Post-smartphone era not dawning on Phl yet

In parts of the world, the smartphone is quietly losing its grip on daily digital life. The change has no dramatic launch event or iconic product reveal. Instead, it is unfolding gradually as users in wealthier markets rely less on screens and more on artificial intelligence — driven tools that work in the background.

Voice-first assistants, smart glasses, and AI-powered wearables are increasingly handling tasks once done through taps and swipes. Messages are dictated, reminders are spoken, schedules are inferred, and information is delivered without a phone being pulled from a pocket.

For many consumers in advanced economies, the smartphone is no longer the center of attention, but just one device among many. This shift, however, remains largely out of reach for the Philippines.

Despite global narratives about “screen fatigue” and a so-called post-smartphone future, the smartphone continues to dominate Filipino digital life.

It is the primary gateway to banking, work, education, entertainment, and social interaction. For millions, it is not simply a communication device but an all-in-one survival tool.

Technology analysts note that while global markets are exploring ways to reduce screen dependence, developing economies are still deepening their reliance on smartphones.

In the Philippines, high mobile penetration, widespread use of messaging apps, and a mobile-first internet culture have reinforced the device’s central role.

“The idea of moving beyond smartphones assumes stable connectivity, affordable secondary devices, and strong privacy protections,” said TechnoGizmo columnist James Indino. “Those conditions don’t fully exist here yet.”

Constant access

AI wearables and ambient computing systems often depend on constant internet access, cloud processing, and seamless integration across multiple devices.

In contrast, much of the Philippine digital economy still operates on prepaid data, intermittent connectivity, and cost-sensitive hardware choices. For many users, upgrading a phone remains a significant expense, let alone purchasing additional AI-driven gadgets.

There is also a cultural dimension. Filipinos have adapted smartphones to meet local needs in ways global tech companies did not always anticipate. From mobile wallets and online selling to community news sharing and disaster coordination, the phone has become deeply embedded in everyday life.

This creates a growing divergence between global technology trends and local realities.

As major technology firms invest heavily in non-phone computing platforms, some experts warn that countries still anchored to smartphones could be left behind.

If innovation shifts too quickly away from mobile devices, emerging markets risk becoming secondary users of future technologies — reliant on older platforms while newer systems cater primarily to wealthier regions.

Others argue the Philippines may once again chart its own path.

Rather than abandoning smartphones, Filipinos could integrate AI in ways that strengthen, rather than replace, mobile use. Voice assistants embedded within phones, AI-enhanced messaging, and smarter mobile services may prove more relevant than standalone wearables or screenless devices.

“The post-smartphone era doesn’t have to mean no smartphones,” said Indino. “It could simply mean smarter phones that do more with less effort from the user.”

For now, the smartphone remains firmly in hand across the country — often cracked, frequently charged, and indispensable. While the rest of the world experiments with life beyond the screen, the Philippines continues to refine life through it.

Whether the country eventually skips the post-smartphone phase or reshapes it on its own terms remains an open question. What is clear is that, at least for now, reports of the smartphone’s demise do not apply here.