2016 was another year where mobile devices showed an incredible ability to offer users startling processing power whilst staying relatively compact.
Whilst the days of the tiny smartphone might be over, the latest generation of mobiles has revealed that they are able to handle content like online games and streamed media in a way that’s not so far removed from desktop PCs.
The end of Moore’s Law
This trend follows the prediction set by Moore’s Law which suggests that as transistors shrink, digital devices will exponentially become more powerful.
And whilst this law has revealed itself to be true for decades and given us more powerful, yet smaller tech, it’s been suggested that the crunch point will be reached soon where it is no longer economically viable to produce smaller transistors.
Mobile evolution
This revelation suggests that there could be a limit to how powerful handheld devices could become, particularly as there is always a trade-off between processing power and portability.
However, recent innovations have shown that the world’s mobile manufacturers are continuing their quest to provide us with incredibly powerful portable devices.
A quick look at the latest tablets like the Nvidia Shield show how these small computers are capable of packing in a 2.2 GHz Quad Core Cortex A15 CPU that can be used to stream 4K HDR content and play a range of Tegra-optimised games.
Is there a limit?
2016 has seen plenty of advanced games that almost seem designed to test the limits of our mobiles’ processing power. Whilst gaming apps like Dawn of Titans display a graphical complexity that just about matches many top PC titles, a visit to Mr Smith Casino shows that it is not some nasty affiliate manager, but a simple gaming resource that illustrates just how diverse 21st century gaming has become.
And as a result, it seems that mobile devices will perhaps take a two-tiered approach. This could see dedicated gaming tablets like the Nvidia Shield being used in a way that mirrors the upcoming Nintendo Switch handheld.
Whereas for those who seek to use their mobile devices to carry out simple tasks like communicating, using social media and playing casino games, it seems that there is no need for such expensive and physics-defying mobile technologies.
