According to a report by Ericsson, smartphones open the way to widespread mobile augmented reality

A report by Ericsson Consumer Lab shows that consumers dislike current device options and are concerned about public perception and privacy of XR.

Options and adoption of augmented, virtual and mixed reality devices, applications and services are developing slower than expected, and most consumers’ experiences are limited to applications such as wayfinding and photo filters. Bulky devices and limited content selection are part of the problem, but according to a new report from Ericsson Consumer Lab, people are also worried about the social consequences of wearing XR devices in public places. They both worry about how others will perceive them. wearing XR glasses and witnessing the AR device scanning and where such content might end up.

“Consumers are curious, but there has been no revolution so far, XR devices, AR, VR and Mixed Reality (MR) glasses and headsets are still mostly curiosities,” the report says. For comparison, “the place of the smartphone in consumers’ lives is indisputable, it is actually an extension of the user’s body. Its position and the way it is interconnected in our lives makes it difficult for consumers to imagine that another type of device will replace it. The smartphone is also the starting point for most people who use augmented reality, especially with filters among younger users, as well as navigation, translation and virtual rehearsals for other age groups.

Consumer Lab previously found that between 2021 and 2023 there would be a 50% increase in the amount of daily time 5G users spend on AR experiences on smartphones.

However, smartphones are not the ideal vessel for XR: screens are relatively small, they do not provide an immersive experience, and holding the device for long periods of time can strain the arm. Still, the report found that overall satisfaction among active XR users is around 47%, but users combining AR smartphones with VR/AR/MR devices report statistically significantly higher satisfaction levels, around 54%.

The report outlines a number of benefits of centering XR experiences around a connected or tethered smartphone/XR device, including the ability to reduce or eliminate the amount of computation that must be performed on the device itself, so that the size and weight of the device can be reduced and performance can be improved . However, this is still expected to be only the first step in a multi-step process of broader XR adoption. We are currently in the early stages of widespread availability of basic augmented reality solutions. This process is expected to continue to evolve for at least the next one to two years and will be dominated by the smartphone as the primary device. The second stage will include a shift in which “more location-based and spatial experiences will become available to consumers,” the report says, and portable XR devices will become “companions” of smartphones. The third stage will be reached when more advanced and native XR experiences become widely available and stand-alone AR devices emerge to support these experiences.

The report is based on an online survey conducted in 10 global markets among 10,000 early adopters aged 15 to 69 who use AR smartphone apps, headsets or AR/VR/MR glasses at least every two weeks or plan to do so in the next five years. In addition to the survey, Ericsson Consumer Lab conducted nearly twenty in-depth interviews with users, industry experts and XR startups in four countries. “While early adopters represent a small fraction of global consumers, their profile makes these individuals important when examining how broader consumer groups may use these technologies in the future,” the company noted.

The report also noted that approximately 10% of consumers currently use smartphones with AR and VR/AR/MR devices, but this number is expected to double over the next five years as experiences and devices improve. And while most consumers say their primary place of XR use is at home, 75% want to be able to use AR/MR devices outside the home. Seven out of 10 consumers surveyed said they would be willing to pay an average of 20% more for this opportunity, especially if they were in an arena or venue that could offer something like a customized sports or arts event.

Read more about Ericsson Consumer Lab here.