Smartphones have come a long way from just a simple piece like a bar of soap with tiny screen to big carefully crafted piece of beauty. This article attempt to explain the line of technical development of smartphone and see if there is any slight or major leap in smartphone that can warrant consistent upgrades whenever a new flagship comes around. Recently, phone manufacturers around the world seem be struggling to bring something new to the game, however small it may be. The following are technical development paths on which smartphones are manufactured(not limited).
1. Design: Presently, design aspect is almost saturated with the release of notch, bezel less, all-screen display glass back etc. Even though some of the features have been around for sometimes, there are still an upward shifts from the previous designs. Eg the edge display and overall design on Samsung Galaxy S8, S9 and it variants are better than that of S6 edge and S7 edge. Also Apple IPhone X display is better than its predecessors. So you can upgrade to enjoy this minimal design improvement.
2. Screen: There are two major display technology competing head to head. These are IPS LCD and AMOLED( by Samsung), this two are the most used display type in smartphone today. The technical upgrade in this aspect of phone is mostly to improve it resolutions( 720p before, 1080P - 4K display today), brightness, vividness, the quality, etc of the screen. Nothing really appreciable here but you can upgrade to benefit from sophistication that comes with latest models.
3. Camera: Camera department seems to have reached it peak but latest smartphone maintained a slight edge in output when compared to older models. Therefore, you can upgrade to have a taste of the little improvements.
4. Software: In terms of software latest smartphone always have something new to offer because feedbacks from last models are improved upon to satisfy customers in the newly launched smartphone. So you can upgrade for better user experience no matter how small.
5. Sensors: All flagship phones have all the necessary sensors a smartphone should have but the best of them are found on high end. Thus you may upgrade to enjoy the best.
6. Hardware: The hardware of smartphone get better with each launch. It is customary for flagship to sport the best processor, speaker etc so that they offer a more satisfying service to anyone who upgrades.
8. Security: Phone security tend to wane as the year goes by. Upper end latest phones have the most recent security in place when compared to older version. For example, flagship phone locked to a network may soon be bypass after some years, also security updates become inconsistent after some years, making an upgrade necessary if you want to enjoy a more secure gadget.
9. Connectivity: In terms of connectivity all smartphone today have necessary radio for connections such as Bluetooth, NFC, Hotknot, WI-FI and mobile network modems. Even though all phones have these basic connectivity the best of them are only available on flagship. For instance, while Galaxy S8/S8+ and Note 8 have LTE Cat 16 1024 Mbit/s, the immediate successors namely S9/S9+ and Note 9 have LTE Cat 18 1200 Mbit/s. This applies to all brands and the little difference means a lot to some people, hence the need for an upgrade.
10. Battery: The last but arguably the most important is the battery of a smartphone. Recently, we have seen flagship gradually adopting the 4000mah baseline to satisfy longer battery life agitation from customers. Thus, you can upgrade to benefit from latest power management features, coupled with bigger battery capacity for longer period of usage from a single charge.
Finally, the points above shows that even though there may not be a very big technical jumps, manufacturers always bring something new to the flag bearing devices. This little add on can make a difference if you are the type that push the smartphone to the limit. So, I advise you upgrade if your considerations have nothing to do with money.