The new shiny smartphones for 2014 are being launched now, from the Sony Xperia Z2, HTC One (All New) and the Samsung Galaxy S5 plus new phones from everybody.
The new handsets all have small improvements over last years and sometimes go 3 steps forwards and one step backwards when a feature is removed that you really liked.
For the first time in many years none of the new phone announcements are making me want to upgrade my current Samsung Note 3. The camera is excellent in the area of photography that I focus on which is landscapes and macro. For example the shot below taken on the Note3 is just under 13mb in file size providing tons of detail. The link to the original is on my Flickr.
Then I look at all the other features of the camera from 4K video recording and so on. It is not perfect. It struggles in low light but then so do most smartphone cameras.
But obviously the Note 3 has another 200 features and that is being pessimistic! I have added a heart rate monitor via an app and via apps I’ve added so much more.
What I’m saying is that my current phone is extremely reliable and superb at carrying out all the things I want it to do and therefore I’ve reached a plateau whereby anything new does not add any value. In fact, the time it takes to recreate my personalised setup on a phone is not worth the hassle of changing to a new shiny piece of hardware.
How do you feel about your current phone ?
Gavin's Gadgets & Photography 
If you’d asked me this question a month back I would have said I always upgrade each year.
However, what with the new phones not pushing me to open the wallet and the customisation I can still make on my present phone I’m not so sure I will be upgrading for the present future.
Software such as Nova Launcher and Zooper Widget give the phone a new lease of life in looks and operation. It’s like having a new phone every week with these two titles.
That and there’s the promise of software being released on the new phones will be ported down to current stock help keep the wallet in my pocket.
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That’s how I feel about my HTC One. It actually does everything I need it to, without the need for constant tweaks. If an iPhone comes along with a bigger screen I might wobble, but right now I’m totally satisfied.
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I own a note 3 and share the same sentiment.
However I would still my phone to have better auto focus, better hdr, optical image stabilising, water resistance and better build quality.
Also I want a more precise s-pen that can detect the slightest change in moment on the touch screen and a bendable display would be a welcome addition.
In software term’s I suerly want the low power mode that an last up to 24hours. Also I think Google will concentrate on fitness with the next set of API’s in the upcoming android update.I want this version of Android.
Can I live without it. Sure I can.
As you righty mentioned we have reached the peak of what the current Smartphone as defined by Steve Jobs can offer. Apps have peaked,Camera update has become incremental,so has processor and battery life. Display size also has peaked so has viewing resolutions. Android has matured to the level that Touchwiz is bloatware than a value add.Even Samsung admitted to this stabilising trend in their projections for 2014.One good thing could be prices could drop as a consequence.
We indeed have hit the plateau.
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Next frontier is wearables!
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