What is the Golden Era of Smartphones?
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- Опубликовано: 22 авг 2024
- It’s easy to look back on memories with rose tinted glasses and rewrite history but as smartphone enthusiast veterans, what period was the most impactful? Which devices stood out? And what is the golden era of smartphones?
Was it the original iPhone and Galaxy S, or did the LG G3 and HTC One and One M8 era feel the better balanced? How about the OnePlus 3 and Huawei P20 Pro? Let's talk about that.
2017-2019 is the golden era for smartphones for me, we have one of the best samsung design in the s8, s9 and s10, apple started the high screen to body ratio with the iphone x, pixel coming with the pixel 3 xl which imo is the best pixel ever, huawei demolish the competition with its camera with the p20 pro, oneplus 5t and 7 pro were the best oneplus ever made and both of them ive used before.
Yes I agree with you because budget phones were starting to look great too like the Samsung Galaxy A8 Plus
The Samsung S8 was the hype back then! Everyone started copying Samsung afterwards
100%. The iPhone X and S8 were phones you HAD to go to the store and check out. It was so hard to choose between them but I couldn’t resist how cool the S8+ was and the “Samsung UX” at the time.
And the Pixel 3a was a great "budget" offering!
@@muhsinatras9755 ww also has the zte axon and the mate series. HTC and LG were still in the mix then
Years 2016 to 2019 was THE Golden Era. Every phone releasing felt and looked different, it all had personalities. There was actually a reason to buy one phone over the other. Today, it's all about software, and hardware wise, everything looks the same now.
I'm still rocking OnePlus 7T Pro, and I have no desire to change it until one of us dies.
Only way it dies is u manage to break this ,
Best op ever🎉
I think 2016-2020 era was peak smartphone. At the high end, we had the Samsung's S7 Edge, S10e, and Note 20 Ultra, Huawei's Mate 10 and P30, the OnePlus 7T and 7 Pro, LG's G6 and V30, and iPhone X. In the low to mid-range, we had the Samsung S20 FE, Huawei's Nova 3 and 5T, the Nokia 7 Plus, and Xiaomi's Mi A1 and Redmi Note 7.
dont forget Pocophone F1, that phone is so famous that MKBHD actually review a midrange phone for once
I'd specifically leave out 2016 just because the midrangers were bad around that time. It wasn't until Huawei's arrival around 2017 to have great advancements at that segment
Exynos 7870, rest in piss, never miss
Zte axon aswell
iPhone (5) SE
s7 edge and note 9 are the GOAT
Golden era? Def the 2014-2017 era. So much innovation over such a short span while also being a time where you couldn't go wrong with basically any pick. It was competitive and was the only period where I felt I really wanted to upgrade every year
6:20 Remember when RUclips app used to look like that? Google’s app and OS were all so colorful.
Now it’s all one color at a time.
I didn't know, i joined internet too late 😢
I actually love that they came up with Material You. I think it's less distracting and more comfortable to look at
Between 2012 and 2017 I updated my smartphone every year, as the new updates were significant compared to the previous year's model. From 1 camera to 2 cameras, then 3, then 4, much better photos and videos every year.... better screens, better and bigger battery, from 2 gigs of RAM to 4, then 6, then 8... better and faster processors, much faster charge speeds and so on...
And now I have a 5-year-old flagship and still don't feel the need to update it, as it still does everything well, even compared to brand new phones.
Same bro, still using 5 year old flagship
which phone
today even budget phones could get your basic things done for 3-4 years easily, i own Motorola One Action for 3 years
My personal golden era smartphone was my Galaxy Note 9. That thing was an absolute beast! Overall, I'd say the golden era ended when they sealed the batteries and removed the headphone jacks!
linus still uses his note 9 because of the versatility it still gives him. its even got broken glass lol
Agreed. I remember when LG v20 was released. It was gorgeous phone with good audio port
@@ObviouslyNotABlackadder I loved that one too.
