I really guess I don't understand what everyone was expecting this year. Yes, there were some clear failures but most OEMS either responded to common criticisms or brought something new to the table.
HTC: Yup, here's the clear failure/disappointment of the year. Probably was the final nail in HTC's coffin.
LG: The G4 was clearly an incremental update but again, not sure what people expected. Not the best at any one thing but pretty good all-arounder. Very good camera, nice screen, good display ratio, nice ergonomics.
Motorola: Very good updates. The new Moto G is generally considered a big success--arguably the biggest bang for your buck amongst all smartphones and Moto's biggest seller. The Moto X looks to improve over it's predecessor in just about every area while coming in at a remarkable price point.
Sony: Again, all newly announced Xperia Z phones appear to be significant upgrades over the last models. And while I think 4K in a smartphone is ridiculous (with the exception of using for VR), have to give Sony some credit for at least trying something new. I think the standard Z5 looks like a genuine winner.
Samsung: They are now suffering criticism in much the same way Apple has now for years---damned if they do, damned if they don't. For years, people have been so critical of their lackluster design and cheap 'feeling' materials so this year they completely overhaul the design of both the Galaxy and Note lines, putting out arguably the best looking smartphones ever made. What happens? They get crushed for abandoning the very design philosophy they've been getting ripped for. Yes, Samsung still seems to suffer from user experience hiccups but most users seem to really love the direction TW is heading. I think Samsung was a little too late with this change though as the Android market is making a clear push to the bottom in pricing and unfortunately for them, customer are responding favorably to it.
Secondary OEMs: OnePlus, Asus, Alcatel all are bringing very capable devices to the game for low to midrange prices. The Android phones you'd get over the past few years for that same amount of money would be unmitigated dogs.
Nexus: Obviously too soon to tell but for the first time, Google will be offering more than one model.
Apple: Not really understanding the 'everything is basically the same' mantra here. This 'S' cycle upgrade is probably the most dramatic Apple has done. Besides the requisite spec bumps (70% faster CPU and 90% faster GPU, more RAM, improved TouchID), the cameras both saw significant upgrades, the materials were improved (stronger glass and aluminum--yeah I know, how exciting
) and they introduced their first big innovation on the iPhone in years--3D Touch. And I know it's a small feature but I think using the front display as a 'true-tone' flash for the front camera is a great addition. So because we didn't see a higher resolution display or new case design, it's pretty much the same phone as the iPhone 6.
The regulars around here know I'm generally an Apple guy who dabbles in Android. Over the past couple of years, there hasn't been much in the Android world that I found really enticing--last device that was enough to steer me from Apple for a while was the HTC One M7. This year however, there have been a few Android handsets that I'm seriously considering giving a test drive.
HTC: Yup, here's the clear failure/disappointment of the year. Probably was the final nail in HTC's coffin.
LG: The G4 was clearly an incremental update but again, not sure what people expected. Not the best at any one thing but pretty good all-arounder. Very good camera, nice screen, good display ratio, nice ergonomics.
Motorola: Very good updates. The new Moto G is generally considered a big success--arguably the biggest bang for your buck amongst all smartphones and Moto's biggest seller. The Moto X looks to improve over it's predecessor in just about every area while coming in at a remarkable price point.
Sony: Again, all newly announced Xperia Z phones appear to be significant upgrades over the last models. And while I think 4K in a smartphone is ridiculous (with the exception of using for VR), have to give Sony some credit for at least trying something new. I think the standard Z5 looks like a genuine winner.
Samsung: They are now suffering criticism in much the same way Apple has now for years---damned if they do, damned if they don't. For years, people have been so critical of their lackluster design and cheap 'feeling' materials so this year they completely overhaul the design of both the Galaxy and Note lines, putting out arguably the best looking smartphones ever made. What happens? They get crushed for abandoning the very design philosophy they've been getting ripped for. Yes, Samsung still seems to suffer from user experience hiccups but most users seem to really love the direction TW is heading. I think Samsung was a little too late with this change though as the Android market is making a clear push to the bottom in pricing and unfortunately for them, customer are responding favorably to it.
Secondary OEMs: OnePlus, Asus, Alcatel all are bringing very capable devices to the game for low to midrange prices. The Android phones you'd get over the past few years for that same amount of money would be unmitigated dogs.
Nexus: Obviously too soon to tell but for the first time, Google will be offering more than one model.
Apple: Not really understanding the 'everything is basically the same' mantra here. This 'S' cycle upgrade is probably the most dramatic Apple has done. Besides the requisite spec bumps (70% faster CPU and 90% faster GPU, more RAM, improved TouchID), the cameras both saw significant upgrades, the materials were improved (stronger glass and aluminum--yeah I know, how exciting
) and they introduced their first big innovation on the iPhone in years--3D Touch. And I know it's a small feature but I think using the front display as a 'true-tone' flash for the front camera is a great addition. So because we didn't see a higher resolution display or new case design, it's pretty much the same phone as the iPhone 6. The regulars around here know I'm generally an Apple guy who dabbles in Android. Over the past couple of years, there hasn't been much in the Android world that I found really enticing--last device that was enough to steer me from Apple for a while was the HTC One M7. This year however, there have been a few Android handsets that I'm seriously considering giving a test drive.
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