{"id":273726,"date":"2026-01-31T12:56:08","date_gmt":"2026-01-31T12:56:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/273726\/"},"modified":"2026-01-31T12:56:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-31T12:56:08","slug":"how-the-heck-did-phones-become-so-boring-looking-at-you-apple-and-samsung-but-at-least-theres-hope-on-the-horizon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/273726\/","title":{"rendered":"How the heck did phones become so boring? Looking at you, Apple and Samsung \u2014 but at least there\u2019s hope on the horizon"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019ve been covering the world of smartphones for more than a decade, and in that time, I\u2019ve seen a somewhat depressing trend: phones have gone from innovative and exciting with each generation to rather iterative and predictable. Now, as we approach the expected launch of the Samsung Galaxy S26<\/a>, I\u2019m harbouring the thought that phones are boring.<\/p>\n

Sure, the iPhone 17 Pro<\/a> brought in a different camera and cooling design, but in a lot of ways, it\u2019s hardly a big change from what\u2019s come several generations before it. And while I celebrate the 120Hz ProMotion display in the iPhone 17<\/a>, it felt like the least Apple<\/a> could do.<\/p>\n

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Outside of the Galaxy TriFold<\/a> \u2013 which I do feel needs to be celebrated for its innovation, although perhaps not for its predicted cost and practicality \u2013 Samsung<\/a>\u2019s Galaxy S-series phones have gone from being refreshing to ponderously samey. I think it would take me a good, strong stare to notice much difference between the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra<\/a> and the S24 Ultra<\/a> or even the S23 Ultra<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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The last Samsung phone I can remember fully capturing my attention, and actually proper usage, was the Galaxy S21<\/a>, thanks to its Contour Cut camera design and specs.<\/p>\n

Google<\/a> has been a tad more creative, evolving the look and approach to its Pixel phones<\/a>, though its design language and ethos has mostly settled into Pixels being so-called AI phones<\/a>. Again, the last Google phone that really got my attention was the Google Pixel 6 Pro<\/a>, although its fingerprint sensor sucked.<\/p>\n

I do think there\u2019s some innovation from some Chinese phone makers and smaller brands, but they can be hampered by odd software, limited access to Google services, and specs that aren\u2019t all that great in real-world use.<\/p>\n

So yeah, the excitement that the phone arena used to give me has gone. Even though we have a nicely curated best phones<\/a> list, really, if you have a smartphone from the past four years, you\u2019ve probably got 90% of what you need from a mobile device.<\/p>\n

Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more.<\/p>\n

Now, the constant, predictable yearly updates to flagship phones feel less about pushing technology forward and more about providing value for shareholders.<\/p>\n

Of course, this won\u2019t come as a surprise to regular readers of TechRadar, as there have been a handful of articles bemoaning that phones are getting boring lately, and we ran a poll asking whether modern smartphone designs are boring, which yielded some damning results<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Do something like Nothing<\/p>\n

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\"The\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Future)<\/p>\n

But I\u2019m writing this as there\u2019s a glimmer of hope on the horizon. It comes in the form of Nothing CEO Carl Pei, who stated the phone maker won\u2019t have a Nothing Phone 4 this year as it won\u2019t offer a significant upgrade over its predecessor<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Pei logic is, \u201cwe\u2019re not just going to churn out a flagship phone every year just for the sake of it,\u201d which is distinctly refreshing.<\/p>\n

I feel that not only is this a move that\u2019s on the side of technological innovation and giving the consumer more, but it\u2019s also an environmentally friendly move. While some Nothing fans might not get a new flagship phone this year, it does at least mean less material and energy being consumed just to create an iterative device.<\/p>\n

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And I feel this is something the likes of Samsung and Apple should be doing, not only to push the phone tech envelope but also to truly live up to their claimed green credentials.<\/p>\n

While I\u2019ll happily give the Galaxy TriFold<\/a> a go, and hopefully we will see a foldable iPhone, I\u2019d love to see Apple skip what\u2019s likely to be the iPhone 18 this year, and for Samsung not to feel the need to release new Galaxy Fold models with just a millimeter or so shaved off their girth.<\/p>\n

I still hold out hope that the big players in the phone world can be innovative and make phones exciting again, but to do that, I think they should take a leaf out of Nothing and Pei\u2019s book.<\/p>\n

Follow TechRadar on Google News<\/a> and add us as a preferred source<\/a> to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!<\/p>\n

And of course you can also follow TechRadar on YouTube<\/a> and TikTok<\/a> for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp<\/a> too.<\/p>\n


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