Are iPhones losing their unique aura of exclusivity?| photo: own
The start of sales of new iPhones has always been a big event, with long queues for the phones. This trend has weakened quite a bit in recent years, because iPhones don’t change that much from year to year, and many people simply don’t want to buy a brand new phone when the old one offers almost identical functions and the same look. In this article, we will describe why the new iPhones are no longer the hot commodity they once were.
Why is the iPhone no longer “hot”?
Almost every iPhone these days is an extremely powerful phone, and the year-over-year performance gains aren’t noticeable in standard phone use, but only when playing demanding ports of full-fledged PC and console games that many people don’t play. In terms of performance, the iPhone is easily enough for 4 years, and this reserve increases with each subsequent model.
The display itself does not change in any way either. Apple is still betting on its dynamic island, and the only thing that has changed recently is the increase in display diagonals, but the display itself and its technology are exactly the same. The iPhone can create great photos, but the camera sensors themselves do not de facto change, and if they do, the changes in the resulting photos are almost negligible.
Chinese competitors such as Xiaomi, Vivo and Oppo deploy much larger and better sensors, which is evident not only in the specifications, but mainly in the resulting photos.
Since iPhone 11, the design of the camera module has not changed | photo: own
Lack of innovation
The iPhone has probably had the fewest changes and innovations in its design, which has hardly changed since the iPhone 11 from 2019. This may not be a bad thing, because the iPhone still looks like an iPhone, but some major changes, for example in the layout of the camera module, would not hurt it. Another relatively minor change that Apple could implement is an illuminated company logo on the back, as MacBooks have had in the past (bold idea, right?).
Apple is no longer “the” innovator it used to be. Before deploying a technology, it waits until it becomes standard among competitors before deploying it. This is definitely hurting phone sales because people simply want the latest in the tech world and the iPhone is several years late in delivering that.
The annual upgrade is not worth it
iPhones change minimally from year to year, and it’s increasingly difficult for users to find a reason to buy a new phone, because a more powerful chipset or a new color variant simply isn’t enough of a reason to upgrade. Another reason why it is not necessary to buy a new iPhone is that Apple offers long-term software support that exceeds the life of the phone. Currently, it is best to buy a used iPhone, as its price continues to decrease and it offers similar features.
In the past, owning the latest iPhone was a status symbol, and people around you noticed right away. But today you can hardly distinguish the new model from the older one, because the appearance is exactly the same, if we do not take into account the exclusive color variant that changes every year. In addition, Apple fell asleep in the field of AI, and it will take a long time to catch up.
Apple will introduce the thinnest iPhone in history next year
Will iPhone 17 bring more changes?
iPhone 17 Pro (Max) models should offer an improved telephoto lens with a resolution of 48 Mpx, so all cameras will finally have high resolution. The change should also take place in the selfie cameras of all models, where the resolution will be increased from the current 12 Mpx to 24 Mpx.
The basic iPhone 17 will finally receive displays with a 120Hz refresh rate, and there will be a completely new model to replace the iPhone 17 Plus. It will most likely be called iPhone 17 Air and it will be the thinnest iPhone in the company’s history. This model could finally refresh a long-term unchanged portfolio.
Source: mobilizujeme.cz
