Before I start this, I would like to put a DISCLAIMER that the whole TechNave team does not share the same view as I do. Well, okay there are some but not everyone. Still, I have been in this industry for eight years and counting. I have reviewed countless smartphones and I didn't realise that I got bored with them after the pandemic and lockdown period. Today, I realised smartphones are so boring now.
I still remember my excitement when checking out the latest launches, the new features, innovative ideas and so on. But as time passed by, I seemed to have lost much interest. So what happened?
Can I copy your homework?
Not giving out any names here, but you can't deny that there are so many copycats from Android brands. Of course, that's not to say Apple is innocent as well but in general, Android brands just love copying Apple's work. Can you blame them, though? After all, Apple has already established that brand power. And if given a choice, the mass casual market would rather choose Apple. As the saying goes - if you can't beat them, join them.
LeEco: "Can I copy your homework?"
Apple: "Yeah just change it up a bit so it doesn't look obvious you copied"
LeEco: "Ok"
I have mentioned this before in my Top 5 Things That Smartphone Manufacturers Should Stop Doing (give it a read while you're at it) and am not surprised that it's still happening. One of the odd "copying of copies" was Android brands following Apple's notorious notch design and audio jack removal (+ the charger removal) when they didn't have to. I will also NEVER forget how some Android brands made fun of Apple online, but removed them afterwards after following the "forbidden fruit steps".
Phones aside, it was recently reported that an executive was quite upset about its mobile division for blatantly copying Apple's wearable designs last month. Recently, a new budget Android phone was released and its design is ripped out of an iPhone Pro model's design. Foldable phones were exciting at first. But it's been five years and counting since and that's pretty much it. Now, almost all new phones (including the long-awaited Google Pixel 9 phones) have flat sides with rounded corners that tend to look very similar at first glance.
On the other hand, let's also not forget that Apple usually doesn't change the iPhone design for a few years in a row before something new comes along. Case in point, the design from the iPhone 4 until the iPhone 8 series got bigger with minimal changes. This applies the same for the iPhone 11 series until the upcoming iPhone 16 series. If the rumours are true, the non-pro iPhone 16 models are going to look the same as the standard iPhone 11 model.
The forgotten features
Mods were a cool idea but unfortunately, the casuals don't really use them
Over the years, you would often hear how people complain that there are no original movies these days. But if that's true, then original movies would have made a lot of money with their support. This applies to smartphone features as well and if the majority of people aren't using them, it makes sense from a business and development perspective to remove them. Well, in most cases anyway.
Look, making a phone stand out in the sea of competitors is like playing ultra-hard difficulty and we understand that. I have seen a couple of gimmicky features but at least they were interesting. For instance:
- There was the dual-screen LG Wing and the LG G5 with modular slide-out mods.
- Motorola once tried a modular device with Moto Mods.
- OPPO came up with the Find X phone with a mechanical front camera, offering a true full-view display without any notches and a punch-hole camera. It was really cool but it had a "dusty" problem.
- Xiaomi did the sliding mechanism even better with the Mi Mix 3 but somehow, it was just a one-time thing. Why?
- The Lenovo Legion Phone Duel series had a funky mechanical front-side camera when gaming horizontally.
- Heck, even Google's Project Ara modular phone, which received favourable reception from the internet, got cancelled.
Note: It has been 8 years since Project Ar
Speaking of this matter, brands were (and still are) throwing anything on the wall and seeing what sticks. Samsung is known for doing this, for example - the company tried the "head tracking smart scrolling" feature back on the Galaxy S4 series, a rear heart rate sensor on the Galaxy S5 series, and the dual aperture camera (which I really loved) on the Galaxy S9 series. All of which are gone. And for five years in a row, the current Galaxy S series has played it safe without anything gimmicky and looks the same.
Currently, AI is the hype and trend on most tech devices. Although it was intriguing at first, I find myself fading away from the excitement of how AI can change our lives. Some features can indeed make our lives easier for sure but most AI functions do the same thing (e.g. AI Photo editor). I also personally saw the clunkiness of how the new Surface devices execute AI features and boy, it was kind of embarrassing. I don't think 5G connectivity on our devices has much impact either because I don't see the majority of consumers raving about it, including tech enthusiasts.
Welcome to the 2010's, iPhone users (lmao)
Of course, we can't forget about the iPhone, can we? While I do miss the innovative Touch ID, it was replaced with a better Face ID security feature. The 3D Touch on the iPhone 6S series was another neat feature that lets you preview websites before opening them or access certain functions on an app, but that depends on what the developers wanted to do with it. It didn't last very long because I think not many people used it.
At this point, Apple is known for coming late to the party so Android fans have the right to laugh at the company. One of the hilarious updates by Apple is most notably the "customization" of the home screen, lock screen and widgets that were introduced on iOS 16. Also on the upcoming iOS 18, iPhone users can finally move their apps and widgets to a different spot on the home screen. Why did it take them so long to implement this? Well, maybe like the rest of the brands that removed the features above, the majority of casual users don't really care if the devices are boring. That's something to ponder about.
Copying each other too closely kills innovation
Listen, I'm fine with brands copying each other here and there as long as the device is good enough to stand on its own. It happens all the time across different industries. But if the plan goes sideways, it would be just like how Warner Bros tried to launch the now-defunct DCEU to the moon that exploded midway multiple times trying to catch MCU's success. I'm also fine with some of them staying true to their brand identity without changing much (like Apple and Samsung now) so that the mass market can instantly recognize it. But in all seriousness, if every phone is the same then what's the point? Where's the competition?
Those at the top making the decisions have to understand that if the product quality is bad, regardless of how many cool features it has from another competitor, it's going to be their downfall. Time has repeatedly proven it, just like how the Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League game was dead on arrival even though it was banking on Fortnite's live service formula without understanding why. If the products are half-baked rip-offs, we can certainly smell it from a mile away.
Can you guess which one is the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra and Apple Watch Ultra? (source)
But then again, most casual users don't really bother with the gimmicky (and sometimes cool) features that I mentioned earlier. And since companies want to reach a wider audience as much as possible, that means it's much better to play it safe with the necessary functions. Maybe that's why there are so many Apple wannabes in the market.
There's still hope, though
In this modern age, it can be pretty hard to find a phone that suits your personality and taste. Thankfully, Nothing and CMF are actually trying something different, which we do appreciate. Sometimes, Android brands also come out with limited special edition devices, but they don't always come to Malaysia. Speaking of that, we recently did an article on 5 Unique-looking phone designs in Malaysia, so check it out here if you're curious.
Nothing Phone (2a) and Phone (2a) Plus
CMF by Nothing
The Infinix E-Color Shift was announced at CES2024
The Tecno Chameleon Colouring Technology was announced at CES2023
In addition, there's still some future tech to look forward to like the Infinix E-Color Shift and Tecno Chameleon Colouring Technology. Utilizing e-ink displays incorporated into the backplate, these allow you to literally change or customize the colour and design of your phone.
Announced previously at CES2024 and CES2023 respectively, there's still no news on when these might appear commercially. However, since both Infinix and Techno have local representation here in Malaysia, the chances of them coming to the country are quite high. Another device to watch out for would be a triple-folding display device, currently rumoured to come out from Huawei soon.
Oh well, at the end of the day, I'm just a guy behind a computer sharing his opinion about the current state of the tech industry. But what do you think? Are smartphones boring to you too? Let us know in the comments below and stay tuned for trending tech stuff at TechNave.com.
COMMENTS