About smartphones from 2017 and the reason for their main shortcomings …
Original material
Three years ago, when buying a phone, my choice was simple: a large screen, a better camera, and no compromise. Therefore, the choice fell on iPhone 6 Plus. The time has come for a new smartphone and the choice is not so obvious. In 2017, every new flagship had a clear flaw: a conspicuous notch in iPhone X, an illogically located fingerprint scanner in the Samsung Galaxy Note 8, or display problems in the Google Pixel 2 XL. The perfect smartphone is a utopia, but the best phones have never been as imperfect as this year. The decision in favor of this or that apparatus comes down to what kind of constant inconvenience you have to endure.
X and 8
If I was too lazy to bother, then I would stop at iPhone 8 Plus. In all respects, it is a good device, with features that are not in my 6 Plus. It's about a dual-lens camera, support for wireless charging, a richer display and support for ARKit-powered augmented reality apps. The smartphone is no different in size and shape from the predecessor I bought three years ago. Since then, other manufacturers have incorporated larger diagonal displays into smaller enclosures, leaving iPhone 8 as a device with an outdated design. It may not be that important, but if I'm spending $ 800 on a new smartphone in 2017, then I want it to look like it.
Of course, Apple had a prepared answer in the form iPhone X, but this smartphone has its own compromises. I fear the Face ID cutout will piss me off over time. I often use my phone when it is lying on the table, as a result, trying to unlock the phone in this mode can be inconvenient. Among other things, iPhone X costs 1000 dollars, which is 200 dollars more than iPhone 8. Given the difficulties with the supply of components, it is unclear whether Apple will be able to supply the required number of smartphones this year.
Imperfection Android
I wouldn't buy iPhone anyway. Recently I was fascinated by the idea of a new smartphone based on Android, thanks in large part to its excellent notification management and deep integration of Google services. I thought that this year my choice would fall on the Google Pixel 2 XL. But the smartphone announced a few weeks ago has big display problems. Users and reviewers have complained about the graininess of the interface elements and the transition of the color gamut to a bluish tint, even with a slight change in the viewing angle. Google is also investigating the burn-in effect, which causes the faint outline of the navigation buttons to appear on the display even when they shouldn't be there.
In the younger Pixel 2, there are no such problems, but there is no slightly curved display with minimal frames and a battery with a larger capacity. Well, after several years of using the iPhone 6 Plus it is not easy to return to the display with a small diagonal.
Beyond the Pixel, the next logical choice is the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Note 8, both of which are powered by powerful processors, cool curved displays and superb cameras. But in both devices there is a significant design compromise, expressed in the location of the fingerprint scanner next to the camera lens. It is not easy to reach, and there is a possibility of staining the camera. Even Samsung acknowledges the problem and encourages users to wipe the lens regularly after choosing fingerprint unlock.
A pervasive problem in Samsung and other smartphones beyond the Pixel is software. Most Android smartphones are not as fast or smooth as the Pixel, even if they have the same processors. Their customized interface is often clumsy compared to Google's minimalist design. Third-party manufacturers are slower to update their devices, often support ends in a year or two. In comparison, Google guarantees support for the Pixel 2 line for 3 years.
I ended up ordering a Pixel 2 XL, but instead of the usual pleasant excitement of changing phones, I struggle to figure out whether to return the phone and try something new.
Why now?
There are many reasons for the imperfection of smartphones this year, from a shortage of OLED panels from suppliers to problems with software updates in Android. But the biggest problem is the growing number of shortcomings in the premium smartphone segment.
A few years ago, it seemed that smartphones as a class had ceased to develop, the changes were cosmetic in nature. The performance was pretty good, the cameras were up to par, the displays were sharper than the human eye could discern, and the phone easily lasts a full day on a single charge. The cycle of two years between two smartphones seemed unimaginable, this trend in my case was broken after buying iPhone 6 Plus.
In 2017, smartphone makers tried to make a big leap forward. The notch in the display iPhone X and the odd placement of the fingerprint sensor in Samsung Galaxy smartphones are the result of the desire to increase the screen-to-body ratio. At the same time, the problems in the Pixel 2 XL may be a result of Google's inexperience in hardware and its integration with software, which the company is now responsible for.
Such problems will not appear in the next generation of devices, the manufacturers will make work on the errors. But this is little consolation for those in need of a new device in 2017.
By Jared Newman
After buying the OnePlus 5, I began to catch myself thinking that the interest in innovation in new smartphones gave way to the idea that “just work stably.” At this point, the Chinese are still completely satisfied, the only, as it turned out, insignificant compromise was the transition to a relatively lower display resolution. Probably the fact is that the smartphone does not limit me in any way in my work scenarios, so there is no need to look for options for replacement. And even more so, it does not make me get used to the compromises imposed on me.
The author's idea that in 2017 there are no worthy devices among the flagship smartphones without serious compromises, in one form or another, is found in foreign publications of thematic resources. Someone thinks this trend is a given, for some it came as an unpleasant surprise, but the question is whether manufacturers can actually get rid of the shortcomings by next year. But the devices described in the material Android do not cover all the variety, in which there are quite good options, even if not among the top solutions. So for those who need a new smartphone now, there are plenty of options. In the meantime, prices for well-proven smartphones of the last model year are falling, we can reflect on what we would like to see the flagships of 2018.