How Will Coronavirus Impact Your Next Smartphone Purchase?

Not long ago, the end of summer at our house was known for two things – return of football and back to school sales.   More recently the focus  every couple of years shifts to “What new smartphone do I want to upgrade to?”  As a tech industry road warrior, I have been into smartphones since arguably the first usable smartphone, Handspring’s VisorPhone, came to market in 2000 and have always tended toward being an early adopter who wanted the latest in features, best in performance, and sleekest in style.  I later owned Blackberry’s first true global smartphone, the 8830A, and  later jumped to the iPhone 3GS and 4 before becoming a loyal Galaxy series user after being a key supplier to Samsung starting in 2010.   I would typically get the new latest flagship model every 18 months or so, motivated mostly by the desire to show off the technology we supplied to Samsung, but also by the attractive carrier bundled  pricing programs that negated most of the device cost if you committed to a long term contract. 

As smartphone designs have matured, new features plateaued, and with carrier incentives eliminated long ago, my upgrade cycle has continued to get longer.   My current phone, Samsung’s Galaxy Note 8, is almost 3 years old and still works well, but a number of factors have me contemplating my next upgrade.   In the US, high performance smartphone choices are primarily between Samsung’s Android-based Galaxy S or Note series (with all the added Samsung custom software) vs. Apple’s iPhone, with the Google Pixel family offering the only pure Android experience in a high end smartphone.   Each has a large, loyal following and a range of models at different prices.  All three have recently announced new products with great specs, so I am ready to take a closer look at what is most important to me in my next smartphone.

Like most people, a smartphone is an integral part of my both personal and professional day-to-day.  Messaging, email, photography, audio and music playback, web browsing and social media are the features I use most, in order of priority.  (Phone calls should probably be somewhere in there too, I guess! 😊 ).   The latest smartphones do all those things very well, but then again so does my current phone.  So, why upgrade?  Here are some of the issues I am considering, some of which have always been part of my decision making, others more recent considerations due given due to a variety of changes in the landscape.  Let’s look first at some of the historical areas I prioritize.

• Camera. This is a big one for me.  I have been really impressed with the Galaxy series cameras since my Galaxy S3 in 2010, so much so I cannot remember the last time I have taken any other phone with me on travel.  I am not a photography enthusiast per se, but find both portrait shots and landscapes come out fine in most cases with my Note 8.  As they say, the best camera to use is the one you have with you.
• Multimedia. Smartphone screens continue to get bigger, brighter, and higher resolution.  That’s all fine, but I don’t watch much video on my phone, and virtually nothing in long form, so video is not that important to me.  I have worked in video long enough to know a 4k screen on a 5 inch display adds little value to my aging eyes, but does drain my battery faster.  Which brings me to…
• Battery life. Manufacturers’ battery life estimates are like auto makers EPA ratings: theoretical and impossible to achieve in real life.  I tend to defer to expert hands-on reviews to decide which one’s will meet my needs.  I expect to need recharging options if I am going to be at an all-day event regardless of what smartphone I have, but a full day of average use is the holy grail I would pay more for if it could be realized.
• Global coverage.  Fortunately, this is no longer an issue.  All major carriers have global roaming agreements and phones have multiple radios so I can use them almost anywhere I travel.

Although smartphone offerings continue to evolve and improve, COVID-19 has impacted how, when, and where we use them.  We are working more from home, spending more time on our traditional PCs and less on our phones.   The lines between our work and personal environments are blurring.  Spending priorities are being reduced or shifting.  Given our new normal, here are some new areas I am evaluating in choosing a new device.

• Productivity integration.  Are you a GSuite user?  Microsoft 365?  Are you tied to a corporate exchange account?  Fortunately, both Android and iOS support all major productivity platforms, with minor limitations if you have a hybrid environment like I currently do (Android phone, iPad for remote meetings, and PC with Microsoft 365 at home).  There would be potential benefits of reduced support overhead and complexity if I standardized on all Android/GSuite or all Apple – but that would require more $ to upgrade all my other devices.  There is a reason to have the right tool for the right situation, so long as you can exchange information easily between platforms and stay in sync that is good enough for most users. 
• Budget.  Whether you are the head of IT or finance at a large company or a small business owner, the upfront cost of a new flagship smartphone is not a trivial consideration.   I can remember not that long ago when the industry was shocked by the first $1000 smartphones; we have long blown past that mark and can now pay the twice that for the latest 5G foldable offerings.  But do you need to spend that much in a maturing market where performance improvements are incremental and you are not traveling as much?  While Apple recently reported year-on-year increase in iPhone revenue, they indicated at least part of the success came as a result of the 2nd generation iPhone SE, which at $400 has the same processor and connectivity, but a lower resolution front camera and smaller screen (though same pixel density) than the iPhone 11.  So, if you run a lot of apps but don’t take selfies or watch YouTube, it could be a great choice at less than half the price of any of the flagship models…
• Long term product support.  I remain impressed by Apple’s commitment to iOS upgrades for its devices; this chart shows that the latest version (iOS 14) is still supported on the iPhone 6S from 2015.  To the contrary, I am personally frustrated that my Note 8 got its final OS update before it was 2 years old – given the performance of the hardware and $1100 original price it is unfortunate that Samsung’s planned obsolesced means I cannot benefit from new OS feature innovation unless I shell out for another phone.  Google Pixel does a better job as even the original Pixel supports Android 10, but Apple is the clear winner here.
• Privacy and Security.  This is probably the biggest issue I will consider in future device purchases.  In my past blog post, I referred to the growing change in priority between an employee’s need for privacy when they work away from the office and an employer’s need for security of information when employee’s work remotely.  No device stresses both needs as much as a smartphone that can be easily carried anywhere and just as easily lost or stolen.  Law enforcement has been critical of the Apple’s encrypted ecosystem that makes accessing data on iOS devices very difficult, but given the risks of industrial espionage and the need for privacy in communications, I hope Apple maintains their current posture.  Another privacy consideration in light of coronavirus is contact tracing.  Both iOS and Android are implementing OS changes to support contract tracing, but it is too early to tell how they will be used by authorities and how user’s privacy will be guaranteed.  This will continue to be an area I research further before making a final choice.

There’s a lot to consider when picking out your next smartphone, and no one choice is right for everyone.  I can say that based on what I’ve seen so far, a new Galaxy  while still and option is not a lock choice for me.  Privacy and security are becoming a more important consideration as device performance and innovation plateaus.

Finally, you’ll note that I did not consider 5G support as one of the factors to consider.  For me, 5G coverage is still not mature enough, nor does it have a wide enough coverage area to be a real priority in consideration – truth be told 4G/LTE works quite well for me today.  Also, if I do decide to stay with a flagship phone, it is likely to have 5G integrated – the real question which cannot be answered yet is what carrier offers a better 5G experience both in my main coverage areas and while roaming internationally.  I’ll leave that to a future upgrade decision…

As always, comments solicited.  Stay safe.