Did you know that over 368 million smartphones were sold in only the second quarter of 2020?
If you are involved in smartphone manufacturing or are considering joining the industry, it could seem that smartphones are the golden ticket. After all, smartphones are used in almost every industry, for banking and personal messaging. They are even being used to track COVID-19 cases in some places.
Smartphones are definitely here to stay.
If you are considering entering the smartphone manufacturing sector, what should you know? How are smartphones actually made? Why not read our in-depth article to find out.
Table of Contents
What Are Smartphones Made Of?
Before you can start to construct your first smartphone, it is important to research exactly the range of materials that will go into it. After all, this will impact your budget. This, in turn, will affect the final selling price of the phone and possibly the investment needed to fund its development.
Cover
Phone covers are generally made of plastic. The durability of the cover will depend on the budget of each handset. However, the cover should be able to withstand basic temperature changes and impact falls.
Screen
The majority of smartphone screens are made using LCD technology (liquid crystal display). This works using similar principles to LCD TVs. They provide a clear yet hardwearing screen experience.
Battery
The smartphone industry has made great advancements in battery technology and usage in recent years. Batteries have become more compact and able to take a greater number of charge cycles. The most effective batteries, such as those that Apple use, are the Lithium-ion battery.
How to Create a Smartphone
Once you have decided what materials to use in your smartphone, you can now finalize your design.
During this stage, designers and key decision-makers will come together and look to meet all objectives. Who will be the target audience? What will be the operating system? How much should it weigh?
Your company likely has many goals and aspirations. The designers and key decision-makers will look to create a design that incorporates all desired functionality.
The First Model
After the designers have created the first design draft, it is time to see what it will look like and feel like in reality. This can be accomplished with a real-life non-functional prototype.
Although it does not contain the materials and functionality of the finished product, the prototype will allow all stakeholders to see what the final model will look like.
It can even be taken out into the field for testing. It is important to know what the public thinks about the exterior of the product even at this early stage.
There may even be several iterations of the prototype. You may make changes after you receive feedback from this initial field testing.
Remember that the prototype only helps you to learn about the exterior of the phone. It is during the next stage that you will start to work on the internal sections.
The Phones Internal Engine
Your decisions regarding the phone’s internal hardware will affect the functionality of the phone. During earlier design phases, the team will have made choices regarding the processor to use and the quality of the camera. The budget of the phone will limit the quality of these.
The engineers will have stipulated the size of these internal parts during the design stage. There should be no doubt that they will fit inside the approved prototype casing.
After this, the internal parts are fitted into a prototype, and it is sent to the key decision-makers for their assessment and approval.
Installation of Software
You will have already decided what software you will install on the smartphone. Likely, this would be the Android operating system as it is the easiest and cheapest software to install on a new model of smartphone.
However, it is only after you install the software on your smartphone prototype that you will see whether it will work smoothly or not. You will see whether your smartphone processor is cooperating with the other hardware devices and the software you install.
Engineers will spend much time during this phase ironing out issues that could cause crashes or reduce efficiency. This is a crucial phase.
Now the phone will be sent out into the public domain for the final tests. The companies reputation will be affected by their opinion of the engineering that has been put into it.
Production Phase
Mass production of the final product can be tricky. Although your planning and design may have been flawless, inadequate, or low-quality manufacturing standards can undermine this and the reputation of the final product.
You need to ensure that you are working with a quality manufacturer with a reputation for maintaining the standards set for them. You can find more info here regarding trustworthy manufacturers.
During the manufacturing stages, your company will arrange for a number of press events and marketing strategies that will advertise the smartphone’s capabilities. The goal is to draw attention to it and, if possible, to gain pre-release orders of the phone.
During this time, you can also arrange for a select group of tech review companies to analyze your product. This can have pros and cons. If they like your phone, a 5-star rating can give your campaign massive momentum. However, if they do not like it or find it difficult to understand its functionality, the resulting reviews could damage your reputation.
Phone Packaging and Shipment
The packaging of smartphones is a very important step. The packaging should protect the devices as it is, hopefully, shipped across the world to customers. However, it should also look very cool. Just ask Apple.
The packaging is also an opportunity to help your customers understand your branding and learning more about any accessories you produce.
Smartphone Manufacturing Secrets and Much More
The world of smartphone manufacturing involves a complex array of parts. However, thanks to the super-connected world we live in, it is possible to source and receive all necessary parts using existing supply chain agents.
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