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6 reasons why I don’t like modern smartphones. Trampling on the spot

Every year I have less and less enthusiasm for smartphones. I look at the new items from different angles and understand perfectly well that there is absolutely nothing interesting in them specifically for me. I remember well how two or three years ago I was burning with fresh models and tried to get them for personal use as soon as possible. Perhaps I just got bored with this segment of consumer electronics as such. I suppose that the vector of personal interests has banally shifted towards cars, smart home technologies, interesting accessories to increase personal productivity and leisure, as well as new experiences in any of their manifestations. However, I have several other explanations for why I don’t like modern smartphones.

New smartphones are filled with compromises

Something is improving, but a lot is getting worse

iPhone 13 Pro – a prime example of smartphone compromise | Engadget

Recently, I got the impression that manufacturers simply cannot create a mobile device that is not overwhelmed with compromises. I perfectly understand that in every gadget there may be enough technical features that will not allow you to do everything perfectly – however, an ordinary user definitely does not need to think about this. A striking example is the iPhone 13 Pro, which turned out to be not as successful in every way as the iPhone 12 Pro. Specifically, I am confused by the change in one of the rear cameras – telephoto. Instead of a two-fold optical magnification, for some reason, a three-fold magnification is now used, which is not needed by everyone. But much more critical is reducing the aperture size from ƒ / 2.0 to ƒ / 2.8. Apple smartphones used to switch to a wide-angle camera when there was not enough light when zooming in, and now this will happen even more often.

Many chips in new smartphones – marketing

You will try once, but you will not use

100x zoom is always marketing | 9to5Google

Have you noticed that many smartphones are made only to be surprised at them once, try them in use, and then just forget? I’m sure they should have. The most striking example is devices with a folding screen, which are noticeably less convenient in daily use than traditional “bars”. However, there are a lot of examples of marketing chips even without this segment of consumer electronics, which continues to evolve. What do you think about 100x zoom in smartphones? If you think this is a top trick, then marketing has clearly worked for you. I have a different opinion. Firstly, without a tripod, it is very difficult to photograph something at least somewhat sane with such an approximation. Secondly, even with it, the picture is very, very mediocre.

New use cases don’t appear

I want to change smartphones less and less often

My transition between iPhone 7 and iPhone XS Max

Just a few years ago, technology in mobile devices moved much faster. I have always especially liked the appearance of some interesting chips that turned the way of using a particular device upside down and created fresh scenarios for handling it. For example, I was particularly struck by the personal transition from iPhone 7 to iPhone XS Max with dual physical SIM cards (for the Chinese market). First, I got a Face ID scanner instead of Touch ID, which recognized my fingers once out of five. Secondly, this smartphone was my first with the ability to use two cellular tariffs at once with mobile Internet. Thirdly, I was pleasantly shocked by the huge screen with minimal bezels. At the end of 2021, I have an iPhone 11, and I don’t see any point in changing it to something from the iPhone 13 line (except maybe a mini).

  • To this topic: Don’t get fooled by marketing. From personal experience I realized that there is no point in changing smartphones often

No increase in battery life expected

The batteries are still very weak

I would like at least a few days of confident work

Recently, there is less and less news about graphene batteries, which, it seems, should have significantly increased the autonomy of mobile devices. I do not see anything surprising in this – in the technological crowd, many thought that a breakthrough in this area would not happen in the coming years. Moreover, it seems to me that manufacturers have completely forgotten about the fact that many users are concerned about this issue. With active use, not a single smartphone will survive until the evening without recharging – we are not talking about several days without a power bank. Considering the fact that today absolutely everything is in a smartphone, it is simply scary to remain with a discharged tube. And there are no shifts in this direction even on the horizon.

Devices are gradually becoming very large

Smartphone can no longer be used with one hand

Smartphones used to be much nicer in size.

Apple smartphones from the mini line, which I think (for now, only think) to switch to in the near future, are the last hope. There are simply no worthy alternatives in the segment of devices that are more or less convenient to use with one hand. I perfectly understand that I belong to a dying kind of users who love small pipes. In 99% of cases, I have an ultrabook in a case either in a backpack or in the trunk of a car, which is many times more convenient for solving absolutely any tasks. I use a smartphone much less often than a computer, so I simply don’t need a big screen in it. Moreover, from time to time it is critical for me to use one hand – for example, when the other is busy with bags, bags from the supermarket or steering a car. Are there any more such among the readers?

It is impossible to use a smartphone without a case

The case is too slippery and the materials are very expensive

I forgot long ago when I took off the protective case from the tube

In the end, I am frankly annoyed that the vast majority of smartphones cannot be used with one hand. All flagship models that you want to consider buying are equipped with glossy glass and metal cases. They slip out of hand and are very expensive to repair after a fall. Therefore, all this beautiful design, which you admire at presentations, inevitably hides in a wide variety of cases. But what can I say, I myself prefer “armor-piercing” solutions from Spigen or UAG. By and large, I like them externally and tactilely, but nothing remains of the original appearance of gadgets. It is a pity that most manufacturers have moved away from a bundle of matte plastic and metal, which could not be hidden behind additional protection. The last such decision I personally had was still produced by the now deceased HTC.

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