Android smartphones have come a long way since the early 2010s, but I still miss that era when I was excited about almost every new high-end smartphone. Brand competition was intense, and phones had some personality. Nowadays, mainstream smartphones are boring because they’re slabs of glass that lack character. Sure, we have folding phones now, but they look similar.
Smartphone evolution was going great until manufacturers started removing essential features from phones to save space for bigger batteries. While I appreciate a phone that lasts all day, I miss the fun aspects of using a smartphone from back in the day. Let’s dive into some old-school features you won’t find on modern-day Android flagships.
How our cell phones evolved over the last 24 years
Let’s take a trip down memory lane to explore the largest phone makers from the past 24 years
5
Removable batteries
Why wait for your phone to charge when you can swap batteries?
Modern smartphones pack big batteries with fast charging and wireless charging capabilities. While this reduces the time we leave our phones plugged in, it cannot match the satisfaction of popping off the back cover and replacing the battery to see your phone back to 100% in seconds. You didn’t have to scramble for a charger or power outlet. Also, you didn’t have to stress over battery degradation. All you needed to do was spend an extra $20 to $30 on a spare battery.
I recall buying a spare battery for my Galaxy S4 in 2014. Before traveling, I made sure both batteries were fully charged so that I didn’t need to carry a power bank. While most smartphones today can fast charge to 50% in 30 minutes or less, you could swap the battery and reboot your phone within a minute. We had removable batteries when most Android phones were made of plastic or composite material. However, we had to give that feature up to make way for more durable phones with metal and glass builds.
4
Expandable storage
A microSD card was all you needed for your storage problems
Back then, we didn’t have phones with 256GB or 512GB of internal storage space, but that was okay since you could expand your storage with a cheap microSD card. Instead of spending $100 to upgrade to the next storage tier or paying a monthly fee for cloud storage, you could purchase a microSD card for around $20 to store your apps, photos, and videos.
Some high-end phones, like the HTC One M9, could support microSDXC cards with up to 2TB of storage capacity, which was impressive back then. You could easily swap cards between devices and move files without an internet connection. I had multiple microSD cards for various purposes: one for photos and videos, another for games, and so on. Expandable storage made your phone feel like your own since you didn’t have to rely on cloud storage platforms nearly as much.
3
Headphone jack
Lossless audio without dongles
I remember how Apple ditched the headphone jack on the iPhone 7 in the name of “courage.” Shortly after, most Android manufacturers followed suit. Nowadays, we’re accustomed to truly wireless earbuds. While they’re convenient, you’ll experience lossy or compressed audio over a Bluetooth connection, which I’m not a huge fan of. These wireless earbuds aren’t ideal for mobile gaming because of latency. You’ll notice the delay in fast-paced games. If you want to use wired headphones with most Android phones today, purchase a USB-C to 3.5mm dongle separately.
However, with the trusty 3.5mm headphone jack, you didn’t have to worry about these issues. Bluetooth headphones were popular a decade ago, but it was nice to have the option to connect a pair of high-end wired headphones like the Sennheiser HD600 to experience lossless audio. Also, manufacturers included wired earbuds in the box when phones had headphone jacks. Nowadays, all you get is a USB-C cable, and you’ll need to purchase wireless earbuds separately for $150 or more.
2
Compact flagships
Big phones were called “phablets”
Android smartphones have become bigger over the past decade, and I’m not sure if that’s a good thing. I agree big phones allow room for bigger batteries, and larger screens are better for media consumption and gaming, but that comes at the cost of pocketability. Big phones are heavier and less ideal for one-handed use, making them more prone to accidental drops. You’ll have trouble taking these phones in and out of your pocket, especially when you wear jeans.
In the mid-2010s, it was easy to buy a compact flagship phone with a 5-inch screen. We had big phones, but people mostly called them “phablets.” Samsung’s Galaxy Note line of phones is a solid example. Even some of the biggest phones had displays that were under 6 inches because of the thick top and bottom bezels. Fast-forward to 2025, and you’ll struggle to find a high-end Android phone with a sub-6-inch display. Samsung also ditched the Galaxy Note line since its S-series flagships have become bigger and made it redundant.
1
Unique designs
Android phones had character
Today, we’re bored with slab phones, but a decade ago, every major Android phone manufacturer had its own design identity. Phones came in all sorts of shapes, materials, and colors. For instance, the HTC One M8 had a curved all-metal back, whereas the Moto X had wood and bamboo options for the back cover. Manufacturers did everything they could to make their phones stand out. For example, the LG G Flex had a curved screen that could flatten with a bit of pressure, whereas the Galaxy Note Edge featured a display that curved along its right edge.
Although modern smartphones have evolved in terms of looks, they no longer have the sense of individuality that some of us experienced. I miss the days when you could spot a phone across the room and know what it was because it didn’t look like everything else. Modern-day slab phones are barely distinguishable from each other except for the branding and the camera layout. I feel like Android manufacturers have become lazy. They’re trying to be like Apple, recycling the same design every year. Look at the Galaxy S25 Ultra we reviewed, for example. It looks almost exactly like the S24 Ultra and S23 Ultra.
Modern Android phones lack the fun factor
Modern smartphones are more powerful, polished, and capable than their decade-old counterparts. But raw hardware specifications alone don’t make phones as exciting as they used to be. Certain aspects of old-school Android smartphones, like removable batteries, microSD expansion slots, and headphone jacks, made you feel like you had more control over your device. Unique designs meant that you were less likely to have a phone that looked like everyone else’s, and oftentimes, phones used to be great conversation starters.
Manufacturers can do so much with the slab form factor, considering how much we’ve progressed over the past decade. If you want to try something new, consider switching to a folding phone. While they’re expensive and have their fair share of drawbacks, they’re full of surprises and unique touches.
