My A55 is about the same.
I only got it because I needed a bigger screen as I was using the iPhone SE3 and my eyes are getting terrible at my age.
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Am I the only one not caring about new phones anymore?
- Thread starter Tig Bitties
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I only got it because I needed a bigger screen as I was using the iPhone SE3 and my eyes are getting terrible at my age.
Yep, same here. I don’t know what happened but I used to switch phones every few months years ago to try out the latest and greatest now, I rarely do anymore. I feel like all the flagships are pretty much on par with each other and it’s really just a preference of which OS you want to go with. Another thing is, a lot of the smartphones nowadays are just focused on the AI gimmicks and there’s hardly any improvements on the hardware side of things. So, I am just waiting on another major redesign from Apple or Samsung. The iPhone Pro series and the Samsung S series seem to sticking with their same design for years now.
Don't live on my phone and primarily looking for faster cellular/USB connectivity for using Android Tether with OpenWRT router which is currently capped at 400Mb up/40Mb down in place of broadband and usable zoom >30x. Don't see anything that's a significant upgrade over current Galaxy S21 Ultra. Last new phone bought was Pixel 6 Pro that never left the box and ended up gifting to neighbor with cracked iPhone.
For me, they simply don't provide value for money any more. Spending the amount you'd spend on a pretty decent laptop (that you'd keep for 5 years+) on a phone that you'd be looking to replace in 1-2 years is insane to me. 5 years ago, mid range phones used to be cheaply constructed, slow and compromised. Those days are long gone. The Samsung A3x and up range are excellent devices, feel fast to use and premium enough in the hand, the only thing missing in the main are wireless charging and cameras that can photograph the moon - which I can happily live without and save myself £600+.
What I find “insane” is someone replacing a phone every two years when the changes are incremental.
I have just bought the A55 and totally agree with you. I replaced my small iPhone with it, I loved the iPhone but I needed a bigger screen as my eyes are not what they used to be.
This cost me £339 in the UK just after Christmas as a place called Argos had them on a deal. The price has gone up another £100 now.
There is no way I am paying flagship money.
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I got my A34 from Argos for the same money 2 years ago, but I got the 256GB/8GB version. Been very happy with it in that time.
The last time I lusted over a phone it was for the iPhone 5 back in 2012!
If you've lost your desire only now, you had a good 12 years more than me of phone fun.
If you've lost your desire only now, you had a good 12 years more than me of phone fun.
These new AI feature creep bloated data collectors have really helped curb my new phone addiction for sure 
Just more annoying stuff getting in the way of basic functionality IMHO. Still trying to use my pixel 2 XL that I managed to shatter the screen on even more and have the 8 XL pro that doesn't fill the bill.
Next one might be a gen behind A model...
Just more annoying stuff getting in the way of basic functionality IMHO. Still trying to use my pixel 2 XL that I managed to shatter the screen on even more and have the 8 XL pro that doesn't fill the bill.
Next one might be a gen behind A model...
My S23 Ultra is still going strong, hard to fault really.
I'd rather buy a new guitar/bass.
I still follow the tech news loosely, but the days of a new flagship every cycle are over for me, it's just a phone.
I'd rather buy a new guitar/bass.
I still follow the tech news loosely, but the days of a new flagship every cycle are over for me, it's just a phone.
I used to look forward to every iPhone launch with excitement, but now I don’t. The upgrades these days are so incremental that they’re barely worth it. From the iPhone 3G to the iPhone 5, I used to upgrade every year. After the 5, I switched to Android because I wanted a bigger screen and I felt that Android had matured enough to use with Jelly Bean. I swapped phones every 6 months, always chasing the latest shiny until I settled on Pixel phones. I still upgraded yearly with the Pixels, but I didn’t do it with much excitement.
I went back to iPhone and for the first time, I’ve been holding onto my phone for 2 years. I only upgraded because the battery was degrading. I went from the 11 Pro to the 13 Pro Max to the 15 Pro again. I might even hold onto this for longer than 2 years. It’s a year old now, and the battery health is still 100%.
