Apple, Google and Samsung – stop releasing a new phone every year!
A new smartphone every year that hardly differs from its predecessor – that’s just no good. Dear manufacturers, please switch to a two-year cycle.
Take a close look at this picture. Which of these smartphones is brand-new – and which is already two years old?
Source: Samsung
Can you spot a difference? No? Exactly!
Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Whether Samsung Galaxy S23, S24 or S25 Ultra, hardly anyone will notice changes between them. Visually, they’re almost identical, with just a few minor technical updates from year to year. A faster processor, a slightly larger display, a wide-angle camera with a new sensor – that’s it.
Another year, another smartphone. If a blind test were possible, even experts would probably struggle to distinguish between each model. Of course, Samsung isn’t alone in this annoying habit. Apple and Google are in the same boat.
Google, for example, tries to conceal this trick with design changes. But under the hood, much remains the same.
Source: Google
Please just release a new smartphone every two years!
At a keynote for the new Samsung Galaxy models, the focus was on software features – with AI front and centre. Rightly so, as this is where the biggest changes are taking place. However, plenty of features will still be available on older devices via updates – even from the competition, as they were developed with Google.
Why not just save ourselves the trouble? A few new colours for the S24 plus a software update would’ve done the trick. That and a slight price reduction would be an appealing move that’d certainly be appreciated by consumers. It may even be worth it financially if existing production lines can be used over a longer period of time.
And hey, Apple and Google, that goes for you too! Don’t play us for fools. Slow down new releases to once every two years – but with real innovations!
And if you do it cleverly, you’ll still have exciting keynotes every year. You could alternate, for example: one year flagships are launched, the next it’s entry-level devices or folding phones.
Better than doing nothing: bring back the S-year!
Of course, I also understand that no manufacturer wants to miss out on an annual sales push. Apple had an elegant solution for this until 2018 – the S-years. If, say, the iPhone 6 was launched in 2014, then the iPhone 6s would follow in 2015.
Everyone knew S-years meant small upgrades – no huge expectations, no big disappointments. It was all so much simpler.
Apple unfortunately abandoned this concept, and since then CEO Tim Cook has been announcing the reinvention of the iPhone at every keynote.
Source: Apple
Dear smartphone manufacturers, please just be honest. This should also pay off in the long term. At the moment, there are many indications that the desire and need to constantly buy new devices is decreasing (article in German). Whether it’s Apple, Samsung or Google, they all offer six, seven or more years of updates, so the theoretical lifespan of smartphones is getting better and better.
At the same time, the willingness to continue investing a lot of money in a new smartphone is definitely there – but only with a brand that actually comes up with real innovations. Nobody wants old technology sold to us as if it’s brand-new.
Header image: Lorenz Keller
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Lorenz Keller
Senior Editor
Lorenz.Keller@digitecgalaxus.chGadgets are my passion - whether you need them for the home office, for the household, for sport and pleasure or for the smart home. Or, of course, for the big hobby next to the family, namely fishing.
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