Several years ago, it seemed like the mobile technology being released each year was unique in all of its entirety. The iPhone 5s was the first phone to incorporate TouchID into a mobile device, the LG-G5 changed the camera technology in the market with its dual-cameras and the original Samsung Galaxy Note introduced a “huge” 5.3-inch display. 

Today, almost every flagship phone has TouchID or even newer FaceID functions, more than two cameras and phone displays are now 5.5 inches on average. Like most technology, smartphones have been continuously updating every year. But for the few phones that do change the landscape of the tech world, there are hundreds of thousands that are simply reiterations of their previous model. Mobile devices haven’t received groundbreaking upgrades as they have in the past; however, they continue to increase exponentially in sales. Here are the problems with that. 

Is there really a need to upgrade? 

In a time where every phone released is so blazing fast, it’s hard to see a sizable increase in speed anymore. The public tends to get caught up with these new models, as they are released so frequently and with such good marketing strategies that they are raved about by consumers without stopping to think critically. But truthfully, many people don’t really need to upgrade to the most state-of-the-art model. Phones released years ago can still adequately satisfy the needs of many users such as college students without an extensive disposable income.

One DU student, Kailey Hicks, expresses, “I’ve always gotten my phones second-hand… unless it stops functioning entirely, I don’t see a reason to get a new phone.” 

Hicks has been using the iPhone 7 model, which was released in 2016. Compared to today’s flagships, this phone looks drastically slower on paper. The brand-new iPhone 12 has a benchmark score of 1588, while the iPhone 7 has a score of 728. The higher score means that the iPhone 12 is able to handle applications, photos and multiple processes faster than the iPhone 7. 

However, Hicks doesn’t notice a difference. “My phone honestly works fine. The battery health has definitely decreased, but if I replace the battery, it’ll be good as new.” She claims to use the phone for communication, emails and social media, like most people.

But that doesn’t mean you should hold onto the phones you have. There are many reasons to upgrade: damage, software updates, a slow device, etc. But there should be actions taken beforehand to ensure that the upgrade is worth it and necessary. 

With this in mind, it would seem like the general public wouldn’t be upgrading as often. However, contrary to this belief, the general public upgrades their phones every two years on average. In fact, 1.582 billion phones were purchased in 2019, and this number has been on an increasing trend each year. 

This trend results in another colossal problem: e-waste. 

E-waste is an expanding problem

Electronic waste, commonly known as e-waste, has been a rising problem in the 21st century. Without knowing a proper way to dispose of technology, it ends up hurting the environment through toxic chemicals such as chlorofluorocarbons and hydrochlorofluorocarbons sometimes inside of our devices. 

According to a report by the United Nations, the world produces 50 million tons of e-waste every year—with 10% of that tracing back to smartphones. It is an incredibly burdening situation that has to be dealt with now before it has an irreversible impact on our environment. 

The era of upgrades has encouraged people to get the next big thing. The enforcement of this mentality upon the common consumer has led to more phone upgrades and phones being tossed away as they become outdated, contributing to the growth of e-waste. In fact, 130 million phones were thrown away in 2019.

“People just have to recycle the products—but that’s the problem, they don’t and these mobile devices end up in landfills,” said Zac Abero, a second-year at the University of Denver majoring in Computer Science.

Apple has recently addressed this issue with the release of the new iPhone 12. They are cutting out power bricks in order to keep their boxes smaller and ship more of them while utilizing less space, fuel and resources needed to make it. It is a small step, but one that Apple claims reduces its carbon footprint and contributes to the fight to protect the environment. 

While this seems like a great move for other tech companies to follow, is Apple really contributing to the fight against e-waste or is it an orchestrated act? They are now making new chargers for their recently-introduced MagSafe feature. So even if they are cutting out power bricks, they will continue to make higher-tech chargers and ship those out. This creates more carbon emissions and e-waste.

Upgrades are dangerous to the environment. Research suggests that by 2030, the projected amount of e-waste is supposed to rise to about 74.7 million tons. If phones keep coming out and people keep upgrading, the amount of e-waste will continue to rise.

The future of smartphones

Innovation in the smartphone industry is subjective to many people. Hicks believes that there hasn’t been enough innovation for her to justify a new purchase, as “I personally think some of the updates are superfluous; it doesn’t justify the $1000 price tag.” 

Zebulon, an instructional coach at Rangeview High School, has a diverging outlook. 

“Phones are so powerful nowadays. My previous phone was outdated, while this one is incredibly fast. The camera is also so exciting because of portrait mode,” says Carabello, who has upgraded from the iPhone 4 to the new 2020 iPhone SE. “The future of phones depends on their interactivity.” 

As big of a jump in technology as this is, the iPhone 4 is much more outdated than the iPhone 7 and explains Carabello’s justification in upgrading in contrast to Hicks’.

New additions to phones every year can mean a lot. But most of the time, phone companies continue to push out brand-new models with minimal upgrades advertised at a maximum price. So far this year, Samsung has released 40 phone models. Out of all those models, only two phones have introduced features that aren’t just recycled updates. Said updates are dull but priced highly. However, to the average phone-buyer, it is perceived as a worthwhile investment. 

As phones continue to evolve, it will be up to the consumers to decide if upgrades are worth it or not. They will be charged with upgrading responsibly in order to protect the environment. We cannot let lazy innovations trick people into buying what is marketed as the next big thing.