I went back to iPhone and for the first time, I’ve been holding onto my phone for 2 years. I only upgraded because the battery was degrading. I went from the 11 Pro to the 13 Pro Max to the 15 Pro again. I might even hold onto this for longer than 2 years. It’s a year old now, and the battery health is still 100%.
I lost interest as soon as I realised that a smartphone is commodity device now, and has pretty much peaked. They are as exciting as a microwave.
Especially when it comes to the camera, things have really stagnated. Even the 1"-type sensor has not made much of a difference. There is not much of difference in quality between modern smartphones. You can take flagship smartphone that is 5 years old and it'll still take very comparable photos. And I still think that Nokia 808 PureView from 2012 took the most DSLR/Mirrorless like photos, and nothing is topping that. Couple of more samples: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
There is Bluetooth 6.0, it will have high accuracy locating devices, and proximity unlocking (cars, doors, etc.). Interesting, but hardly something to be super excited about.
The only thing that would really excite me now is software. Specifically, a desktop mode with productivity applications. I would like my smartphone to be able to replace my computer. They certainly have the power for it, but in my opinion, Apple does not want to do it, and Google can't do it.
Especially when it comes to the camera, things have really stagnated. Even the 1"-type sensor has not made much of a difference. There is not much of difference in quality between modern smartphones. You can take flagship smartphone that is 5 years old and it'll still take very comparable photos. And I still think that Nokia 808 PureView from 2012 took the most DSLR/Mirrorless like photos, and nothing is topping that. Couple of more samples: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
There is Bluetooth 6.0, it will have high accuracy locating devices, and proximity unlocking (cars, doors, etc.). Interesting, but hardly something to be super excited about.
The only thing that would really excite me now is software. Specifically, a desktop mode with productivity applications. I would like my smartphone to be able to replace my computer. They certainly have the power for it, but in my opinion, Apple does not want to do it, and Google can't do it.
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Im with you too. Currently using a Pixel 5 with stock Android 14.
It runs really well, the screen have 90hz so it looks smoothly enough to be enjoyable, it have 128GB storage and 8GB of RAM so it is well equipped. Also, it have a really good battery life for its age (bought it like 2 years ago from Ebay second hand), it last me about 1.5 days and sometimes 2 days with an average of 4-5 of screen time.
New smartphones just doesn't looks fun to me. Spec wise I don't care that much but man, design wise are terrible. New iPhone 17 Pro looks like a cheap Xiaomi Poco M3, Samsungs looks good but that AI is just stupid in my opinion and the price is also just too much for me to pay for a phone.
New Pixels look horrible since Pixel 6 with the changed design. That 9a just don't look good and everyone is using the same design for the body.. Also, no more small phones like my Pixel or the now extincted SE 3. At this point I just don't know what to buy next. A 13 Mini maybe? But in 1-2 year it will be just too old.
For now my Pixel 5 works fine. Maybe I'll just buy an E-link phone and use it just the necessary..
It runs really well, the screen have 90hz so it looks smoothly enough to be enjoyable, it have 128GB storage and 8GB of RAM so it is well equipped. Also, it have a really good battery life for its age (bought it like 2 years ago from Ebay second hand), it last me about 1.5 days and sometimes 2 days with an average of 4-5 of screen time.
New smartphones just doesn't looks fun to me. Spec wise I don't care that much but man, design wise are terrible. New iPhone 17 Pro looks like a cheap Xiaomi Poco M3, Samsungs looks good but that AI is just stupid in my opinion and the price is also just too much for me to pay for a phone.
New Pixels look horrible since Pixel 6 with the changed design. That 9a just don't look good and everyone is using the same design for the body.. Also, no more small phones like my Pixel or the now extincted SE 3. At this point I just don't know what to buy next. A 13 Mini maybe? But in 1-2 year it will be just too old.
For now my Pixel 5 works fine. Maybe I'll just buy an E-link phone and use it just the necessary..
I like paying attention to them, but the need to upgrade annually has long gone by. The manufacturers and carriers seem to have accepted this too. The free financing went from 24 months to 30 to 36 very quickly. 3 years seems like the most accelerated schedule for many. I thought once every 3 years would be the schedule I would settle into, but I'm now thinking I might keep my current phone for at least 4 or 5 years.