Sunday Debate: How Can We Get a No-Compromise Phone?

Join us in a fun Sunday Debate on Compromises. Come with your opinions and feel free to read some of our thoughts, then pick your side or play devil’s advocate to get your voice heard and engage in friendly discussion. You can read our food-for-thought or jump straight into the fray below!

 

 

Getting an upgrade is a big deal to us power users: it’s our little Android Christmas, where after a long time (for plenty of us, at least) of carrying a device we intensely research and drool over something new. But many, XDA writers included, feel that flagship upgrades today are more of a gamble that they have ever been, as many features or key aspects are sacrificed to boost others, or they are simply forgotten in the course of smartphone evolution. This leads to the nasty compromises that have us weighing every pro and con throughout days of pondering and anticipation.

Many phones this year have prevented users from leaving their older devices for the latest and greatest — often because the latest was not too great. The industry’s global context is likely at fault: affluent markets are approaching saturation, emerging markets are shifting the prices towards the low-end and mid-range, many technologies are hitting (sometimes momentary) plateaus and many reviewers and consumers seemingly demand premium quality instead of thorough technological advancements. These are, however, not the only factors, and we must keep these and more in mind to find a solution to the problem of smartphone compromises.

We are framing this as an open debate where you can suggest a way to minimize smartphone compromises in your upgrades, be it through expanded  repertoires of offerings and availability, user-selected specifications through modularity and online stores, or whatever you might think of. Please try to explain your suggestions and solutions to make them understandable so that we can all engage in healthy discussion. Feel free to check some of our ideas below or jump straight into the comments!

 

Possible Solutions & Alternatives

 

Keep in mind that these are hypothetical scenarios and not necessarily isolated; many of them are currently happening to some degree, and they are happening at once. None of them are mutually exclusive!

 

• Phone modularity: With Project Ara coming soon, we might see the rise of phone modularity. If Android allows you to have a customizable, personal software experience, Ara is its hardware counterpart. This means that users have plenty of freedom when choosing the hardware they want, as they can quickly slide out the modules they don’t want to replace them with those they do want. This way they can adjust the phone to their use case without paying extra for the things they know they don’t need. Another benefit is that phones can last longer and that users do not need to get rid of an entire piece of hardware over an outdated component or because they desire, for example, a new processor or camera.

• Component Selection: With online stores such as Moto Maker gaining a bigger presence, we could see devices come with more hardware variations other than just storage. Many devices now offer the option of coming with more RAM, such as the ZenFone 2, OnePlus 2 and Moto G 2015, but we could extend that to cameras, (the S6 already comes with two kinds of sensors), battery sizes, and more. It might lead to slight complications from a software perspective, but being able to choose your preferred specifications in your preferred device could be a good way to alleviate the problem by allowing consumers to upgrade certain components they want to be upgraded and get a better-suited purchase, while leaving the rest intact.

• More Phone Variants: In a way, this ties in with what was seen above. We now see that many manufacturers are splitting their smartphone lines into multiple models. For example, the Moto X was split into the Style and Play and the OnePlus 2 comes in two models as well. These “tiers within the top tier” allow consumers to have more alternatives, and in Motorola’s case, it allows them to opt for different use-cases as well (given the Moto X Play has a much bigger battery at the expense of processing power and other features). Samsung will seemingly do the same with their S6 Edge Plus and Note 5, so that those who want a Note get a Note, and those who want a big S6 Edge can get one. While this can lead to fragmentation if not done right, it can help consumers get closer to what they want.

• Throughout Upgrades At High Prices: The easy way out would be to just sacrifice price and provide upgrades to most if not all components to ensure a balanced and cutting-edge flagship. This would, in turn, keep those who cannot afford such upgrades at bay. However, if implemented with other models above such as multiple variants or the ability to reach the through upgrade through picking components in an online store, the notion of paying extra becomes easier to swallow. But even in itself, there is still a market for those who want the best of the best, and there is a growing space for those who are willing to provide a no-compromise experience and actually achieve it.

• Greater Availability & Competition: Despite our globalized world, many manufacturers have not made it to important markets, and many are simply unable to have a shot at them for various reasons. Now that Chinese manufacturers are breaking into new regions and markets, we might see the spike in competition bring forth new phone alternatives that seek to provide the best experience possible. Conversely, we are also seeing manufacturers cut down costs to compete with the new players. Plenty of OEMs such as LG and Motorola opted for pricing their phones more competitively, and Samsung has revised pricing as well. But there is still demand for expensive phones, especially if they check all the boxes. With greater availability and more options incentivized by fierce competition, phones might once more seek to please everyone to reign the market.

 

There are many, many other alternatives and solutions, so feel free to bring them up!

 

Debating

There will never be a smartphone that is perfect for everyone, but the new models of pricing, hardware sales, and phone manufacturing might get us there, or at least closer to that. Availability, competitions, a bigger range of products, modularity and customization can all be relevant factors in the path towards a new model that is flexible enough to satisfy a bigger number of consumers. So keeping all of this in mind, we ask you the following questions:

 

• How do you think OEMs can balance out costs while giving consumers what they want?
• How can OEMs maximize consumer satisfaction?
• What alternative models would allow consumers to get the phone that suits them?
• How do you see the industry evolving with the rise in online stores, modularity, and globalization?

 

from xda-developers http://ift.tt/1DkNa67
via IFTTT