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In this article I’m going to share my personal journey with my smartphone evolution over the last decade. I got introduced to mobile phones in early 2000s with the likes of Nokia, Sony and Motorola phones. Moto flip phone was the popular one during those times which I owned for sometime before moving to Sony’s Walkman series. Later in 2007 I bought a Nokia N73 which was very popular for its music quality and camera. I still remember those headphones which sounded magical listening to all my favorite tracks.
Samsung Galaxy S
I got my first full fledged smartphone in the year 2012 and it was the first generation Samsung Galaxy S. It had a big LCD touch screen, came with 1GB RAM and 8GB Storage. It was running on Android version called as KitKat or Jellybean (Google used to name Android versions based on a dessert). I was so excited to use the smartphone features using most of the multi media in your phone. I had that phone for around 1-2 years before upgrading to HTC One M8. With this phone, got introduced to instant messaging applications like WhatsApp which made connecting people so much easier.
HTC One M8 in 2014
When I decided to upgrade in 2014, I got the HTC One M8 which was hugely popular. It’s known for its front firing speakers. Even till date I have never experienced that audio quality on a mobile phone speaker. It had a decent camera, excellent build and design. Mobile apps and games work great in HTC One M8 and it had excellent call reception and audio quality. Still wondering how HTC’s and Nokia’s lost their market share in smartphone space.
Switched from Android to iPhone 6s
Then came my first ever iPhone purchase where I was reading a lot about iPhone 6s to make the switch. I bought it through Sprint career who gave me a good resale value for my old M8. Apple iPhone 6s was delivered to me exactly on the release date and it was a great feeling to buy an iPhone on its release day. I pre-ordered this phone through Sprint a week before after the iPhone was announced.
Initial setup was little different from Android devices and there was a small learning curve to adapt into Apple’s Operating System (iOS). But after those initial days I felt the smooth UI experience of iOS which was a major improvement over Android. It was a solid phone with exceptional camera, optimized OS, good speakers, call reception, fast and fluid UI. I used iPhone 6s for a solid 2 years before moving to Android again.
Google Pixel 2XL (Panda) – The Camera King in 2017
I’m pretty sure most of you have tried between Android and Apple devices just like me. When I was due for an upgrade, I was very much impressed with Google Pixel 2XL Panda version which was looking cool and their AI powered camera was game changing. Articles termed Google Pixel 2XL as the camera king. It made iPhone images look dull and outdated. Also in those 2 years Android had good improvements in UI and user experience. So I made the switch to Android. It was a great experience using Pixel 2XL and after a year or so it got some display issues. So I planned my next upgrade.
Apple iPhone 8 Plus in 2018
Apple released iPhone 8, 8 Plus and iPhone X in that year. I was in a dilemma to go with iPhone X or iPhone 8 Plus and ended up getting a white iPhone 8 Plus. Glass back design was fantastic, better cameras, bigger 1080p display and 256gb storage. It’s a solid iPhone with a nice build and design. Once you get used to iPhones it’s very difficult to move to another platform as the convenience and intuitive design holds you back.
In the meantime, I switched back and forth with Android devices like Pixel 3, Samsung S8s and S9 but iPhone always keep me coming back to Apple. During this period, I was slowly switching all my digital work from laptop to Mobile. Apps made most of my stuff to be done using my mobile Phone.
Thoughts on my Overall Smartphone evolution Journey
Over the years I started using both Android phones and iPhones as both are special in certain ways. Apple makes the ecosystem so glued and the way it interacts with its family of devices cannot be matched in any other platform. Android on the other hand provides a lot of new features and customization options. Both platforms had evolved now to a more refined operating system and not are equally good.
This turned into one of my hobby where I spend most of my time exploring the feature in smartphones. I’m sure this post made you think about your experiences with your phones. What’s your plan for the next upgrade? Let me know in the comments, Cheers!
