{"id":275787,"date":"2026-02-01T19:03:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-01T19:03:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/275787\/"},"modified":"2026-02-01T19:03:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-01T19:03:09","slug":"phones-dont-need-yearly-sequels-and-a-pause-makes-sense","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/275787\/","title":{"rendered":"Phones don’t need yearly sequels, and a ‘pause’ makes sense"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Smartphones have gotten really boring over the past few years, with most year-over-year \u201cupgrades\u201d just acting as a rehash of the prior year\u2019s device with a new chipset and maybe some new colors. And yet, we just keep getting these boring upgrades. It\u2019s been true for years now that phones simply do not need a yearly refresh anymore, but 2026 would be the year to make the switch \u2013 not that anyone is actually going to.<\/p>\n

This issue of 9to5Google Weekender is a part of 9to5Google\u2019s rebooted newsletter that highlights the biggest Google stories with added commentary and other tidbits. Sign up here<\/a> to get it delivered to your inbox early!<\/p>\n

Take a look at any smartphone series in recent years, you\u2019ll see the same pattern develop. While there\u2019s clear evolution if you look at a phone from 2020 versus the one released in 2025, there\u2019s a lot less to talk about if you look at any two years back to back. Google Pixel has settled into a \u201ctick tock\u201d release cycle where \u201cmajor\u201d upgrades arrive every other year, where Samsung\u2019s flagship Galaxy S series has been stuck in the same basic template for the past 4-5 generations. <\/p>\n

Just look at the last four \u201cUltra\u201d phones.<\/p>\n

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It gets boring, whether you follow this industry closer or you\u2019re just a consumer looking for an upgrade every once in a while.<\/p>\n

And the reason for that is relatively clear.<\/p>\n

Smartphones are a mature product now. <\/p>\n

After 15+ years of experimenting, smartphone makers know what works, what doesn\u2019t, what people care about, what they don\u2019t, what makes money, what doesn\u2019t, etc. And in terms of the actual hardware, we\u2019ve also gotten to the point where all of the big problems have been addressed. If you look at nearly any phone today, regardless of price point, there aren\u2019t many \u201cbig\u201d problems left. The displays are all pretty good. The battery life is generally good enough on everything. The cameras are more or less good. There\u2019s plenty of nuance but, at the end of the day, every device is capable in the ways that matter for the average user. <\/p>\n

Basically, we\u2019ve hit the law of diminishing returns. More money and time can be thrown into these products and components but, at a certain point, you just don\u2019t get as much out of that.<\/p>\n

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Whether a $1,000+ flagship or a $300 mid-range, the basics are all pretty good nowadays<\/p>\n

Of course, that\u2019s not necessarily true of things like design, which have also stagnated, but that\u2019s also something that hits a wall as products mature. There are no \u201cproblems\u201d to address in smartphone design anymore, and at a certain point, one design just ends up looking like something that\u2019s already out there. For instance, the Moto G pictured above looks a lot like some older designs from Oppo<\/a>. And in 2025, we saw Apple\u2019s long-awaited iPhone design refresh that picked up a lot of ideas from Google Pixel<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Those are just some of the reasons why it would make a whole lot of sense to just stop putting out rehashed devices every year just\u2026 because. It would make new releases more exciting. It would take a lot of e-waste out of the market. <\/p>\n

And in 2026 in particular, this would make so much sense.<\/p>\n

The smartphone market is currently in decline, a lot of brands are going to be struggling to get new devices together, and the RAM shortage is just throwing a wrench in literally everything in the tech market \u2013 and it\u2019s not going to stop anytime soon. Taking a year off, while it might include its own set of hiccups, just makes more sense right now than it ever really has. <\/p>\n

The sole example of a brand that will skip a yearly refresh cycle is Nothing, which this week confirmed it won\u2019t release Phone (4) in 2026<\/a>. But, before we go applaud Nothing for being a trendsetter of any kind, let\u2019s look at the bigger picture. Nothing already skipped a \u201cflagship\u201d year between Phone (2) and Phone (3), and while that led to a bigger leap in generations, I\u2019m not sure it really meant as much as it would from other brands. Nothing has yet to really figure out \u201cflagship\u201d phones, so skipping a generation still resulted in a release that felt rushed this year. It\u2019s good the company isn\u2019t just moving that into Phone (4) right away, but I\u2019m not sure it\u2019s because yearly refresh cycles aren\u2019t needed \u2013 I\u2019m starting to think Nothing just isn\u2019t very good at making \u201cexpensive\u201d smartphones.<\/p>\n

Asus is sort of another example of this. Looking at the challenges ahead, Asus recently announced that it would stop making new smartphones<\/a>, officially treating it as a \u201cpause,\u201d but it really seems like Asus is just done with smartphones as a whole. They probably won\u2019t be the last example of that, but I do wonder if a \u201cpause\u201d would make sense for some other brands.<\/p>\n

Anyway, that\u2019s where I\u2019m at. <\/p>\n

Between the ever-stagnating market for smartphones, the look at a declining smartphone market in 2026, and the component shortages coming over the next year or two, it seems like a great time to just skip a mostly-pointless refresh. But, as mentioned, I don\u2019t think anyone\u2019s going to do it. \u201cThe machine\u201d has been built, and changing it for the sake of logic and excitement just doesn\u2019t make as much money as slapping on a fresh coat of paint and putting a \u201cnew\u201d sign on it.<\/p>\n

This Week\u2019s Top Stories<\/p>\n

Android\u2019s desktop era is coming, and this is our first look<\/p>\n

We first reported this week on a leak straight out of Google, showing off Android\u2019s new desktop interface for \u201cAluminium OS.\u201d<\/p>\n

New Android 17 tidbits<\/p>\n

We also first-reported this week that Android 17 is adding some new blur designs while also picking up an updated screen recording tool, \u201cApp lock,\u201d and a new \u201cBubble\u201d shortcut for apps.<\/p>\n

More Top Stories<\/p>\n

From the rest of 9to5<\/p>\n

9to5Mac: Apple \u2018runs on Anthropic,\u2019 says Mark Gurman<\/a><\/p>\n

9to5Toys: Score Apple\u2019s AirTag 2 for $1: Buy four, get five at $100<\/a><\/p>\n

Electrek: Kia launched this EV pickup based on the PV5 for $30,000<\/a><\/p>\n

Follow Ben:\u00a0Twitter\/X<\/a>,\u00a0Threads<\/a>, Bluesky<\/a>, and\u00a0Instagram<\/a><\/p>\n

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