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Am I the only one not caring about new phones anymore?

Zorachus

Zorachus

[H]F Junkie
Joined
Dec 17, 2006
Messages
12,253
Not sure why, but I'm just having zero interest in new smartphones lately. I currently have the Pixel 9 Pro XL, and very happy and satisfied, but lately don't even care about the upcoming TSMC based Pixel 10 line. Even the Galaxy S25 Ultra, just looks like more of the same old same old. I had the 24 Ultra last year it was a nice enough phone but nothing special. iPhone 16 Pro or 17 Pro don't care just the same stuff.

In general my lust and want for new smartphones has been fading big lately, they don't excite me anymore, they're all the same now, a 2025 phone compared to a 2024 phone is like the same.

I guess as non tech people have been saying, smartphones are just another appliance, like your Refrigerator or microwave or TV. People don't change out there fridge every single year for a better one. Even nice OLED 4K TV's, you buy a nice one and keep that for several years, nobody changes out a high-end tv every year.

I'm actually more excited by OS software updates than [H]ardware updates nowadays.
 
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I'm still running a Pixel 4a. I couldn't care less about having the latest and greatest phone. I cared more when I used Samsung phones with both Samsung's bloatware and carrier bloatware to boot. It didn't take too long for those phones to slow to a crawl after a couple years of updates.
 
Phones hit good enough a couple years ago. They need periodic replacement because batteries and whatever else, and you should probably get a better one than the one you replaced, but there's nothing to encourage you to replace a working phone. Exceptions being usb-c if your platform was slow to adopt that, and 5g if you don't have it --- there's now 4g dead zones with 5g coverage.

Computers hit that mark at least a decade ago for mainstream users, if they even have a computer and don't just use their phone. When Windows 10 becomes unusable, and their 2014 computers can't run Windows 11, they'll have to choose if they want to buy another 10 years of desktop computing or just throw it away without replacement.
 
pendragon1 said:
dude, im still on a windows phone
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I was still on them until very recently and if the Nokia app still worked maybe I would still be on those, their old GPS driving/bus/subway commute app was better than what I have now I think.

I feel about a decade ago for desktop (SSD being the last thing that made a big impact and they came common enough around that time), tablet way before phone, phone do more things than tablet (like taking picture where they could get better and better), have harder constraint and more R&D so it went a bit longer, but yes we are post people are excited to update their phone...

Iphone selling so many 64GB model without storage extension option could help them, new iOS not working on the table and some app people use not working on the old iOS anymore seem to be what generate an upgrade, could see the same happening for phone.
 
cjcox said:
I remember when the idea around "new and shiny" was all about newly added features. Now "new" means, what feature got removed :(
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I got lucky on a used S23 Ultra, and got a free upgrade to the S24 Ultra with my mobile plan. I missed having the 10X optical camera, but hated their curved screen (using screen protectors on them were the worst). Had an extended family trip to Norway, and just wanted a good camera phone, and the S24 Ultra did a good enough job without having to lug around my old Nikon DSLR and multitude of lenses.

I wouldn't usually upgrade, but my mobile plan gives out free upgrades, so it's tough not to.

AI has been the latest craze for Samsung phones, but I don't use any of them.

The main reason I stick with Samsung is their hardware, camera quality, screen quality, and Samsung Dex. I don't use the S-pen, but let my kids use it for drawing. My previous phones were the Pixel 6a and S20 FE.
 
El_Capitan said:
I got lucky on a used S23 Ultra, and got a free upgrade to the S24 Ultra with my mobile plan. I missed having the 10X optical camera, but hated their curved screen (using screen protectors on them were the worst). Had an extended family trip to Norway, and just wanted a good camera phone, and the S24 Ultra did a good enough job without having to lug around my old Nikon DSLR and multitude of lenses.

I wouldn't usually upgrade, but my mobile plan gives out free upgrades, so it's tough not to.

AI has been the latest craze for Samsung phones, but I don't use any of them.

The main reason I stick with Samsung is their hardware, camera quality, screen quality, and Samsung Dex. I don't use the S-pen, but let my kids use it for drawing. My previous phones were the Pixel 6a and S20 FE.
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Dex in only on their high end phones, the ones without features. Ok... in all fairness, Samsung is trying to remove all those features from their low end phones as well. But there was a time. I mean the "7" class mid-tier wasn't that much slower for example, but had a physical head phone jack and user expandable memory. And minus microscopic examination, the camera is ok. My old 6MP Nikon D40 takes better pictures than a phone. Anyway, I'd say Samsung sucks. But.. sadly, what doesn't today?
 
cjcox said:
Dex in only on their high end phones, the ones without features. Ok... in all fairness, Samsung is trying to remove all those features from their low end phones as well. But there was a time. I mean the "7" class mid-tier wasn't that much slower for example, but had a physical head phone jack and user expandable memory. And minus microscopic examination, the camera is ok. My old 6MP Nikon D40 takes better pictures than a phone. Anyway, I'd say Samsung sucks. But.. sadly, what doesn't today?
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I totally get it. But there's always a trade-off. There's lots of USB-C to 3.5mm adapters now, so I don't mind 3.5mm not being on phones, anymore. Same with microSD storage, there's small external USB-C storage, like the Samsung USB-C 256GB which is small and reaches 400MB/s read speeds (110MB/s Write). It was $19.99 over a year ago, but $26.99 nowadays. It's not as convenient, but easier to swap out without having to connect my phone, instead, or plopping out the microSD card.

