◎Intern reporter Zhang Jiaxin

　　The well-known American technology media Android Authority published an analysis that the modern smartphone hardware is good enough and should be able to support users for many years.

That's exactly how the current consumer trends are going.

　　According to data from Hyla Mobile in the United States, excluding the new crown epidemic or short-term economic reasons, the average smartphone trade-in time in the third quarter of 2021 was 3.32 years.

This figure is higher than the 3.13 years in the third quarter of 2020, and also significantly longer than the 2.36 years in the third quarter of 2016.

In other words, over the past five years, the average time consumers spend switching phones has increased by almost a full year.

　　The article covers several key topics, explaining why consumers are holding onto their phones longer, and why longer-term software and repair support is now more important than ever.

　　Performance improvement, expensive chips are in high demand

　　Moore's Law was proposed by Gordon Moore, one of the founders of Intel.

This law means that the performance and capacity of semiconductors will increase exponentially, and this growth trend will continue, and it reveals the speed of information technology advancement.

　　Moore's Law is constantly improving the performance of hardware, and performance is the main driver for buying a new smartphone.

Flagship smartphones of the past three or four years and mid-range models of the last few generations still perform as well as they do for most tasks.

Conversely, other components such as batteries age much faster.

　　According to an article published by Android Authority, smartphones have encountered bottlenecks in device form factor design and battery power.

If phone performance has run out of room for a while and is increasingly constrained by phone form factors, chip designers should probably focus on batteries and long-term maintenance support.

　　According to Moore's Law, it will take about two and a half years to double the transistor density of a chip.

The chip manufacturing process is expected to reach 3 nanometers or lower in the next few years, and the density of each generation of chips will increase by 1.7 times, however, the pursuit of more powerful and cutting-edge silicon is also behind the surge in mobile phone prices.

　　Innovation slows but prices hit record highs

　　Benchmarks of Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and Samsung's Exynos 2200 SoCs found no real performance gains for the two chips this year.

Whether it's artificial intelligence or image processing, it's hard to say that 2022 smartphones are far ahead of their "predecessors."

　　The seemingly slow innovation isn't limited to silicon.

Flagship smartphone audio, cameras, displays, haptics and countless other features haven't changed dramatically over the past few years.

Even the arrival of 5G hasn't changed the game.

Charging is the only area that's been much touted, but the actual improvements aren't much.

　　The article said that this is not to deny the progress of smartphones every year.

It's just that now the mobile phone iteration speed is accelerated, but the improvement is less obvious, which will make the mobile phone more and more expensive.

　　In any case, not the majority of consumers spend more than $1,000 on a flagship smartphone every two years, and as phones are no longer so easily "obsolete," consumers are losing motivation to replace them.

　　The rise of consciousness leads the concept of environmental protection consumption

　　According to a 2020 study by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research, electronics generated 53.6 million tonnes of e-waste globally in 2019.

Europeans generate the most waste, at 16.2 kg per capita, compared with 13.3 kg in Americans.

The global e-waste volume is expected to grow to 74 million tons by 2030.

　　According to a German study, using a TV for 13 years instead of six can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 660 kilograms.

Using a smartphone for seven years instead of 2.5 years can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 100 kilograms.

　　In order to reduce the waste caused by charging products, the European Commission is working to promote the use of a unified charging interface for all mobile phones, tablets and cameras in the EU.

　　The US, UK and EU, among others, are working to create laws that encourage consumers to repair and reuse.

For example, the European Union has launched several initiatives, including the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive, the Energy-Related Products Directive and the Ecodesign Directive, to reduce resource consumption and environmental impact.

　　France passed the Circular Economy Anti-Waste Law in 2020, which included the recycling of DIY gardening tools and toys in the extended producer responsibility. The law also applies to smartphones, laptops, TVs, washing machines, etc.

　　As consumers seek more durable products, tech companies such as Apple and Microsoft have also begun to incorporate repairability into their design processes.

Last November, Apple launched a self-repair program that gives customers access to parts and tools for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13.

The service will expand this year to include parts for Apple Macs with the M1 chip, and will be available first in the U.S. before expanding to other countries.

　　Future trends may require long-term software support

　　The article argues that in a time of stagnant hardware, e-waste and right-to-repair debates, long-term software support is more necessary than ever.

　　Smartphone hardware has entered a plateau.

From midrange to flagship, the hardware is now powerful enough to last a few years without going out of style.

Whether consumers are looking for cutting-edge performance, cameras or battery life, gone are the days of frantic replacements.

That's not to say people don't crave technological advancements, but new phones aren't going to "beat" older phones in an instant.

　　The article said that as consumers store more and more personal sensitive data on their devices, the need for smartphones to be secure during use is self-evident.

But manufacturers should look beyond basic security patches to ensure that smartphones stay up to date with the latest and greatest features throughout their life cycle.

Plus, paired with better repair services, modern smartphones are expected to last closer to five years instead of two.