Remember when having a smartphone made you the coolest person in the room? Those days are behind us, as mobile handsets play a central role in interacting with the world around us, so much so that it’s hard to imagine life without a phone. In my case, it’s more than a necessity. I love trying them because of my strong passion for technology.
No Thanks, Keep Reading
It was more intense in the latter part of the 2010s when I wanted to get a first-hand experience of what the best quality smartphones had to offer, to the point where I became an upgrade addict. Luckily, I overcame it in the last few years, but not because of my growing understanding of how finance works. Despite the hype around phone launches, I never felt the need to upgrade to a new phone in the last three years.
5 Phone makers struggle to bring exciting hardware innovation
Upgrades aren’t worth it unless I have a solid reason
A slightly more powerful process or a marginal improvement in camera quality aren’t innovations. Consider the comparison between the Samsung Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S24. The newer model is a carbon copy of its predecessor in its looks and what it does. A slightly bigger 4,000mAh battery and Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 in the S24 are theoretically superior to 3,900mAh and Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in the S23, but the experience remains unchanged. Coming up with different versions of notch design and cosmetic changes doesn’t qualify, either.
The last time I was excited about something on a smartphone was in 2019, when high-refresh-rate displays were widely adopted. It makes scrolling through social media posts buttery smooth. This is a big deal for me because I spend a lot of time on X (previously known as Twitter). We’re almost halfway through this decade, but I haven’t seen any exciting hardware innovation since then, except for foldable phones. While I admire the form factor, I’m not ready to buy it because of durability concerns.
There’s a similar story in the iOS ecosystem. I’d argue that it’s even worse. I had a OnePlus 7 Pro in 2019. Switching to an iPhone felt like a downgrade after looking at the display. It took Apple two more years to introduce a high refresh rate display to its iPhone Pro models. Regardless of Android or iOS, phone companies seem to stay the course instead of pushing things forward.
Stalled hardware innovation isn’t always a bad thing. Since the pace of hardware breakthroughs has slowed, many smartphones now have similar components and capabilities. This is one reason why most handsets handle day-to-day tasks well and can run every app within the same ecosystem.
4 The hidden cost of upgrading
Fear of an additional cost holds me back
I didn’t realize the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic would be as indispensable as my phone. It’s compatible with any Android phone, but you can access all its features when paired with a Samsung phone. I currently have a Galaxy S21, so I’m not missing out on anything my watch has to offer. However, it wouldn’t be the case if I bought a new phone now from another brand. Certain advanced health features like ECG and blood pressure monitoring won’t work.
Google follows the same strategy. Its smartwatches work best when connected to a Pixel phone. If I switch to a OnePlus phone or iPhone, I’ll have to pay more to buy another watch from the same brand, even though my Galaxy Watch 4 is still in great condition.
It isn’t only about finances. Depending on the amount of data, apps, and settings, migrating information from your old phone to the new one can take hours. It takes considerable effort, especially when switching to a different operating system. There is also a risk of losing important data if anything goes wrong.
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3 Too many models of the same phone create decision paralysis
It’s a case of too many cooks spoiling the broth
It might be a great business decision, but as a consumer, I’m opposed to the “Pro” designation in the flagship lineup. It made us pay more to get the best experience, something we would’ve got in regular flagship phones had companies not introduced that segmentation.
This also trickled down to the budget segment. Phones in most price segments have labels like “Pro,” “Pro Plus,” “Ultra,” “Max,” and whatnot. Although phone makers market them as higher-end models, the core hardware remains the same, with a slightly bigger display and battery. Whether you’re a flagship buyer or a budget-conscious person, deciding which model offers the best value has become more cumbersome.
2 Longer software support
Even phone makers want us to stick to our phones for longer
The lack of innovation isn’t limited to hardware. I can’t remember the last time I fell in love with an Android feature and felt it would be handy. As much as I love to try new Android features, I’ve given up hoping for revolutionary features and have cared only about timely security updates for a long time.
It’s hard to give credit to phone makers when it comes to promptly delivering security patches. Still, I admire every company that has committed to providing software support for over five years. For example, when buying a Google Pixel or a Galaxy handset, you get up to seven years of software support. I won’t use my phone for that long, but software support for a longer period gives me psychological comfort and eases my anxiety about potential issues on the software side, at least for a couple of years.
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1 New phones are primarily about cosmetic tweaks, and they’re pricier than before
I crave bold design changes, but there are none
Changing the position of camera lenses isn’t enough to draw me into buying their products. I’ve stopped counting how often manufacturers resort to this tactic in the name of “redesign,” and it still goes on to this day. The Galaxy S24 and the upcoming rumored Galaxy S25 don’t look very different from my S21.
Consistency in phone design over a certain period may not always be a bad thing. However, the repetitiveness has been going on for too long, to the point where new phones now look boring to me. I agree with our Phones Editor, Will Sattelberg, who opined that it’s time to rethink smartphone design. Despite the lack of hardware innovations and boring design choices, prices of phones have been growing steadily. With the trend likely to continue, the realization couldn’t come at a better time.
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What worked and what didn’t
I realized I needed to change my habit long ago and decided to work on it. However, I succumbed to clever marketing tactics multiple times to put myself in a similar situation I was trying to escape. In many cases, I tried to justify an upgrade because I was getting a great discount on it, which pushed me back into the upgrade cycle again.
I overcame these hurdles after changing my perspective. Instead of second-guessing whether I need a new phone when an official launch happens, I shifted my focus to seeing the value of what I currently have and critically analyzing whether features marketed as “game changers” are must-haves in my use case. The answer hasn’t changed in the last three years, as I’m still using the Galaxy S21 as my daily driver.