Bigger optics are almost always going to be better thans smaller, but MP does account for some of the drawbacks. Most of the time my old Nikon D7100 at 24MP will have better results, taking into account lighting and what not. But does the S24 Ultra at 50MP or 200MP sometimes take better shots? Yeah, especially at low light, and doesn't become grainy at higher ISO like my D7100 does. It also takes better video, and 4K @60FPS.

Again, it's always about tradeoffs, and of course, cost.
 
Dan_D said:
I'm still running a Pixel 4a. I couldn't care less about having the latest and greatest phone. I cared more when I used Samsung phones with both Samsung's bloatware and carrier bloatware to boot. It didn't take too long for those phones to slow to a crawl after a couple years of updates.
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Pixel 4a here as well for wife and I. Got some Update today for something related to battery. When/if Pixel 9a comes I'll upgrade and hand down our 4a's to our kids. 3-4 yr upgrade cycle for me is fine.
 
I am running Pixel 6, because that's the oldest still fully supported by GrapheneOS. I don't game on my phone so it could be twice slower and I wouldn't notice. Will be running this phone until is EOL in Graphene. Then I will move to Pixel 7 or something like that. Lowest cost, lowest effort, it's easy. No point paying thousands for a phone nowadays.
 
I keep my phones for at least 4 years and am buying only the budget versions. Currently on a samsung a54 which is pretty good and I like that its waterproof as I use it on my motorcycle. I will probably keep this phone for another 4+ years unless the battery dies and at that point I may try to replace it myself. I don't do much on my phone outside of browsing the forum here, running maps navigation and playing music when i'm out for a ride. I only really "need" my phone because of stuff like authenticator apps but I don't really install actual apps on it nor do i play games or anything needing a fast processor.
 
I'm a bit of a habitual smartphone upgrader, for no good reason; currently on a Pixel 9 Pro Max, too. But I definitely agree about all the upgrades being negligible these days - and there seem to be a few downgrades, as well.

I actually upgraded from a Pixel 8 Pro because there was a good trade-in promo, and I was worried about the 8 Pro trade-in values plummeting in price by next year. I had a small but annoying scratch on the 8 Pro, and was not too happy with battery life, so decided to give it a go.

Not only is the battery life with the 9 Pro max seemingly identical, but the more-rounded corners are annoying in several apps (e.g., a "pause" button that's almost impossible to press because how far in the corner it is). No differences with the cameras. No positive performance improvements in daily use - and I keep running into more little bugs just while browsing the web (though maybe's that's more an issue with a new OS version that needs to be polished).

I theoretically liked the upgrade to a 5x zoom camera a generation or two ago, but the sensors on the zoom cameras are always pretty crappy. (I'm also a camera fan, so I think most smartphone sensors are still pretty mediocre). So, I wouldn't say that there has been a notable quality-of-life improvement for mainstream smartphones in 5+ years.
 
I used to care, but now I could not give any less craps than I do at this current moment in time. I still upgrade every year because I buy the phone outright and then sell it the following year and get roughly 80% of what I bought it for back. AI is completely unwanted garbage for me, at least outside of improving photos/videos like removing objects from a scene and things like that. I find that to actually be useful. I don't really get excited for new phones anymore.
 
Haven't been excited for a new phone since I got my galaxy s3. No that's not a typo. Its power key broke so I got an s6 (yawn), and I'm on a Samsung A50 now which is holding strong that I paid $100 for new.
 
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I wouldn't mind if they slowed down flagship releases to every 18 months or even longer. I really only upgrade when something goes wrong or one of my kids needs a replacement so they get mine and I get a new one.
 
bluestang said:
Pixel 4a here as well for wife and I. Got some Update today for something related to battery. When/if Pixel 9a comes I'll upgrade and hand down our 4a's to our kids. 3-4 yr upgrade cycle for me is fine.
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I typically use phones until they stop working properly. I am thinking about getting a new phone, but only because this one doesn't always want to connect to my truck's infotainment system.
 
Yep. I've been trying to keep my phones a lot longer. Was a habitual apple user for the longest time and switched to a Samsung S23 last year, but ended up wanting a bigger phone because I'm starting to have a harder time reading smaller text.

