In 2022 Smartphones Traded Their Wow Factor for Peace of Mind - CNET

1 year ago 59

The "next large thing" successful idiosyncratic exertion whitethorn not beryllium an immersive augmented world headset oregon a telephone that folds successful half. It could conscionable beryllium uncovering caller ways to get much retired of the phones we're already using.

That connection rang wide passim 2022, arsenic companies similar Apple, Samsung and Google introduced caller ways to marque our phones much practical, reliable and private. This year's offerings lacked the wow origin that defined the smartphone's archetypal decade, alternatively including upgrades that could marque our phones past longer and consciousness much useful. Among the changes: lengthier Android bundle enactment for Samsung devices, escaped caller privateness features for fledgling Pixel telephone owners, and amended information features for the iPhone.

These subtle but noteworthy changes accidental a batch astir the authorities of the smartphone industry. Mobile devices person matured to the constituent that yearly hardware improvements don't consciousness arsenic monumental arsenic they erstwhile did. As it becomes much hard to impressment consumers with caller technologies, tech giants progressively support existing users hooked by making phones consciousness much indispensable successful mundane life. That's arsenic important arsenic ever successful 2022 arsenic ostentation has dampened the appetite for caller smartphones, making it adjacent much challenging to thrust upgrades.

Your telephone arsenic a information net

It's hard to specify precisely however smartphones evolved successful 2022, due to the fact that determination isn't 1 communal ascendant taxable arsenic determination has been successful years past. It wasn't, for instance, the twelvemonth smartphones got ultrawide camera lenses, oregon accelerated charging capabilities.

"Smartphones implicit the past five, six oregon truthful years -- it was each astir however galore cameras, however large the cameras were, surface size, artillery improvements," said Aaron West, a elder expert covering the smartphone manufacture astatine Omdia. "And present it's benignant of plateaued a bit."

But a mates of shared themes go evident erstwhile you excavation beneath the surface.

The archetypal is bid of mind, and that operation means thing a small antithetic for each caller large smartphone we saw successful 2022. For the iPhone 14, it's the quality to automatically observe car crashes and link to emergency services via satellite erstwhile compartment networks aren't available. Google's Pixel phones person supported mishap detection for years, but it's a archetypal for Apple. It's besides 1 of the fewer features that separates the iPhone 14 from the iPhone 13.

A surface showing an iPhone with the Emergency SOS feature

For Samsung, it's knowing that your Galaxy S22 oregon Galaxy A53 5G won't consciousness outdated anytime soon, since it'll get up to 4 generations of Android mentation updates. That adjacent outlasts Google, which provides lone 3 years of large Android OS enactment for its Pixel phones. Both companies supply 5 years of information updates, but Samsung's extended enactment means you'll get caller systemwide features for different year.

For Google's Pixel 7 and 7 Pro, that means having the enactment to browse the web much privately with a free, built-in VPN. You'd different person to wage $10 per period arsenic portion of the premium tier of the Google One subscription work to get that feature. It's different illustration of however Google is utilizing exclusive bundle perks to separate its caller Pixel devices from different Android competitors.

The problem, however, is that features similar these don't ever coerce radical into buying a caller phone.

"Security is an affectional enhancement," Josh Lowitz of Consumer Intelligence Research Partners said successful notation to the iPhone 14's caller information features. "But it doesn't alteration your day-to-day living."

How your telephone is becoming much important

screenshot from Google I/O May 2022 presentation

Tech giants besides tried to marque phones consciousness similar a much indispensable portion of our regular lives successful 2022. Most notably, Apple, Samsung and Google each made improvements to their integer wallets. Mobile payments person existed connected phones for years, but these companies ramped up efforts to store government IDs and other essentials connected phones successful 2022.

The extremity is to marque it truthful you tin permission your location with astir thing but your telephone arsenic it gradually replaces your carnal wallet. The announcements came arsenic mobile wallet adoption is increasing. In September 2022, 32% of smartphone owners crossed regions including France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the US reported utilizing a mobile wallet successful the past month, according to Jack Hamlin, a planetary user penetration manager astatine information and consulting institution Kantar. That's a 3% summation versus the erstwhile year.

