Tech-writer believes smartphones have stagnated in recent years so we no longer need to upgrade our devices regularly
New models of smartphones are being released all the time. Apple released the first iPhone in 2007 – and 18 years later we’re up to the iPhone 16. Brands like Samsung and Google have followed suit, always looking for ways to upgrade their product each year.
Dedicated smartphone users often want to make sure they’ve got the latest version of their favourite phone in order to benefit from its new and improved features. However, with a new model comes a much higher price. With some of the most advanced smartphones often now running over £1,000, keeping up to date is not cheap.
But one tech writer, Hamlin Rozario, is breaking the mould, and says he’s no longer upgrading his phone every year, even when new models come out. Writing on Android Police, Hamlin said he “used to upgrade my smartphone almost every year”, but now, things have changed.
“In 2010, my dad got me the Nexus One, and then, in early 2011, I upgraded to an iPhone 4,” he said. “Again, in 2013, I bought a Galaxy S4 but switched to the iPhone 6 Plus in 2014. Now, I use my phone for at least two years because I don’t feel any reason to upgrade sooner. Annual smartphone upgrades aren’t enticing, and that’s for a few key reasons.”
The first ‘no go’ for updating his phone annually is that in the last few years, the design changes “have been minimal”. He said: “Gone are the days when smartphones made huge jumps in design, performance, battery life, camera hardware, and display quality.”
Another reason is just how expensive flagship smartphones have become. He explained that around a decade ago, smartphones such as the Nexus 6P could be bought for a few hundred pounds.
“Fast-forward to 2025, this price range is reserved for mid-range phones,” he wrote. “Even Google’s affordable offering, the Pixel 8a, starts at $499, pricing itself out of the budget smartphone market.” Now, a brand new iPhone 16 will cost £799 from the Apple Store.
Hamlin summarised this point by saying he believes having to fork out so much when smartphones “aren’t improving dramatically” isn’t worth it. Modern smartphone brands now offer long-term software support, which is considered another key reason you don’t need to buy a new device as regularly.
In the early days of smartphones, most Android makers only promised around two years of software updates, even for their high-end models, but this has since changed. Therefore, users needed to make upgrades sooner in order to enjoy new features from the software.
Hamlin wrote: “Google and Samsung, the two biggest players in the Android space, promise seven years of Android updates for their modern phones, like the Pixel 8, Pixel 9, Galaxy S24, and Galaxy Z Fold 6.
“When I know my current smartphone will receive Android updates for the next four years, I can’t justify spending another grand on a new phone for minimal improvements. At this point, buying a new smartphone every year seems more like a luxury than a necessity.”
Hamlin also said he believes “manufacturers are getting lazy” and are prioritising “gimmicky” AI features over innovative hardware. “When was the last time we saw a truly revolutionary smartphone?” he wrote. “I can’t remember.”
He said: “We don’t see cutting-edge hardware features from smartphone makers nowadays. They seem to focus on pushing more and more AI features that most people don’t use. If I wanted to use AI, I’d download some of the best AI apps from the Play Store or App Store. The lack of hardware innovation from manufacturers is one of the main reasons smartphones aren’t as exciting as they used to be.”