In many ways, I probably already knew the answer to the question: “Are iPhones overrated now?” would be a yes, and a resounding one at that. But things ended up not being as simple as I initially thought.
I asked TechRadar readers the question in a simple poll with the options being yes, no and unsure, with a little color thrown in for fun. And according to the results, 47% of respondents answered in the affirmative, 17% believe that iPhones are not really overrated, and 36% are undecided but agree that iPhones are iterative smartphones that “just work.”
There certainly still seems to be a healthy appetite for new Apple phones, although some of that might be due to being committed to – or stuck in – the iPhone ecosystem.
“So I remember queuing at 5:30 in the morning for the iPhone 3G outside my local O2 store, excited about how new the design was compared to my Nokia. I diligently upgraded every year to the 4 then the 5, then the 6 Plus and then… got a bit bored…” said a commenter called Andrew.
“They seemed to stall a bit, but with the [Z] Fold 5. It’s brilliant and innovative. The apps are basically the same [but] it seems more interesting.
“I think Apple is a good example of a lazy brand that knows loyalty will allow it to make a profit while ignoring the need to innovate.”
This journey is similar to mine, having started with an iPhone 4S, then moving to Android, then finally back to the iPhone in 2021 when I felt Apple had caught up with Android on the hardware side. Likewise, I’m now a little bored with recent iPhones, although I really like how they work; it feels like something new and special is missing from Apple’s recent smartphone portfolio.
It also seems that improvements that Apple tends to make a song and dance about, like an improved camera system, don’t always impress in the real world. Sure, photos may be sharper and more vibrant than before, but the differences are probably negligible unless you’re really looking for them.
I’m not the only one thinking along these lines, as iPhone 17 user and reviewer “Altema22” noted: “What’s disappointing is all the hype around the camera, only to find that no one in the house can easily tell which photos are from the 17 and which are from a $400 HTC U24 Pro.”
In essence, while I don’t think people will stop buying Apple phones, it seems like we’re heading towards a point where iPhones don’t really excite people anymore; I posited that we might have reached peak iPhone after the September launch.
This is all probably to be expected, as other phones have also become rather iterative, but I think Apple still has the ability to spark and shake things up in the phone space and the tech world as a whole. And where Apple goes, others tend to follow.
So I hope that future iPhones can bring back some of the excitement of yesteryear, including making phone cameras exciting again.
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