I tried a Pixel 9 Pro XL and just didn't like it. Returned it, black friday came up and Best Buy had the S24 FE on sale. I had a $200 best buy gift card and bought it and sold my S23 on Swappa for more than what I bought the FE for. It's great, pretty much feels no different to use than a flagship.
 
I've been on google fi since it stared, and have basically been getting a "free" nexus/pixel a phone every 2 years by selling/trading-in the old one and "financing" the new one (which comes out cheaper than a buying it outright). I have honestly not experienced a marked difference in features since back with the nexus 6, other than better cameras starting with the 2XL. Currently on a 7A, and still have a 5a sitting in a drawer as a backup. I think my all-in phone cost over 10 years has been ~$200 (aside from the actual service, obviously).
 
Picked up an old 7a and put Graphene OS on it. With no bloat, no phoning home to the mothership it is enough of a jump to keep me happy another couple of years.
 
narsbars said:
Picked up an old 7a and put Graphene OS on it. With no bloat, no phoning home to the mothership it is enough of a jump to keep me happy another couple of years.
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Perfect move. I did the same but with Pixel 6. Will use it until I destroy it somehow (dropped it few times already, case frame is made out of aluminium and it doesn't get damaged!) or until GrapheneOS drops software support for it.
 
I dont care much either. Migration is a pain.

I have a Samsung S8 that is time to replace. Battery life isn't very good as anymore. As I've aged my eyes aren't what they used to be, so a slightly larger screen might be nice.

OS version is outdated enough that several apps dont work on it anymore...like turo...

My previous upgrade path...This one I got because I dropped the predecessor in the pool.

Before that, I dropped one in the snow during a snowstorm and couldn't find it until spring...

So yeah, you're not alone.
 
FrgMstr said:
Last my Pixel 5a few months ago... Bought another 5a for $200.
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Pixel 5a is a ticking time bomb. Many of them fail which is why Google offered an extended warranty. Mine died, and I only used it maybe 6 months and it was powered off in a drawer at 50% battery. I turned it on to use it again roughly a year later and it only lasted a few weeks until I got the black screen issue. Thankfully I caught it in time and could RMA it to Google. They definitely kept my same external chassis (I could tell with screen protector and certain markings on it) but it came back with a different IMEI so I think they just swapped out the motherboard.

If you reball the SD 765G SOC it will fix it though:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rt0gHnOJV3o
 
have no interest in new phones anymore, currently on an iphone 13 but bought a 15plus to have as a brand new spare if anything happens to the 13 since i refuse to have AI in any of my devices.

Might start researching graphene Os or another alternative for later down the road
 
Dopamin3 said:
They definitely kept my same external chassis (I could tell with screen protector and certain markings on it) but it came back with a different IMEI so I think they just swapped out the motherboard.

If you reball the SD 765G SOC it will fix it though:
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I had this with a Nexus 5x. Pretty sure they swap the motherboard for quick turn around, and rework the boards separately to fix other phones.
 
I definitely still care about my phone and it's one of the things that is easy for me to justify spending money on since it's something that I use so often. But unless I'm simply replacing a broken phone or something, then I want a phone that actually improves on my existing phone in a meaningful way. I don't generally upgrade "just because".

I'm still really happy with my current Samsung Note 20 Ultra, despite the fact that it has a few years on it now. It was the last Note model that Samsung made. It's screen (6.9") is still larger than the screens on the S24 Ultra and S25 Ultra (6.8"). I have more storage than is available in either of those phones due to having a big SD card in my phone. It has 12GB RAM which was a ton when it was new and has helped it hold up well over time. The CPU is old compared to newer phones but hardly slow. I have good battery habits which have kept the battery healthy.

The only impending obstacle is being stuck on Android 13. Apparently this phone was from right before Samsung extended their upgrade commitments, so 13 will be the last version that it sees. It's still getting security updates for now at least. I doubt that being on Android 13 is actually going to hold me back from doing anything meaningful anytime soon, but it will become a bigger annoyance over time. It's also nice to be familiar with newer phone features for when I help others with their phones, and having a phone that is 5 Android versions behind or whatever won't help me with that. I'm just not in a huge hurry to "upgrade" to a phone with a smaller screen and pay a premium to still end up with less storage than I already had.
 
Phones have been largely stagnant for years now for what the vast majority of people use them for, and in many ways they have even regressed; growing too large, removing ports and memory expansions, increasingly difficult to repair or replace the battery, no more front facing speakers (I used to love this on my One M8 and Nexus 6P), etc.

I care much more about software support, which nowadays relegates you to Google and Samsung for the US at least, unfortunately. And for the past few years Android has generally even regressed in its UI with dumbed down oversized icons/toggles and very few times has any of the "Pixel drop" updates brought any meaningful software features to the phone. The most notable one recently was them finally letting us cap battery charge to 80%, which I remember was a feature on my wife's Moto Z Play back in 2016.
 
