The age of the consistent upgrade cycle is over. As more and more smartphone users wait upwards of three or more years to upgrade their daily drivers, the fight to stand out and grab a slice of the dwindling global market share is getting tougher by the day.
With the margins between success and failure slimmer than ever, some of the more established companies have stuck stringently to their tried and true blueprints, while others have attempted to separate from the pack by offering a fresh spin on the smartphone formula. In 2023, the latter camp was mostly occupied by phones that leaned into new technologies or offered still recent innovations at a more affordable price point. And while some of the big names and iconic designs that continue to lead the popularity charts have started to become more than a little long in the tooth, that hasn’t stopped the very best phones from getting even better, nor the chasing crowd becoming even hungrier.