Every year, device makers like Apple or Samsung debut their latest phones, promising longer battery life, thinner bodies, larger screens and more processing power—and then come back the next year somehow promising even more. Critics allege that smartphone makers are the latest to follow the trend of planned obsolescence, or the claim that manufacturers deliberately design their products with a short shelf life to encourage consumers to buy the latest model.
But the biggest driver of phone replacements these days isn’t outdated or broken hardware, but stagnant software, claims a leading smartphone analyst.