Watching and replying right now on a note 9😅
Same here! It's served me well for years. Only upgrading soon because it's getting to the point now where Android 11 can't run the apps I need.
I had the s8 when it was new, it was by far the most head turning smartphone I’ve ever had.
Same. It was my first flagship too and everyone wanted to have a look at it! Made me feel popular for a bit.
The S8 is the greatest and most beautiful smartphone ever made in my opinion.
The Samsung Galaxy S10 Series is the best phone line up of all times.
You spelled “LG G series” incorrectly
@@Tater_chip_00If they’re so good then why are they already dead? 😂
@@timr.2257 bad marketing. I blame rebranding to that dumb ass "Thinq" line
@Tater_chip_00 If you think that's the reason LG mobile went under then I've got a bridge to sell you.
In an alternate universe the Nokia N900 went on and instead of Android we'd have the full linux phone with desktop-grade apps, proper resource management, and a DeX-like connectivity to a screen in 2010, in that alternate universe the opensource community ports games released for linux to Maemo and we get Proton years prior with AAA titles running on phones we can dock to use as a console, a desktop or a laptop.
.... in an alternate universe, not this universe 😢
In that alternate universe ARM chips actually supports x86
@RyanKurian-d9g I don't wanna be that guy, but 'linux' is the kernel, GNU/Linux is the OS. But yes, very deep it runs on the linux kernel.
I love 2017-2019 era, all the phones looked different, and each brand had his own personality. The camera module was different, the variety of colors were very gorgeous. Now all the phones looks identical :/
i think the note 9 is the best phone ever made. It was the last time Samsung put everything in the phone and didnt follow the trends of removing stuff to cut corners like inclusion of the hole punch/notch, removal of the heaphone jack, sd card trays, the battery charger that comes in the box, notification lights, super fast fingerprint sensors, adjustable aperture, multiple front facing cameras etc.
Exactly! 💯 It can also be flat on a table and usable. 😌 I could only imagine if they made a 2024 version! 🤯👑
Then again, the charger probably wouldn't come in the box though, that's a given on Samsung phones these days. 😝 Not even the A05 has a charger now.
Exactly! 💯 It can also be flat on a table and usable. 😌 I could only imagine if they made a 2024 version! 🤯👑
Then again, the charger probably wouldn't come in the box though, that's a given on Samsung phones these days. 😝 Not even the A05 has a charger now.
2019 no cap is the golden era, no bs smartphone features, still fast and good until today
I'm still using my Huawei P20 Pro today, a 2018 smartphone. I feel no need to upgrade and don't feel enticed by any of the newer smartphone options these days. I'm bias but I think the golden era of smartphones was definitely 2017 to 2019. "Peak" smartphone, as one may suggest. It's peaked ever since and I don't see any real innovations to the smartphone experience compared to then. The iPhone X - 11 Pro, Samsung Galaxy S8 to S10, Huawei P20 Pro/Mate 20 Pro to P30 Pro, OnePlus 5 to OnePlus 7 Pro, Google Pixel 2 to 3, etc. were all so magical in terms of options you had available.
Even I'm using a mi 8, battery life is not great but performance is still good
The aspect ratio change era. Cameras got much more interesting, screen tech got crazy, charging speeds went up and who was last to the party? Them weirdos in cupertino that had to adapt due to their fans wanting a lot of what android had at that time. Crazy and fun time.
HTC One M8 and Nexus 6P are my all time favorites. LG G8X was great as well.
OnePlus 7 Pro hands down best phone ever
Tweaking!