If there was a vertical-folding pixel with the same feature set as the Samsung flip 6 or Motorola Razer models, I'd probably switch to that for the privacy options of a custom OS. Folding screens have been the biggest 'worth it' feature recently, and it's the only reason I'm not on an iPhone.
 
Been this way for a while, still sporting my iPhone 11 as it does what I need. I got some older phones I rooted with LineageOS for backup MFA devices and other things, but ya, there is very little that new phones bring except 5 billionnn mega pixel super deluxe ultra side zoom super duper pro version, or some other useless crap. I do love people who run out to buy the flagship phone "cause camera better" meanwhile they post all their stuff to Instagram or FB that compresses the crap out of it anyways!
 
El_Capitan said:
There's lots of USB-C to 3.5mm adapters now
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Without any standards.

El_Capitan said:
Same with microSD storage, there's small external USB-C storage
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To plug into that extra supplied USB-C that is not present on your phone.

El_Capitan said:
Again, it's always about tradeoffs, and of course, cost.
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I've said this before, last "flagship" phone I owned was the HTC One M8. All the "features" (the tiny handful) on every phone, plus IR Blaster, radio, headphone jack, HDMI support, MicroSD, metal (what? you mean not durable glass.. yes... metal). Phone did it all. Imagine having one device that "does it all". Today, it's not your phone, sadly. But, there was a day.

Cost wise, I paid $0.01 USD (ok, 0.03, as I usually bought phones for my family). Like I did every two years. The cost, paying the exact same as everyone else (probably less) every month for phone plan, with a 2 year contract.

I say new flagships are expensive and featureless. A step backwards.
 
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cjcox said:
Without any standards.


To plug into that extra supplied USB-C that is not present on your phone.



I've said this before, last "flagship" phone I owned was the HTC One M8. All the "features" (the tiny handful) on every phone, plus IR Blaster, radio, headphone jack, HDMI support, MicroSD, metal (what? you mean not durable glass.. yes... metal). Phone did it all. Imagine having one device that "does it all". Today, it's not your phone, sadly. But, there was a day.

Cost wise, I paid $0.01 USD (ok, 0.03, as I usually bought phones for my family). Like I did every two years. The cost, paying the exact same as everyone else (probably less) every month for phone plan, with a 2 year contract.

I say new flagships are expensive and featureless. A step backwards.
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The Apple playbook..

If you want USB-C with 10Gb speeds, sorry you need to buy the PRO versions.. same with the 15th gen... the entry level you get USB2 speeds, like come on Apple you cheap buggers.....and if you want super giga pixel camera's - pro version...while 99% of people could not tell a difference in a blind test of camera pixel level.
 
MrGuvernment said:
The Apple playbook..

If you want USB-C with 10Gb speeds, sorry you need to buy the PRO versions.. same with the 15th gen... the entry level you get USB2 speeds, like come on Apple you cheap buggers.....and if you want super giga pixel camera's - pro version...while 99% of people could not tell a difference in a blind test of camera pixel level.
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Yeah. Apple does infuriatingly stupid things constantly. They also do some things really well. They're very stingy with their tech on lower end models, though. At least AI has forced them to make 16 GB of RAM the stock choice on all their Macs. All of their phones have 8 GB now as well, but that's still pathetic since every Android flagship has 12-16 GB now.
 
I am not sure anyone is 'excited' for new phones anymore. Used to be chatter I would hear from friends and family but now it seems to just be "got a new phone since my 5 year old one broke, seems good". I got my iphone 16pro at release which is the first time ive done that for a phone, because of a promotion to turn in my 13 and it was a wash price wise so other than i think $100 fee fee was all I paid. Upgrade was meh, i got more storage than I had so that was nice but not much difference from 13pro to 16 pro for me.

The hops ive done to samsung from/to apple haven't really impressed me either. Iphone X, inspire 4g, nexus, and iphone 3g were the only phones that blew me away thus far.
 
stevenlee said:
Why do you think you are the only one? Plenty of people don't care about the new shiny x/y/z... it's not a new concept to keep using what still works.
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You can see it when a new phone launches and how many people suddenly have said new phone.. because they got a trade in deal with their carrier, so they switch thinking they are getting some awesome deal to have the latest and greatest, when in the end, they are paying more and more and more, to own nothing.
 
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Yeah, and the deals aren't there like they used to be. They used to weigh "contract renewal" heavily, but not any more. With that said, because phones have trended to being non-repairable (and featureless), eventually that piece of fondleslab will start having issues and sometimes, well before you're ready to get rid of it. The whole marketspace there stinks. While exploitation of the consumer is pretty universal, definitely a market heading deeper into exploitation side. Will it change? I don't see that happening.
 
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