Smartphone Features Worth Upgrading For

Smartphone Features Worth Upgrading For

Smartphones have come a long way over the past decade, and they’re still getting better. The truth is, most new smartphones only offer slight improvements over their predecessors, and devices are lasting much longer than they used to. In fact, most smartphone users get about two years (link) out of their smartphones before upgrading, and could probably make it to three.

Meanwhile, manufacturers are pumping out a constant stream of new “must-have” smartphones in an attempt to entice existing customers to upgrade their devices. But with such minor improvements, it’s reasonable to wonder whether the new flagships are worth the hype, or if your company should hold off until next year’s model. In this article, we explore some of the smartphone features that are actually worth upgrading for.

1. Battery Life
No matter what industry your company works in, your smartphone’s battery can make or break its effectiveness. If it feels like your devices spend more time charging than with your employees, you’re not getting much value out of them and might want to consider upgrading. After all, a degraded battery is one of the biggest reasons people upgrade their devices.

Before you commit to a new smartphone, make sure to look into its battery capacity, because there isn’t always a huge improvement between models. It’s worth noting that having more mAH doesn’t always extend battery life because there are other factors at play, but a higher number does generally indicate that the battery can store more energy.

2. Processor/speed
Smartphones can help your employees be more productive and effective at their job, but they can slow down over time. With the rate that new phones are released along with new operating systems, processors can become outdated pretty quickly, making older devices feel clunky in comparison to newer models. Slow phones are frustrating to work with on a daily basis, and can actually get in your employees’ way if everything takes minutes to load. That doesn’t mean that you need a phone with the fastest processor on the market, but it doesn’t hurt to have one that helps – not hinders – your employees.

3. Storage
While it may seem like ancient history, it hasn’t been that long since 64GB of storage was considered a luxury. Nowadays, you’re unlikely to find any flagship device with less than 128GB, and even that’s low. Storage is one of the biggest reasons why customers upgrade their devices.

4. Support
Smartphone manufacturers generally support old devices for at least 3 years after they were last sold. But once they stop, you’ll no longer have access to operating system updates, technical support, or (paid) repairs. This could cause you to experience poor performance on devices, miss out on new smartphone features, or even run into security issues. If you feel like you’re falling behind because your devices are no longer supported, it’s probably time to upgrade your smartphones.

Honorable Mentions
Whether you’re looking for that final push to justify the upgrade or you just want some more bang for your buck, there are a handful of standout features that could be worth upgrading for. Keep in mind that features vary from model to model, so you might want to shop around to find a device that meets all of your needs. Here are some of the standout features to look out for as you shop around for your next smartphone upgrade:

• Camera features

• Foldable screens

• Built-in Stylus

• OLED display

Final thoughts
New smartphones are released every year, and it seems like manufacturers and tech bloggers are always announcing the “next best thing” every other month. But in reality, smartphones don’t see much improvement from year to year, so it’s not necessary to upgrade to each new model.

That said, strategically-timed smartphone upgrades can keep your employees working efficiently and even cut costs in the long term. But the best time to upgrade depends on the needs of your business, so you might want to consider the smartphone features above before you commit to anything.

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