@@EtherealGoddess_Ent say what now
7 pro is a dope phone for sure
I thought it was the 8 Pro the best one
@@oscarcastro9316 I'm actually using the Pixel 8 Pro to comment this but idk I still have 2 OnePlus 7t McLaren 5Gs
The Mate 20 Pro is still one of the best phone existing, if there's a re-release of it with just improved hardware I'd buy it day one
Honor Magic 6 Pro
Huawei mate 50 pro
Mate 20 X came out with 5G chip
The golden era of smartphones was 2010-2014 when the lag and stuttery performance were everywhere 🤪
The early days of android are it for me. Everything was a constant discovery, and no one knew what a smartphone should be doing. Testing out endless roms on the galaxy S and S2 are some of my fondest memories of smartphones.
2011-2019 everything later is unnecessarily OP
No, 2007-2014 was
The SD865 is a great chipset though and it's 2020
I had some of the brands that don't exist (in America) anymore. I had the LG G6 which I think was the 1st phone with a 2:1 aspect ratio and it came with an ultra wide angle lens which was new at the time. Before that I had an Honor 8. That was a great value phone that was built so nicely I was often asked 'Is that the new iPhone". I still like to try the off brands. I have a TCL and have just ordered my 1st Oneplus, the 12R.
I also had the G6, well I still have it and it’s still working great for its age and the abuse it recieved. Best phone I’ve ever had and been thinking to restore it for a long time now
Once I got a hold of a foldable phone I knew years from now I am going to rose tint this thing lol
I’m surprised you didn’t mention the LG G6. At the time, it was considered the phone with the “thinnest bezels.” I’ll never forget when I saw it in person for the first time. I was so amazed at how thin the bezels were. It’s sad just how boring phones are now.
Yes, it actually was the first to introduce the taller aspect ratio, simply because it launched about a month earlier than the S8 and it had true 18:9 compared to samsung’s 18.5:9. The G6 traded blows really well with the S8 even though LG was forced to use the older snapdragon 821 chipset because Samsung hoarded all new 835’s
My favourite device from 2010-2019 is the HTC One M7, with the iPhone 4 trailing close being HTC Sense was one of the best looking Android skins in my opinion and it went perfectly with the exterior design of the device. The device was also very capable, even with its questionable 4mp rear camera. Don't get me wrong, I have the S24 and I think that it is a wonderful device, but nothing will beat the M7. I have the M7 GPE (Google Play Edition) and would pick its design over anything else that is out today.
I also have an iPhone 4 and it stills works to this day, even with the same battery that it shipped with all those years ago. The build quality on this device is superb and its small form factor is still something that I will forever miss in smartphones. The camera, although poor by today standards, is still very capable and produces nice, softer images with a "nostalgic" tone to them. The skeuomorphic design language of older IOS versions was stunning and I still wish that skeuomorphism would make a full comeback.
Or at least allow full customisation in Android so that we can import icons. (Can we do that already or just locked to themes?) without root as well seeing as that wrecks some functions nowadays
I'll always believe, the ban to Huawei was the beginning of the downfall to smartphone innovation
Huawei werent innovators to begin with, so no. The innovators were companies like LG and HTC
Well that's just no true
Literally the definition of 2018-2020
Never been so much CONSISTENT innovation by so many different companies. If a market gets crazy innovation AFTER becoming stale then I think that's a golden age so many new design philosophies
2009 to 2015 was the peak of smartphone design and features. Everything looked cooler, easily replaceable batteries, lots of accessories, wireless charging had just started to become a thing, and phones were more repairable then than they are nowadays. My favorite phone of all time would have been the Samsung Galaxy S4 series. That's regular, mini and the crazy Galaxy S4 Zoom. All of them. They dared to do things never seen before, or since.
I think from about 2010 to 2016. There were so many cool designs, experimental features, and companies just trying new things that there sort of was a smartphone for everyone!
My all time personal favorite smartphone is the HTC/AudiovoxPPC-6600. Vertical slide QWERTY keyboard, came with a stand, user replaceable battery, SD Card slot, and LOTS of user programmable buttons.
A personal favorite is the Nokia Lumia 920. Indestructible. Seriously, look on RUclips a guy did a 3 part video trying to break it.
