Yesterday, I was watching a video on YouTube- ‘Top 5 changes in upcoming iPhone’. Below that video, I found some interesting comments. Most people were disappointed for different reasons though. The most common reactions were about usb-c charging port, almost the same overall design and the good old argument of “Android had this for ages”. I was surprised to know how many people were disappointed about usb-c charging port. According to them, “Lightning makes iPhone the iPhone”. I found very few people who were welcoming the idea of a universal charging port. And then one person said, “Can we get some real innovation pls?” I wondered, is there really no innovation? Have smartphones become boring? Or is it because of the hype smartphone brands create, we develop hyper expectations? We want to see something exciting every year. But is it possible to ‘wow’ people every year?
Which side you are on?
Lightning makes iPhone the iPhone
All cables should be type-c
Everything wireless 🙌
Since the inception of the first iPhone in 2007, there have been no changes to the form factor. It is the same old candy bar-style phone. Only recently, foldable phones started coming out. Smartphones for sure have improved a lot. But they have become so iterative that it is really difficult to find that differentiating ‘wow’ factor every year. We have reached a saturation point where you can change only a few things. The screen, side rails, back panel and camera module decide how the smartphone will turn out to be design-wise. Brands also have to consider familiarity with the end user experience. Abruptly changing designs every year will most probably result in a frustrating experience for their users. Still maintaining a differentiating factor year after year is very difficult. Once in a while, we will get big innovations like how the screen got bigger and now spans edge to edge, how the fingerprint scanner went under the display and how the selfie camera evolved from a bezel to a notch to a punch hole. But at other times, we will get very nominal changes. This doesn’t mean, smartphone companies should stop trying to innovate. But we as a consumer should tone down our hyper expectations.
I think smartphones have reached a stage similar to what we see in cars. We don’t see significant changes in facelifts. Just cosmetic changes here and there. After a few years of facelifts, we get a new generation of that car which has significant changes and innovations. We don’t upgrade after every facelift. We purchase a car with the intention of keeping it for at least 5 years. Once we upgrade after a long time, we experience a vast change.
Similarly, we don’t need to upgrade smartphones every year or two. We can purchase the best smartphone that our budget allows and keep it for as long as we can. Sure, there will be new features every now and then like a facelift, but you won’t be missing out on too much. I still have an iPhone 7. I had to change the battery once, but it does all the tasks fairly well. Does it feel slow and old when compared to today’s smartphones? Off course! Like how a 5-year-old car would feel. But it gets the job done. And when I upgrade to a newer phone, I will feel the leap in innovation that I wouldn’t feel otherwise if I keep upgrading every one or two years.
Well if you are really looking for a significant innovation, I think a foldable smartphone is what you should go for. It is like upgrading to an electric vehicle. Samsung’s first Fold was a huge leap in innovation back in 2019 and later with Flip in 2020. But even then within just 5 years, their foldable smartphones have already started feeling iterative, especially the Fold series. Today we also have other players such as Google, Motorola, Oppo and Huawei. Apple will launch their foldable device in the near future too, which will push Samsung to compete even further. Competition brings more innovation. And more importantly democratization of technology. But what after this new wave of foldable devices settles down? Innovation comes in waves. When the wave ends, phones ought to become iterative and boring. Then another wave of innovation will come. It will make some noise and then it will settle.
So have smartphones gotten boring? Yes and no. If you ask me, I think there is a need for innovation in some of the most underrated but crucial components like the battery. We need to find more and better options in battery technology. For the rest, I will leave that to you. What kind of innovation do you think is needed? Do let me know in the comments. :D
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