14 DAY TRIAL // I do not consider myself a hipster (not that it’s a bad thing), but when it comes to smartphones, I prefer to have the best one available on the market and that’s not because I have too much money to spend, but due to my job, I need a device that can do many things fast and easy.
I do not support one mobile platform in particular, as I like to switch between my devices when my job requires it, which is why I own Android, iOS and Windows Phone devices.
Each device was once a flagship smartphone for that particular brand, but some may now go as obsolete as much as hardware configuration is concerned.
Lately, I have started to feel cheated by the fact that in order to have the best device available on the market, I have to spend a lot of money every year. I would definitely consider it a worthwhile investment if the upgrade were major, not just a few improvements here and there.
Not to mention that most companies maintain the same reference design for their flagship smartphones for at least a few years. Design is not something that interests me much, but ergonomics and ease of use definitely do.
I do like my new Samsung Galaxy S5, but I know I will have to pay the same amount for the next one in just a year in order to get another flagship smartphone. I never get to love my smartphone because a year from now, I’ll switch to its sequel.
The same goes for the HTC One M8. I loved the One M7, but I do like M8 as well, though there aren’t many changes design-wise.
Obviously, I get that, in order to stay competitive on the market, handset makers have adopted the 1-year cycle for their flagship smartphones, but this is not in the customers’ interest at all.
I’m also aware that new technologies are discovered yearly or old ones get improved so much that they become worthy of adding in new devices. However, I still don’t find the 1-year cycle for flagship smartphones fair to the customers.
The only solution I see now is Google’s Project Ara, which basically will allow users to switch part of their smartphones with new ones whenever they see fit.
Why should I change my Galaxy S4’s display or camera if I find it decent for my needs? I would take the CPU upgrade in the Galaxy S5 and the bigger battery, but the rest of the features are not worth the money.
To some extent, this applies to Nokia and HTC flagship smartphones. Not to mention that the new accessories launched by handset makers are first compatible with their latest flagship smartphones.
I would love to be able to pay only a small amount in order to upgrade from a flagship smartphone to another, but none of the major handset makers seem to reward loyalty.
Even though I don’t like it at all, I will continue to switch to new flagship smartphones yearly, but I hope that the next ones will be really worth my money. Hit me up with your thoughts in the comments area please.