I think Samsung S8 Series was the design that ended all designs. It kinda inspired the iPhone X for being full-screen.
@@anetizen6404 if I understand what you mean by "design that ended all designs", I think you're right. Every phone after that one kind of just felt like a slightly different version of the S8 design.
I get why, it was a gorgeous phone (I had an S8+). Having said that, the more I used it the more I absolutely hated the curved edges. A part of me wonders if the curved edges completely turned off iPhone users to Samsung/Android, because every time I handed someone my phone to show them something they'd touch an edge and "break" something...
2010-2015. I may not have been old enough, but it was back when we just had more competition and the next 5 years were totally unpredictable to us. I feel like by 2016-2020 we had better phones, but a lot of the cool ones just fizzled out.
I agree with your golden era smartphones. I’m still rocking a Samsung S8+ as a secondary media machine. So I can listen to music without being disturbed.
Galaxy S10 and Note 10!!!
I think now. Firstly not only do we have foldables from so many brands going head to head with fellow phone manufacturers year after year refining the foldable craft. Secondly we are entering the age of AI products letting us see a whole new wave of smartphone concepts, like the Rabbit R1 as-well as the Humane AI Pin with surely more to follow. We are very lucky to be the ones throughout mankind’s history to watch innovation of tech unfold. It may feel stale now but they’re always working on something so the future is always promising & something to look forward to✨.
My favourite is the Huawei Mate 20x. Supersize screen and battery, great cameras, headphone jack, pen support, removable memory card, a joy to use. Too bad that the 5G version is not available in my region, so I had to retire it this year.
i am using galaxy note 9 and trying to use it for as long as possible, bcoz it has sd card slot, headphone jack, no notch.....and is still running really well.
HTC M8 and then the Note 9.... those are the two smartphones that I actually miss.
Galaxy S7 edge and OnePlus 7 pro hands down the most stunning phones ever made
I actually think the golden era is what we have been in for a few years. If speaking purely from device performance we've been pretty well at a peak now for five years. I have been pretty enamored with the new design from the Pixel 6 series and onwards. Reminds me of the old Nexus 6P that I never got to use.
S4, iPhone 5s, htc one m8, lg g2, note 3 those were the days
2014. You could get flagship level phones for less than $500, like the Nexus series and OnePlus One.
You could also buy a strawberry shortcake for $.25 when I was like five years old life changes man.
2014-2019 is the time I have been interested in phones. Especially when the OnePlus One came out, that was exciting
2018 the Note9 is the single most feature-dense and long lasting phone besides removable battery legends such as the Note 4 or LG V10
For me arguably the best ever device ever has to be Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ because of the amount of refinement it had on everything.
Galaxy Note9 from 2018 was just amazing, I remember seeing a demo unit in some mall and I was blown away, that Super AMOLED Screen was hella vibrant and just everything about it was amazing, too bad I never had one.
Oneplus 7 pro's design is still unbeaten
My S7, S7 edge, & Galaxy S9 had everything you would want in a phone at the time. The cpu performance & cameras are great. Photos looked good on the phone's screen and on other devices. Could play all the new games of its time and multitask a lot. 2016-2018 is definitely one of the best times to have a new phone. Everything's just dull now and I'm currently sticking to my iPhone 12 mini till it doesn't work anymore. 😂
I was lucky to have experienced all generations of phones from the Flip to present, but 3 significant eras for me -2013/4, 2017/8 and 2019/20 -
I upgraded whenever I observed significant new tech. Carried a Blackberry (for productivity) and Sony Xperia (for camera) together for a while - until the Samsung S3. Then S4, S6, S8 (revolution of aesthetic design) and Note 10 which I think was the Pinnacle of modern design. I dig curved screens and mid compact devices. I can't seem to upgrade now because the new designs appear to go backwards, although hardware specs are better. I look at a S24 and go yeah - it's OK, but I don't immediately want it like the previous phones I had. Btw, I hate the S24 Ultra square box design.
