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Flagship smartphones have come a long way in terms of reliability and usability. There were days when even the best and most expensive flagships would lag and stutter at the slightest hint of an intense task. Today, they are incredibly designed powerhouses that can match the performance and usability of powerful computers.
Today, the software is more streamlined than ever before and is also better optimized for the hardware at hand. The level of optimization that Apple provides with its devices, as well as iOS, is also available now in the Android ecosystem thanks to the efforts of Samsung and Google.
On top of this, the prediction by Gordon Moore that the number of transistors doubles every year on a chip no longer holds true. The growth in the processing speed of modern APUs has stagnated so much that year-on-year gains are minimal at best. It is for this reason, and more, that upgrading a flagship smartphone annually makes little to no sense. Let’s see why.
Note: This article reflects the opinion of the writer.
Why one shouldn’t bother with annual upgrades to flagship smartphones
1) Chip improvements have started to stagnate
Many industry experts believe that Moore’s law doesn’t hold true today. This evidence is present in annual chip releases. When Apple recently announced their A16 Bionic, they did not compare it to A15, but rather to A13, a three-year-old chip. Smartphone makers seem to have realized that to increase chip power exponentially, they need to work around power draw and heat dissipation.
Google seems to be one of the few to have moved away from the benchmarking race. Their latest iteration, Tensor G2, is mostly focused on unique and smart AI features based on machine learning. In fact, mid-range phones today have become as powerful as flagship smartphones of a few years old.
If kept side-by-side, the performance difference between the flagship of 2022 and 2021 would be barely noticeable, if at all. The average user wouldn’t notice the proverbial 10% performance gap obtained after every year.
2) Software has matured
The last decade has seen major improvements in the user interface and design of the mobile OS. If you look at Android 5 and then try out Android 13, the difference in functionality and design would be so stark that you would be forgiven for considering Android 5 primitive. This is not true for incremental updates that arrive annually.
Android 12 did bring a new material design, but the core functionality of the OS didn’t change much. Apart from numerous behind-the-scenes changes, it is difficult to tell apart Android 13 from Android 12.
Quite interestingly, software makers like Google and Apple offer incremental updates every year. A major shift in design language only comes at an average of once every five years, if past trends are to be relied upon.
3) OEMs are supporting devices for longer
Ever since Apple became a market leader in providing the longest software support, it has inspired a lot of OEMs to follow suit. Samsung recently announced that it will provide four years of OS updates and five years of security updates to its phones. Similarly, Google provides three to five years of updates on its Pixel devices.
Today, the software, its usability, and its features matter much more than the sheer numbers obtained on benchmarking websites. If the smartphone maker is committed to providing years of support to the device, there remains little reason to upgrade them annually. The more optimized today’s OS becomes, the lesser its dependency on top-of-the-line hardware gets.
4) Prices have reached exorbitant levels on flagships
Everyone remembers when the very first iPhone launched for a price of $599. Ever since then, the price of smartphones has gone up substantially. You would be hard-pressed to find even a mid-range phone today in the same price category. Moreover, the performance gain observed from moving to a flagship from a decent mid-range phone is not noticeable to the average user.
The former makes sense for power users who need an ultra-powerful device. However, for most average users, the difference between the two is barely noticeable. The year-on-year gains in the performance of the flagship are falling behind the price increment. Today, they have even started to touch $1100 while offering little compared to the year prior.
5) Modern smartphones and their batteries are built to last
Ever since the introduction of gorilla glass protection, screen durability has seen incredible improvements across the board. Modern-day smartphones can easily survive pool splashes, drops on surfaces like concrete, and car accidents, and still, be able to function just enough to place a call.
Similarly, the lithium ion-based battery of the 21st century has a cycle life of around three years, which can be extended further with good charging habits.
Batteries barely degrade by five percent in their first year to even warrant a change or replacement. Combined with optimized updates, they can push out more charge by efficiently allocating resources.
A good smartphone is a must since we all need a reliable and fast device in our pockets for productivity and connectivity on the go. Unsurprisingly, a flagship isn't a must-have for the average user, and annual upgrades aren't necessary either to stay connected or be productive.
