I don’t think the weight of cell phones has been an issue since the 80s or 90s. At some point a phones size and weight is about what’s comfortable to hold. Being too thin or too light can start to create new problems.
If the UI was streaming, I think the up front hardware cost would be replaced by a monthly fee required to run the servers required to send the feed, which would probably be more expensive over the life of the phone.
The hardware could also not be a completely dumb thin client. With the cameras, there needs to be enough inside to handle focus, capture, and a buffer to store the photos/videos to upload. Would there also be lag in the viewfinder, with the camera having to send the live image up to the server and back down to the UI, or would this part switch over of a bare bones local UI? Maps would need GPS in the phone to tell the server where it is. Various accelerometers would still be needed, then I guess the local accelerometer would need to make a call to the server to tell it to rotate the screen… even with a fast connection, I’d have to imagine some lag there. Biometric unlock would also need some local hardware. I’m sure there is much more.
Doing all this from a remote system doesn’t seem practical. Too much still needs to be in the phone itself, that it would seem impossible for the benefits to outweigh the costs.
If the UI was streaming, I think the up front hardware cost would be replaced by a monthly fee required to run the servers required to send the feed, which would probably be more expensive over the life of the phone.
The hardware could also not be a completely dumb thin client. With the cameras, there needs to be enough inside to handle focus, capture, and a buffer to store the photos/videos to upload. Would there also be lag in the viewfinder, with the camera having to send the live image up to the server and back down to the UI, or would this part switch over of a bare bones local UI? Maps would need GPS in the phone to tell the server where it is. Various accelerometers would still be needed, then I guess the local accelerometer would need to make a call to the server to tell it to rotate the screen… even with a fast connection, I’d have to imagine some lag there. Biometric unlock would also need some local hardware. I’m sure there is much more.
Doing all this from a remote system doesn’t seem practical. Too much still needs to be in the phone itself, that it would seem impossible for the benefits to outweigh the costs.