The Over-Upgrade Complex - Why You Shouldn't Upgrade Your Smartphone

We are a culture that feels continually compelled to buy the "latest and greatest" - especially when it comes to our smartphones. There's a reason theApple Keynote is an eagerly awaited event. But should we really be that excited to toss our our iPhone 6 for the 6S? Or our Samsung Note 4 for the Note 5?

An Upgrade Culture Without the Accompanying Upgrade Quality

Smartphone upgrades are becoming less and less drastic. The promise of "the new" and "the better" phone is a prolonged culture from days past, as the "new" and "better" elements of the latest upgrade of modern times are really quite minimal - maybe a better camera here, a tougher screen there, but nothing earth-shattering.

The reality is our flagship smartphones aren't blazing the trail towards new frontiers anymore. We're no longer moving from QWERTY keyboards to touch screen, or adding a camera to our phone for the first time. In other words, we're not seeing massive premium differences between models that warrant the premium upgrade fees that accompany them. The flagship smartphone really may be on its last legs.

And yet? We still upgrade, and we upgrade a lot. Older smartphone models that we've moved on likely end up collecting dust somewhere in your house, alongside more past phones and out-of-date technology (remember that Walkman of yours?) When you do eventually decide to chuck some of your older phones, as a responsible technology user, you'll likely end up giving it to a technology recycling facility of some kind. Recycling means no waste, right?

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