BOB SHARE

Our smartphones just keep getting better and better, so whats next for the power houses in our pockets?

The tech on the cusp of breaking into the big time in terms of mobile is 4K - which is the term used to reference a display resolution of 4,000 horizontal pixels.

That makes it four times higher than the traditional 1080p, full HD displays which adorn many of the top smartphones today, such as the Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One.

As Alan Thomas from Carphone Warehouse explains, the term "4K smartphone" can have a couple of meanings.

"The next step in screen resolution is QHD (2560 x 1440) - commonly referred to as 2K - and were seeing more interest in this resolution. Once we have a number of 2K screens on our smartphones the 4K discussion will really come alive."

"In terms of video recording, 4K is the natural next step from the now commonplace 1080p recording.

"People are looking for UHD (ultra high definition) because 4K TVs are rapidly becoming more affordable, plus it means video zooming is possible while still keeping extremely high recording quality."

Were yet to see a smartphone with a 2K display (let alone 4K) make its way into stores, but there are reports in China that phones are beginning to roll off production lines - so they shouldnt be too far away.

That means 4K smartphone displays may be slightly further off.

"4K video recording is already here with the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and LG G Flex," Thomas explains.

"Therell also be a host of new handsets announced at MWC 2014 from the likes of Samsung and Sony, so by April 2014 there should be a wide choice of phones that record in 4K.

The first 4K mobile will launch in the seacond half of the year 2015.

Thomas notes "not even 1080p is the norm yet for mobile displays, and the first 1080p screened phones were only built at the end of 2012.

"4K screen resolution is unlikely to be found on mid-range phones for a good few years yet, as it raises costs quite a lot."

There is hope of an affordable 4K video recorder coming to your smartphone a little sooner though, as Thomas explains.

"4K video recording only needs a camera of around 8.3MP, plus a compatible processor. Its cheaper to get together, and maybe in the next couple of years well see it on a lot more phones."

Considering the likes of the Sony Xperia SP and HTC Desire 500 both sport 8MP cameras already, weve not far off having the compatible lenses at the affordable end of the smartphone market.

One of the big concerns surrounding 4K technology coming into our smartphones is its effect on battery life, but Thomas isnt too concerned.

"Its likely that a 4K screen would use more energy, but its impact on battery life is difficult to quantify. Battery technology improves all the time, and manufacturers manage to package phones tighter and tighter to allow for larger batteries.

"Its likely that while more energy will be needed, batteries will supply more energy too, resulting in phone battery life being largely unaffected."

Battery size isnt the only thing that will need boosting when it comes to supporting 4K technology. "Phones will need to have faster, more powerful processors to give a smooth experience," Thomas explains.

"A 4K screen has more pixels than a lower resolution one and the phone needs to do more work which doesnt just use energy, it also uses more processing power.

"When it comes to 4K video capture, the main disadvantage is memory with the higher resolution footage taking up more space."

This could mean we see more manufacturers adopt the 64GB storage capacity we see in a handful of high-end smartphones and it may even see the arrival of 128GB devices, and even a resurgence in the microSD slot which the likes of Apple and Google are trying to avoid.