Almost all phone manufacturers, including Apple, Samsung and Google, refresh their products every year. This now standard product cycle is a problem and needs to be stopped. The manufacturing and transportation of new phones – not to mention the disposal of old phones – is a huge environmental loss, and I believe this is the main reason why phones continue to feel stagnant and bored. By switching to a longer update cycle of two or even three years, the phone may become exciting again, and technology companies may give the planet much-needed rest. Let me explain.
The technology industry runs like a clockwork, especially when it comes to phone releases. We know Apple will release New iPhone In September, Samsung released New Galaxy S Series Phone In January or February, Google will debut New pixels Sometime in late summer. This predictable cycle means whether you upgrade from a five-year-old phone or refresh every year to ensure you always have the latest and greatest technology in your pocket.
This is a money-making exercise designed to make you crave the next best thing and give away more hard cash to phone manufacturers and cellular providers you might buy.
The biggest problem with these fast update cycles is the environmental consumption they cause. The electronics industry is a dirty one. From rare minerals and mining in factories and production lines to transportation of products themselves, the environmental impact of mobile phones is huge. Although most companies now touted using Recycled materials in mobile phones There are also recyclable packaging, and the most effective way to reduce environmental impact is to make technology companies release new models less.
If you take good care of your phone, you can reasonably expect it to last for several years. Manufacturers such as Google and Samsung have even increased the support period for phones to seven years or more, which means the phone you buy today will be safe until the 2030s. Release of phones will encourage people to have longer devices, keep devices away from landfills and require less resources to produce and ship new phones.
It is also more feasible to buy an old phone in the second-hand market when you need an upgrade, knowing that even last year’s phone may still have many years of use.
But I think another problem we are facing is how predictable and boring what I am talking about these days. Larger screens, high-resolution cameras and more powerful processors are title features year after year, and real innovation seems to have been abandoned in favor of picky incremental upgrades. The Galaxy S25 Ultra is an excellent phone, but with Galaxy S24 Ultra Before this S23 Ultra Before this or S22 Ultra Before that. this iPhone 16 Pro Nothing different from 15 majors except for adding Very strange, it can be said to be a redundant camera button. I hope a foldable phone might get industry excitement, but that hasn’t happened yet, although almost all major phone players play very similarly on curved displays.
Then there is generated AI on the phone, which seems to be the biggest selling point on most models – especially the Pixel 9. Test Pixel 9 ProI can’t really say that I found its AI skills to be memorable novelty. Guy Mobile expert Lisa Eadicicco agreesand the CNET investigation confirmed The biggest factor people consider When choosing a phone, it is camera quality, storage and battery life.
The Galaxy Z Fold 5 isn’t a huge upgrade from last year’s Z Fold 4.
With a two or three-year update cycle, the company can get longer to adhere to these new features, making the final launch of a new model seem like a bigger deal and a more valuable upgrade that we are excited to master. Last year, I sat at an unpacked event on Samsung, where the Galaxy Z Fold 6 was unveiled. This is a slight upgrade to the Z-fold 5, but When I compare it with the original fold The difference is huge.
Telephone companies can use similar models to the gaming console or camera industry. Sony took seven years to completely replace it PS4 and PS5Canon replaces its 2016 5D Mark IV with the EOS R5 in 2020. Both PS5 and Canon R5 are available Broad Upgrading their ex greatly changed the way we use them and justified the upgrade fee. I spent thousands of Canon R5 launches. If I knew I would be replaced next year, I wouldn’t have done that.
The update cycle between new game consoles is usually at least a few years.
Few of us change our TVs every year, or our cars or laptops, but instead wait for meaningful moments to change everything when new technology is in place – Electricity in a car or 8k HDR in TV – Meaning we will really see a benefit. These are projects we kept for at least five years before upgrading, and our phones should be.
Releasing new flagship phones every two or three years will not only reduce the industry’s environmental footprint, but also the launch will be even more exciting by sticking to and refining these products. I miss the excitement.