Funny how comments are usually saying something between 2016-2020 while that was the time frame when I didn't follow the market at all
Phones peaked in 2021 imo, not much has changed in last 3 years except the prices have been rising up
I think my favorite phone of the 2010s had to be my OnePlus 6. It was the phone that proved to me that Android didn't have to be a slow laggy mess like it was on Samsung. It had good clean software and pretty timely updates. It wasn't overly heavy and had a nice screen size that I enjoyed using. The camera was nothing special, but it still got the job done. My later OP devices got better in some ways, but really suffered when it came to software updates and I eventually abandoned Android entirely as a result.
Still using my Samsung S7 edge
I was so excited for my S20 Ultra. I thought that was the peak -at least for me. Then the S22 Ulra happened and... well it was almost the same. Now, here I am on an S24 Ultra and I cannot believe that it feels the same once again. It's crazy cause going from the S5 > S7 > S9+ >S20U felt SIGNIFICANT and made me excited. But now I don't even take much interest, especially given how sparce the unboxing experience has become for contemporary phones.
The most excited and most heartbroken I've ever been for a phone, with the exception of the excitement I felt for the first iPhone, was the Note 7. I remember how mad I was when Samsung made us all send them back in. I think that's when I lost enthusiasm for anything new until the folding style smart phones were introduced. I'm waiting on my Flip 6 now. I haven't had an iPhone for 8 years or so.
2016 - 2019, after that, most of the smartphone companies shut down and the top dogs like Samsung and Apple solidified their positions and now release the same device every year
2011-2014
There was not only multiple OEMs, there were multiple platforms for OS. I miss choice
I think 2013-2016 area was the best one. The features were incredible for their time. my Galaxy Note 4 is still working.
I miss pop up cameras like the poco f2 pro , seems like the cameras were able to hold uo a long time
Or that flip camera of Asus Zenfone
I'd say it was 2016 and 2018 in particular. In both we got great innovation and lots of great affordable options that got you high end phones for a fraction of the price of the flagships.
My favorite phone of all time is the Panda Pixel 2 XL.
2017 was the peak smartphone era, and it's not even close. Everybody made great phones, and you couldn't go wrong with any of them.
HTC easily
2021 was the golden era. You went over flagships, primarily. At least in the USA, you could pick up some crazy hardware are wild prices (Motorola One 5G Ace with 6GB RAM for less than $100 a lot of the time). Those midrange-budget devices are still really good to this day, and have plummeted in value to boot. Moto G100 for less than $200? Absolute monster.
2015 was the golden era for me, cause you had the Galaxy S6 with curved edges, yearly iPhone upgrades were noticeable and appreciated, and smartphones came in all shapes and sizes not like today with the standard 6.5" display with a pop-out circle for the camera 😂
I feel that while there was so many great points in smartphones but the most exciting was the release of the iPhone X and Galaxy s8/note 8. That was a time where hardware boundaries were pushed in areas that seemed impossible,software was so cool and etc. I’ll never forget when I got my S8+,the curved screen and experience altogether was so cool at the time. I remember so many people wanting to use my phone and look at it 🤣 before that,one of my favorite times in smart phones was when the galaxy note 3 was the absolute bleeding edge.
LG G6 My personal favourite. Such an underrated phone and a pioneer of rounded corner displays
0:12 LG G6 🧡 I've replaced it just this year with the Galaxy S23.
Galaxy S9 plus was the best phone I’ve ever had, I still miss that phone
I feel like Mate 20 Pro and P30 Pro are some of the best devices ever causing a big shake in the industry
Yh.. Huawei always had amazing phones for their prices..
