Trends in smartphones that you dislike (or like)?

Garioch

I've been watching the mobile phone industry closely this year, as I'm still in the market for a new phone (I'm being very indecisive). Therefore, I've noticed quite a few trends. Here are some of them which I dislike:

Eliminating bezels and curved screens.
I'm going to be controversial and say that I like bezels on a smartphone. I admit that bezels are ugly on TVs but I don't like the edge-to-edge displays. I think that bezels can be thin but aesthetically, I still prefer a border around the screen. In addition, I'm also not a fan of curved screens. This is the primary reason I'm swaying away from the latest Samsung Galaxy phones. I've had a play around with them but I can't get on board with the design (although I think that the curve on the Note 8 isn't as bad as the S8 / S8 ).

The 18:9 aspect ratio
Perhaps I enjoy comfort in the familiar but I prefer the traditional 16:9 ratio, which seems to be the correct balance for browsing / reading websites, apps and watching videos.

Cost
My 64GB Nexus 6 cost £550, which was described as overpriced 3 years ago. In 2017, that's the same RRP as the OnePlus 5 128GB - supposedly a "budget" brand! I gasped when I saw the RRP of the Note 8 and almost passed out at the RRP of the entry level iPhone X. I wonder if these rapid annual price increases of flagship phones are sustainable.

Now in the interest of balance, here are some trends in smartphones that I like:

Big screens becoming the norm
The term "phablet" initially applied to 5" screens (i.e. Dell Streak) but now, that size seems really small. I love big screens and big phones; it's great to see a huge choice of 5.5" to 6.3" screens available today.

Fingerprint scanners
I must admit, I thought that this would be a fad. But I love the appeal of unlocking a device using a fingerprint. My phone currently has an unlock code, that is almost into double digits (I like to be secure) but the lag and effort it takes to get into my phone is cumbersome. Therefore, I'm really looking forward to my next device having this feature.

So over to you guys. Do you agree / disagree with the above? What trends do you dislike on smartphones? Conversely, what are the trends that you do like?

Ghostleader

Shrinking battery sizes with the excuse of "Dash Charging" (Yes Looking at the OnePlus owners here) "Rocket Charge" (Qualcomm) ect. If there's no charging available at all the phone charges it's self via...... Complete tosh.

Ghostleader

The last two Xiaomi Redmi Note phones 3,4 had a 4100mah battery, but the fourth coming 5 has a 3000 odd cell as does their new budget "A" series Note 5A. Why? The demand for slimmer overall handsets......Because my Note 4's that big it's gave me a wrist strain injury obviously [emoji58]

Loopthrough

Agree on screen size (5.3" is really the minimum I'll accept, with 5.5" feeling normal and comfortable, and 5.7"-6" feeling like a comfortably big phone, any bigger and I'd say just get a tablet).

Dual SIM is a feature I'd like to see become the norm, along with high quality and loud speakers.

Fingerprint scanner I agree is a feature I wouldn't be without.

I'd also like to see all Android makers move the soft keys away from the screen and to the lower bezel, making the screen real estate bigger (it seems a waste to have the lower third of the screen wasted by them!).

Another thing I'd like to see more of is textured backs, and ideally a dark blue option (like some LGs).

Agree on aspect ratio - 16:9 is the accepted standard everywhere... why change it?!

Also, it would be good to see a night shift mode as standard on all Androids.

kitkone

A feature to completely remove my location tracking and no popups to ask it again & again by every application.

Ghostleader

Nice, AND no just do it on the QT like Microsoft with their Windows 10

Ghostleader

No "dash" charge on my Note 4......suppose I'll need to cry into my 7 days without a charge on 4G with coming up on 4hrs screen time[emoji1]                                                                                                                                                        

depot

I have a Xiaomi Redmi 4 pro with the 4100mah and the battery life is insane , i was disappointed to see the next gen is only 3000mah, it will stop me buying one.

depot

I also agree the curved screens are a pain because you can't fit a glass protector without gaps to the edge and
halo's

Ghostleader

I know mate, be looking elsewhere now, it's a pity LeEco do the non expansion and non headphone port business model as the quality of the camera shots and processor choice are good.