Smartphones ready to decline?
So, I bought the Pixel 3 while it is on crazy sale as they clear out the old to make way for the new.
I did this for a few reasons. I knew of someone who could really use my old phone. I knew the Pixel 4 was incoming and would likely pique my interests in finally upgrading. The Pixel 3 was 40% off here. And I knew it had everything going for it that I had wanted.
The device feels far and away more premium than the Pixel 2. And that says a lot because that phone was awesome. I enjoy finally having wireless charging. And the power gains are just enough to be noticeable. And therein lies the problem. They are just enough to be noticeable. Barely present.
The Pixel 2 felt like a decent upgrade over my Nexus 6. Plus, I had kind of smashed my phone with a giant glass award days before the new phone arrived. So, I didn't really feel bad about upgrading.
And, I don't feel bad, per se, about upgrading this time. But, mostly because it taught me how much the pace of advancement in phones has slowed.
The Pixel 4, and successive generations of any phone will now need to raise the bar substantially to win me over. Not to say that there aren't areas in which a phone could do this. But, generally speaking, when you see that the Pixel 3a is beating the Pixel 2 in some metrics you kind of understand that we've finally reached a point where mid-range Android phones are viable.
And, even bumping up the processing power too much isn't going to change much. Because the truth is it will take time for apps and games to catch up. Cameras on phones are basically all the same. By which I mean, the average user who just grabs a quick shot using the default settings, likely couldn't tell the difference between a picture taken on their phone to someone else's. Sure, there are differences. But, they generally require using non-default modes or settings AND a well trained eye. Both things which the average consumer can rarely claim to have.
Battery life is one area things could stand to improve. Increasingly powerful chipsets and high resolution screens gobble up any gains in battery capacity. But, I don't think I could justify changing phones JUST for battery life. So, I don't really know what the next frontier in phone sales is.
Of course, this isn't really news. I feel like the Apple ecosystem hit this critical mass a few years back. But, the power hog that is Android and the less powerful chips they get delayed smartphones in general from hitting that point to somewhere within the last year or two. Now, it'll be another generation or two before people start realizing that en masse and it starts hurting the markets.
That is unless someone finds a way to breathe some new life into the market.
I did this for a few reasons. I knew of someone who could really use my old phone. I knew the Pixel 4 was incoming and would likely pique my interests in finally upgrading. The Pixel 3 was 40% off here. And I knew it had everything going for it that I had wanted.
The device feels far and away more premium than the Pixel 2. And that says a lot because that phone was awesome. I enjoy finally having wireless charging. And the power gains are just enough to be noticeable. And therein lies the problem. They are just enough to be noticeable. Barely present.
The Pixel 2 felt like a decent upgrade over my Nexus 6. Plus, I had kind of smashed my phone with a giant glass award days before the new phone arrived. So, I didn't really feel bad about upgrading.
And, I don't feel bad, per se, about upgrading this time. But, mostly because it taught me how much the pace of advancement in phones has slowed.
The Pixel 4, and successive generations of any phone will now need to raise the bar substantially to win me over. Not to say that there aren't areas in which a phone could do this. But, generally speaking, when you see that the Pixel 3a is beating the Pixel 2 in some metrics you kind of understand that we've finally reached a point where mid-range Android phones are viable.
And, even bumping up the processing power too much isn't going to change much. Because the truth is it will take time for apps and games to catch up. Cameras on phones are basically all the same. By which I mean, the average user who just grabs a quick shot using the default settings, likely couldn't tell the difference between a picture taken on their phone to someone else's. Sure, there are differences. But, they generally require using non-default modes or settings AND a well trained eye. Both things which the average consumer can rarely claim to have.
Battery life is one area things could stand to improve. Increasingly powerful chipsets and high resolution screens gobble up any gains in battery capacity. But, I don't think I could justify changing phones JUST for battery life. So, I don't really know what the next frontier in phone sales is.
Of course, this isn't really news. I feel like the Apple ecosystem hit this critical mass a few years back. But, the power hog that is Android and the less powerful chips they get delayed smartphones in general from hitting that point to somewhere within the last year or two. Now, it'll be another generation or two before people start realizing that en masse and it starts hurting the markets.
That is unless someone finds a way to breathe some new life into the market.
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