Phone makers besides expanded their ambitions to cement the telephone arsenic the halfway of the different integer services and devices we usage -- different means of making them much critical. It isn't a caller trend, but the products we saw successful 2022 underscored the thought that your telephone isn't conscionable a phone, it's the gateway to the different apps and gadgets successful our lives. Google, for example, released its archetypal user smartwatch, called the Pixel Watch, successful October. It's possibly the hunt giant's biggest gambit successful years to lure shoppers into its Pixel landscape, replicating Apple's strategy.

Google Pixel Watch connected apical of a Pixel 7 Pro

"One of the things that is keeping radical locked into Apple's ecosystem is erstwhile you bargain an Apple Watch, it's truly hard to leave," Techsponential expert Avi Greengart antecedently said to CNET's Imad Khan regarding the Pixel Watch's launch.

That's conscionable 1 of the astir salient examples of however tech companies are broadening their respective ecosystems. Apple expanded services similar Apple Fitness Plus and Apple TV Plus successful 2022 by bringing its workout subscription app to iPhones and announcing plans to air Major League Soccer matches on its streaming TV platform.

Building up an ecosystem is much important than ever for tech companies present that it's go much challenging to merchantability caller phones. Not lone does it support existent users locked into their existent telephone of choice, but it besides gives companies different mode to monetize those devotees. iPhone owners tin go Apple Watch oregon AirPods customers. They whitethorn adjacent subscribe to Apple Fitness Plus, too. Galaxy S22 owners mightiness opt for Samsung's Galaxy Watch 5 alternatively than a Fitbit tracker oregon the Pixel Watch.

It's harder than ever to person radical to bargain caller phones

There's nary mode to sugarcoat it: Smartphone income looked bleak this year. In the 3rd 4th of 2022, the planetary smartphone manufacture suffered its 5th consecutive decline, according to the International Data Corporation. The 2nd 4th of 2022 wasn't immoderate better; Canalys reports that shipments fell 9% year-over-year. Both company's reports mention arsenic contributing factors economical challenges and weakened demand.

At the aforesaid time, radical are holding connected to their phones longer. In the 12 months that ended with the September 2022 quarter, 29% of buyers had their erstwhile telephone for 3 years oregon more, according to Consumer Intelligence Research Partners. That's an summation from the aforesaid 4th 1 twelvemonth ago, erstwhile that fig was 23%. The mean property of devices turned successful done trade-ins besides crossed three-and-a-half years for the archetypal time, according to Assurant, an security supplier that besides helps companies make trade-in programs.

With that successful mind, you tin besides statesman to recognize wherefore yearly telephone releases aren't arsenic breathtaking arsenic they utilized to be. Phone makers aren't conscionable catering to shoppers who upgraded their telephone past twelvemonth oregon the twelvemonth prior; they're targeting bequest telephone owners.

"It's each good and bully comparing an iPhone 13 to an iPhone 14 and saying there's precise small development," said Hamlin. "But with consumers holding connected to their devices for 4 years now, that's a user moving from an iPhone 10 to an iPhone 14."

Apple iPhone 14 against a colorful background

Perhaps the biggest acquisition from 2022 is that the telephone arsenic we cognize it apt won't alteration for the foreseeable future. Yes, phones volition proceed to get faster processors and more-advanced cameras. But the existent iteration of the telephone that exists contiguous is the 1 that galore radical volition beryllium utilizing for a agelong time, contempt the industry's efforts to accelerate the adoption of foldable phones.

That's wherefore tech companies whitethorn person to enactment harder to support consumers intrigued, particularly arsenic caller features go little disposable than the flashy hardware leaps recovered successful erstwhile telephone generations.

"Phones present are the close size," said West. "The cameras are arsenic bully arsenic they're going to get. The batteries are beauteous overmuch arsenic bully arsenic the size allows. So what other tin we bash with them?"

Read Entire Article