I’ve been reviewing mobile phones since the HTC Tattoo was released in 2009. At this last stage I have tested mostly high-end models for almost two decades. Phones that, on paper, should have very little to improve. It’s not like that.

There are many years of analyzing phones, seeing how technology has advanced to points that were difficult to imagine 15 years ago (explain 2009’s Vision Pro, Tesla’s autopilot, or ChatGPT to Ricardo Aguilar). Dizzying developments in various fields… pure stagnation in some aspects of mobile phones.

What happens to batteries?

As a technology analyst, one of the points that worries me the most is the battery. A “large” battery in mid-2024 is a 5,000 mAh battery. Xiaomi was one of the first companies to invest in such batteries… Five years ago. Since then, it has become almost impossible to see a commercial phone with higher capacity batteries (except for “rare” handsets and those not focused on the mainstream public).

We’re already starting to see phones with 5,600mAh or 5,300mAh capacitiesLike the Honor Magic6 Pro and OnePlus 12, but models like the Xiaomi 14 Ultra or S24 Ultra still have 5,000 mAh. We normalized this capacity, it is “enough” for daily use, but it is still shocking considering the five years that have passed.

The main limitation here is the thickness of the phone. Even though batteries and their technologies improve, A mobile phone with a huge battery needs to sacrifice thickness. Perhaps the question is whether users care more about their phone being thick or its battery lasting more than a day. Personally, I’m clear that the latter is much more attractive.

The voice is a great forgotten

One of the most forgotten and undoubtedly least developed points in recent years is the sound department. We had tiny speakers for years. they mostly distort When we increase the volume above 90%.

I still don’t remember a mobile phone in recent years where I saw clearly the before and after compared to previous technologies (as I did with some camera sensors, display technologies, etc.). Maybe this is a lost battle, also limited by the size of the phone, but I miss phones that standardize the €1,500 ticket offering real quality audio.

Resistor, body and display

In the last few years, we have turned to materials such as steel, titanium and glass on the back… All of them look nice but… very little durable. Every time I inspect a phone, I have to be extremely careful to make sure the panel isn’t scratched by the smallest speck of dust I might have in my pocket. It’s guaranteed that no Gorilla Glass Victus can handle a bit of dust.

The same thing happens with the body of phones. The slightest drop has the potential to cause serious damage to the metal of mobile phones that promise to be more durable. The same thing happens with screens: They’re more durable than they were a few years ago, but they still burst easily.

Image | Xataka

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