What’s the worst thing about aging smartphones?

It’s undeniable that the smartphone market has reached maturity and the last few generations of devices have seen marginal upgrades. Innovation feels scarce and any leaps in technology are limited to AI, camera performance or a combination of both.

This trend is driving many consumers and even hardcore enthusiasts to hold off on purchasing the latest gadgets, sometimes even skipping several generations at once. It would seem that smartphones are now in a place similar to where the laptop market has been for a long time - you don’t necessarily jump on every year’s slightly better model, but rather wait it out until those small improvements stack up to a noticeable difference.

That said, the reality is that unlike most laptops, smartphones aren’t really built to last that long and fatigue usually starts to set in after just 3-4 years, sometimes even quicker if you’ve not been careful. For many consumers that can be the sole reason for upgrading - not out of excitement for the new tech, but of irritation with the old one.