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Smartphone innovation is dead, longer release cycles can revive it

Ilia Temelkov · 2024-02-15T16:45:15-06:00

Despite the general animosity between them, Samsung, Apple, Google, OnePlus and other smartphone brand fans have one critical thing in common. They all seem a little disappointed with the incremental updates of their favorite smartphones. As the underlying technologies evolve, the biggest smartphone releases become less exciting and more predictable than ever before. This raises the logical question - what can be done to bring back the excitement of new phone releases and purchases? The solution is obvious - release smartphones less often. Such an approach will give more time to all the engineers, designers, and software developers to invent more features and design changes. For the consumers, a longer release cycle will make upgrades more meaningful and much easier to justify. Generally, people don’t update their smartphones every year. For some, the main reason is the price, as smartphones get ever more expensive. Others don't see value in exchanging their already capable device with a new one, which is almost the same. Long gone are the days of drastic design changes and noticeable hardware upgrades. The latest iPhones, Galaxies and Pixels are fantastic, but their predecessors are probably over 90% as good. It wouldn’t be completely unfair to say that smartphone updates feel stagnating. Apple’s flagships look and feel more or less the same since 2020. Samsung’s Ultra Galaxy S model is basically the same since 2021, just like Google’s Pixels. Most of the major feature updates are based on software updates, and the difference between older and newer models is mostly in their speed. Considering the state of smartphone updates, I think the big companies must consider a change of their release cycles. The tick-tock model that Apple had for a while was a good one. A number update means general redesign and multiple new features. Then, a year later, an S update means potential refinement and basic hardware upgrades. Just like in healthy human relationships, the predictability and management of expectations that such change can bring will benefit everyone. Instead of annual disappointment, fans will get exciting premieres every couple of years. So, Apple, Samsung, Google, everyone else, please stop releasing smartphones every year. Would you join me in my request? Do you think a new release cycle could make smartphones more exciting? Do you even buy the latest models whenever you upgrade your smartphone?

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Ilia Temelkov

• Published: Feb 15, 2024, 4:45 PM

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shalila

• 3mo ago

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is not dead, is just people only buying apple and samsung, try a flagship like vivo x100 pro and you will see that those guys are still tying

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notfair

• 3mo ago

↵stferrari said:

I think evey 24 months would be more desirable as most (not all) people tend to keep their phones around 2 years minimum (at least this is what I have read in several surveys). But this is just my humble opinion.

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i agree, but the shareholders greed cannot be satisfied this way unfortunately.

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MihaiRO

• 3mo ago

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I think it's an agreement between google, apple, samsung to get the upgrades with "baby steps"!Big brands controll the marketing,they controll everything,is just about the profit right now and if more money are coming on this way,why should give big upgrades at every single year?

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pacattack81

• 3mo ago

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I'll just say I pretty much agree innovation has slowed, but the improvements in battery life and the amazing new screen on the s24 ultra are both significant upgrades. I can't tell you how amazing the screen is in cutting down reflections. You may not think it's such a big deal, but it really is when your trying to read something on the device.

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Dude_on_the_beach

• 3mo ago

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More can be done. Problem is that this "more" is not always viable from financial point of view or design.

Many prototypes out there are better than final machine.

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XmanRek

• 3mo ago

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This is one where I actually feel that Apple was right, but at the wrong time. These things should follow Apples iPad or Macbook model, or just treat them like cars with Model Years. The 2024 Galaxy S Ultra can be compared against the 2023 Galaxy S Ultra and see that the upgrades are minimal. They could focus on optimizing software for each generation lasting 3 years plus to get the most out of them. Then, after 3 years or so, a new generation with a new design and hardware features can be produced, as they were able to make major changes in the background.

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pimpin83z

• 3mo ago

↵poptart said:

This is a North American problem, not worldwide. You guys killed off LG and others who were bringing different form factors to this side of the fence. LG Wing, LG v60 dual screen, blackberry passport, Microsoft surface duo Red Hydrogen One etc. Samsung brings a unique foldable and a flip yet the majority of North American consumers ignore it. I don't want to hear this ridiculous take anymore. Go back to your iPhones and watch tik tok all day or pony up the 4 grand for the vision pro and bounce off walls with that cumbersome get up.

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Explain in detail how North America killed off LG, HTC & BlackBerry. I'd give my rebuttal first but that would defeat the purpose of me asking for your explanation.

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Jason2k13

• 3mo ago

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Every year no matter how small or big the upgrade is, it's still a good upgrade to those who wait 2,3 or 4 years. So it doesn't matter if every year is just a small upgrade, engineers already has plans for their smartphones 5 or 10 years in the future. If companies followed your advice, they would probably go bankrupt.

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jjface

• 3mo agoedited

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We all control our own upgrade cycle so who cares. And everyone is on a different upgrade cycle so yearly releases makes sense. We still have s years they just don't name them that because they want people who bought last years to feel like upgrading. Progress isn't that dramatic year on year.

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iheartcats

• 3mo ago

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IMO 2024 is the year that I believe smartphones reached a weird kind of perfection. It’s undeniable. In the next couple years I would like to see the ultra wide camera being treated equally as important as the main cam and have the same size sensor and amount of lense elements i.e. p6 or p7 etc etc. Autofocusing front facing cameras as standard practice. Fast charging with PD3* 60-65 watts minimum across the board. And Qi2 on all android phones fully implemented.

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