mobile handsets sold was a smartphone, according to Gartner. Next year is expected to be a pivotal moment for smartphones, which will account for an even greater share of the mobile market.

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Gartner, Inc. is an American information technology research and advisory firm headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, United States. It was known as Gartner Group, Inc until 2001.

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In 2014, manufacturers will present an unprecedented range of low-cost options designed to boost smartphone sales in developing markets, all the while continuing to innovate in the high-end smartphone sector.

The smartphone market can no longer be considered as a simple battleground between Samsung and Apple, or between Android and iOS.

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Today, in an aim to attract new smartphone users and encourage current smartphone users to upgrade, manufacturers are expanding their offer in this category in new directions.

As a result, in 2014, the smartphone market will represent a wider variety of devices than ever before, with smartphones priced for every budget.

At one end of the spectrum, manufacturers continue to develop innovative high-end devices priced upwards of $800, touting features such as HD resolution, flexible screens, high-speed processing, and camera performance.

At the other, phone makers have introduced more basic smartphones, which still satisfy the everyday needs of the majority of users but are priced from around $150 to $400.

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Today, phone makers such as Archos, Wiko and Alcatel offer functional smartphones that are compatible with very high-speed networks and come at half the price of the high-end devices from Apple, Samsung or LG.

Not wanting to miss out on the action, a number of mobile operators have introduced own-brand low-cost smartphones to appeal to customers who are indifferent to the prestige and high-end features of more costly devices.

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Orange, for example, launched its Hiro and Yumo own-brand smartphones in several European markets last November.

The Firefox OS, an attractive option in developing markets, is beginning to make its way to consumers, primarily in devices under $150 manufactured by ZTE, Alcatel or Huawei.

Since more and more people have smartphones, the image-conscious are increasingly looking for new ways to make their phone as unique as possible. Manufacturers have responded to this growing demand with solutions for customizing smartphones, a trend that is expected to be amplified in 2014.

Motorola already offers a wide variety of styles for its Moto X and G through interchangeable colored casings. Samsung and even Apple, with its iPhone 5c, have also taken small steps towards making their phones more customizable.

But it could soon change in the face of surprising alternatives such as Phonebloks, an entirely modular smartphone.

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