The golden era of smartphones is the era where we had more choices. It crazy to believe how many smartphone manufacturers have gone away this past decade. Here in the states, we really only have a choice of 2 smartphones; apple and Samsung. If there weren't hardcore users in the states, I think Google would stop manufacturing of their pixel line.
the states are cooked, imo. here in my country, indonesia, we have more than 2 brands: apple, sammy, xiaomi, oppo, vivo, realme, infinix, tecno, itel, asus
Anytime 2016 or before. Maybe because you could get phones with removable batteries. It sucks that if you need more power you have to carry a battery bank when you could just swap out a battery in 20 seconds and have a full charge.
for me definitely 2015 to 2019 every single year felt like a huge advancement, and many were upgrading every year
iPhone SE first gen 2016 was the best compact entry phone in apple ecosystem. Having the SOC and Camera of iPhone 6s with a 5s body.
2017-19 honestly
2017 brought actual full screen and 2019 had the Galaxy S10 and OnePlus 7, I will miss rounded frames 😓
Thanks for posting this video
The Nokia 808 was pretty good but with flaws. Since then, it's hard to find phones with natural processing, or they have taken years to have in sensor cropping again or even reach the sensor size of the 808, or you get Sony which lacks hardware but has the more "natural" processing.
In 2024 we're seemingly getting closer to having really nice photography with those super macro and 1 inch sensors and large zoom sensors etc.
But then they still have varying over processing or poor quality mics.
The Nokia 808 was a media powerhouse.
Nowadays everything seems geared towards social media ready devices. Big, long battery, spiced up photos.
Back then when every smartphone was unique in a way, I need a time machine.
5:33 the pixel is the most beautiful phone I have ever seen
I used Galaxy S8 up until this spring, upgrading to S23. It was a 2017 smartphone.
2018 was the golden era. Bezels were being shrunk yet not everybody had a notch or cutout. LG V40 had the first triple cameras in October & only a month later in November the Samsung A9 (2018) was the first with quad cameras & in December the Samsung A8s was the first with hole-punch camera. Also 10GB RAM phones meant serious performance & now you could say “that phone has more RAM than my PC”. Also 512GB storage was a much-welcomed upgrade. It was also the last year of the last true HTC flagship with the U12+. And the Pocophone F1 came out, a budget model and brand that people really looked into.
Galaxy Note 2 from 2012 . Hands down my fav smartphone of all time
Imo the Note 4 is the best phone ever made.
Had the best display and performance on the market on release. Outstanding battery. Tons of features. Removable battery. Headphone jack. Excellent cameras.
Peak smartphone.
Galaxy s10e snapdragon is near perfect: sd card, headphone Jack, light weight, premium material, flat screen, physical side thumb print reader, decent battery life when optimized, great display without needless level of res and perfect screen size, great form factor, great sounding high res dac, still zippy in 2024, great looking design, wireless charging/reverse charging, bixby button can be used as varied quick access function, great cameras and clear speakers, responsive lag free 60hz display. The only drawback for me is the lack of notification Led.
This phone is fantastic.
2011 - 2015 with the smaller screen sizes, more practical designs and easily replaceable batteries. The first iPhone SE was the last good phone imo.
I still have mine, don't use it though. Would have loved a modern design with that size (smaller than mini 12/13) maybe multiple cameras at the top. I do like cameras on a phone :) Maybe when they find new energy density batteries we will get such a small premium phone.
I think phones peaked around Android 10 (maybe 11 era) when 200-230$ phones become pretty good you know that you reached the peek and not a lot of stuff you can offer to consumers (even to the one that own a flagship) to just by a new phone every year.
Haven't watched the video yet but I think it was between 2016-2020, just before the pandemic. Improvements were substantial with each generation, across all market segments. Now things have stagnated a lot.
Before the arrival of the OG iPhone.. smartphones were already existed and people already know that.. iPhone was basically simplified everything and made it smoother.. but still to me the Golden era of smartphones were around 2013 - 2016..
Iphones.. Androids.. Blackberry.. Windows Phone.. each of them ran smoothly and very well optimized..
My fav phone will forever be the Pixel 2 in those panda colors.
