Go ahead we are aware that when talking about design always be cautious when saying that something is simply good or bad, but it is true that there are some tendencies in the field of mobiles that, at least, are polemics but clearly unpopular. Should we expect to see them arrive at tablets in the near future or the difference in format will be able to protect them from them?
The iPad Pro 2018 could bring the notch to tablets
El MWC 2018 He left us big mobiles and tablets but he has also given us a lot to talk about for having left a fairly long list of iPhone X clones. We cannot say, in any case, that it surprises us too much that the notch will also become a trend in Android smartphones and phablets when among the first news we have had about the news that we can expect from Android P there is the one will be better suited to screens with this feature.
A priori it might seem that this is an unpopular design trend that tablets could get rid of, since the pressure to reduce frames is much less, but if you are a little aware of the rumors about the iPad Pro 2018 I'm sure you already know that it seems quite likely right now that its design is inspired by that of the iPhone X. We do not know to what extent this means that we will or will not meet a notch, but at the moment all the designers who are daring to launch concepts of this hypothetical iPad X they are including it. And if it becomes a reality, you already know that we can count on those who will follow in the footsteps of Apple Lossless Audio CODEC (ALAC),.
The MediaPad M5 now comes without a headphone jack port
We are getting used to it now, but most still do not like it and there are many who have been happy that the Galaxy S9 Plus has ignored this trend: headphone jack ports are on the way to extinction and it is increasingly rare to find a smartphone or phablet (especially in the high-end) that includes it. And once again, it may surprise us, but it seems that tablets might not be safe from this trend either.
There is no better proof of this than the brand new MediaPad M5, a tablet with a design with many points in its favor in the design section (metal casing, fingerprint reader, stereo speakers ...) but which has also attracted attention for having dispensed with the jack port, including instead in the box a adapter, from what we have seen in the first unboxing. And it is true that many do not take the tablet from home so much, but also within it, it is appreciated to be able to use it to be able to watch movies or series on our own without disturbing those who are close.
Will the ubiquitous glass housings be made also in the high-end?
We cannot say that glass housings are in itself something negative, far from it, since it is a material that works quite well to dissipate heat and (although there are tastes for everything) its aesthetic value is undoubted. Going to tablets, the Galaxy Tab S3 It does and it's a real treat to behold, in our opinion. It is true, however, that they do not convince everyone and it is also undeniable that keeping them free of fingerprints can be cumbersome.
And this is the problem: although there are tastes for everything, each time there are less options, at least in the field of high-end mobiles, with very recent predictions that all the flagships of 2018 will arrive already with glass housings. In this case, we allow ourselves to be even more optimistic about this trend than about the previous ones, because the main motivation of manufacturers to substitute aluminum for glass is the wireless charging And this one doesn't seem to be as in demand among tablets. On the other hand, we already have few high-end tablets, so we just need to add some more to the Galaxy Tab S3 (again we are looking at the iPad Pro 2018) so that we are in the same situation as with smartphones and phablets .
What we do want in tablets
There are other clear trends in high-end mobiles, however, that we really want to see on tablets. It is true that the most important, which in our opinion are more options with pure Android (either in Pixel, Android One or Android Go version) and more OLE displaysD, they have nothing to do with design, but there is one that does: the water resistance.
We always say it, tablets are great travel companions, they get close enough to the sea and the pool, they also expose themselves to the rain, they spend a lot of time in the hands of children (with respect to whom, we already know that all protection is few) and more and more people have them as assistants in the kitchen, a few good reasons that at least the high-end ones are starting to come to an end with water resistance. It is a lack that is felt even more when we think that thanks to the Xperia Z range we already had a few with this feature. We hope that someone will give us some good news soon in this regard.