Smartphone companies launch their flagship devices every year. Apple usually launches its latest lineup every year in September, Google in August and Samsung in January. Similarly, other companies also upgrade their premium devices and launch them in the market every year. However, most of the times the new phones look similar to the old models and not every time so many updates are given in them that people leave their old phones and go crazy for the new ones. There are some people who want the latest model every year, but for most people it does not matter. Then why do companies keep launching flagship models every year and what is there in this process for customers? In today’s explainer, we will try to know the answers to some such questions.
New phones and innovations
A few years ago, things like getting a touchscreen in a phone, having two cameras instead of one and multitouch support were considered big, but in the last decade or so, the picture has completely changed. Now smartphones have become so advanced that there is not much scope left for improvement in them. Now companies leave the entire phone and focus more on a few highlights. The look and feel of the phones launched every year is becoming the same and 90-95 percent of the users use the new phone in the same way as they used to use their old phone.
Then why do new flagships keep coming every year?
Companies have different views on customers in this matter. Many people believe that instead of bringing new phones every year, companies should improve their existing models. For companies it may be completely different. In fact, there are about 40 percent of users who change their phones every 2-3 years, while there are many who use their phones even longer than this. In such a situation, it may be possible that iPhone 16 users may not find iPhone 17 much upgraded, but for iPhone 12 or iPhone 13 users, it is an upgraded model. The same happens with customers of other companies also.
It is necessary to meet the demand
In the last few years, the demand for premium and ultra premium smartphones i.e. expensive smartphones has increased. Talking about India, now Apple has joined the top 5 companies selling the maximum number of phones. In such a situation, if people are ready to pay more money then it becomes necessary for companies to bring trendy and flagship models. To capitalize on this opportunity, companies have now started launching new phones at an interval of a few months. There is a time of about 6 months between the launch of Samsung’s S-series and foldable phones. Similarly, now Apple is also planning to launch new models every 6 months.
There is also pressure of competition
Competition in the smartphone market has become very tough and companies are ready to outperform each other in every matter. In such a situation, if a company is not launching its premium devices then there is a risk of its customers shifting to another company. Besides, by launching new models every year, they also get a chance to keep up with the trends and meet the demands of the customers.
Impression also makes a difference
Along with filling the pockets of companies, flagship smartphones also change people’s attitude towards the brand. If one phone of a company becomes a hit then people’s attention is drawn to other products also. Similarly, if the company keeps launching new flagship devices every year, then people’s eyes are fixed on it. Along with this, by launching flagship models every year, companies make their presence felt in the market, that they are stable and are changing their technology according to the trend. For this, first leaks related to the products come out, then the products are officially launched and this process continues till reviews, benchmarks and comparisons. For this reason the name of the company remains imprinted on people’s minds.
There are many benefits for the customers too
If you feel that there is no special innovation happening in smartphones and similar products are being launched every year, then you are not alone. In fact, sooner or later the pace of innovation was bound to slow down and it seems that the current trend will continue for the next few years. Despite this, there are now such flagship devices which can last for years and companies are also promising to provide updates for 5-7 years. Another advantage of this trend is that now people do not have to wait long to upgrade their phones. Also, now the features of flagship models are available in mid-range smartphones also.
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