It was beautiful, powerful and had an awesome camera.
The Nexus 5 is still my GOAT smartphone with the Pixel 3a XL coming a close second!
I am still in love with that Galaxy S6 edge in emerald green!
2019 was also the last time that you could buy a good budget phone for less than 180€ without it being a brick
2014 - 2017 i was wow to every phones comes out ❤
I’ll never forgot how BEAUTIFULLY designed HTC phones were in the early 2010’s.
The golden era is when smartphone started we had new design each year and new tech but Sony Z ultra was one of my favourite i think it's still on of the slimmest phone ever
In my opinion, 2013 through 2020 were the best smartphone days. My favorite phones were and still are the: iPhone 5s, S7 Edge, Note 9, and the Note 20 ultra. I currently use the S23u
the golden era of smartphones was definitely between 2016-2019, I loved when companies experimented more with their designs. The era definitely ended with the Huawei ban.
I agree with everything you said on 2016 to 2018. Those are the times that I've been scratching my head which device i will replace my Note Edge. Samsung's s6 edge to s7 edge was pretty interesting for me especially with their special editions on their lineups; LGv20 if it isn't about their bootloop issue, they would've won the cake for me, they have everything i need in a smartphone. G5 was supposed to be perfect (on paper) but the availability of their modular accessories and their bootloop issues was the last nail on the coffin of their popularity and public trust. Huawei's P20 and Mate 20 lineups are an actual threat to all smartphone companies at that time. They listened to their customers needs and wants (literally and figuratively if you know what i mean) retaining all the features essential to the device. HTC and Google Pixels at that time are not available on my country (philippines). I ended up getting a Note 8 to replace my Note Edge. It was a beast for me until battery issues started to worsen my experience.
For me, that was the time that smartphone manufacturers are battling to get new customers, but now, smartphone companies are only battling to retain their customers.
I hope something will change on the competition. Yes, the new features we are getting from new devices coming out every year is fascinating, but we also need to realize that they're placing features nobody actually asked and removing features we actually need (Yes, I'm talking about the 3.5mm jack, removable batteries and expandable storage). Nobody actually asked or nobody actually needs a folding screen and a notch where they could've placed a front facing stereo speakers and all the sensors they need on front side of the device.
understandably on business owner's perspective that cashflow has to be maintained, which is the main reason why smartphones are getting boring and boring nowadays. but creativity and the interesting part of the smartphone industry went down with it.
However, we actually see startups making interesting design of smartphones (fairphone, sony, and Nothing) makes interesting designs of smartphones, they just don't get the attention they actually deserve. Maybe we are just too comfortable with the devices we are using coming from the biggest smartphone companies?
All I'm saying is: we are also the factor of what we are having on our table.
sorry for the long comment, just had a good hit of coffee.
the time period between Nexus One and Nexus 5. Every new phone was substantially better than the last, but I feel like a Nexus 5 is functionally not much different than today's phones
The best for me was : 2010-2015 , HTC was incredible with HTC Sense UI and their models from the Desire ,Wildfire , etc , Blackberry back then was still on the market , iOS was evolving as well for me iPhone 3GS/4 were the most iconic , Samsung coming with it's first Samsung Galaxy S , and then years later first Galaxy Note . Windows Phone was also on the market . Everything was different back then , many operating systems , different UI. Even on Android each company had their personalized UI , so you could feel the difference between HTC, Sony Ericsson , Samsung, LG. Now everything is blunt
Around 2019 the smartphone peaked. But it all started with the iPhone and HTC Dream
2016-2018 was peak android. iPhone is arguably still peaking with YoY improvements to the Os, given things like on-device Ai and an exponential increase in customisation features. Peak android of 2016-2018 was very differentiated, and catered to a diverse market. Today, especially with hardware, android is just mirroring iPhone
For me it was 2015-2018 where there were insane pushing the envelope and some were just gimmicks. Like the Motorla phones with wave feature and what not.