Is it just me or are phone problems getting worse?

[ggendel]

It just seems that every day there is a new report of phones:

• Exploding
• Losing connectivity
• Overheating
• etc

It seems that the blame is between the manufacturers and carriers. Am I just naive or is this getting worse?

 

[Tom Westrick]

I don't think it's actually getting worse. More and more people are buying cell phones, so as more phones are sold, there are inevitably going to be more problems.

 

[rocknrollover]

It just seems that every day there is a new report of phones:

• Exploding
• Losing connectivity
• Overheating
• etc

It seems that the blame is between the manufacturers and carriers. Am I just naive or is this getting worse?

I think it's more to do with phone manufacturer trying to put to much tech in and hurrying to get it on the market.

 

[TheMysteriousOne]

It has to do with carelessness in manufacturing and quality control checks!

 

[Billy Bob Jimmy Joe]

The news just don't report it when a phone is working perfectly. Don't expect: "Breaking news! Man from California bought a phone a year ago and it's still working perfectly."

 

[ggendel]

Thinking about this I believe it is a combination of all your ideas. The tough competition, the shortened product to market cycle, the need to believe in your vendors for proper QA, the tighter margins means doing more with smaller staff, and so on.

 

[kramer5150]

Inferior / fragile materials
batteries that are not easily replaced
OS that out-dates itself after 18-24 months, and hardware thats designed for similar lifespan
Headphone jack elimination
Crap / useless apps that pose as one thing, but in reality only exist for the developers to gather personal usage information
Carriers in general suck (in the US)

Don't get me wrong, I really like my LG V10 but I shouldn't have to pay $700 for a sufficiently durable case-back and removable battery on a major carrier.

 

[Tsepz_GP]

Thinking about this I believe it is a combination of all your ideas. The tough competition, the shortened product to market cycle, the need to believe in your vendors for proper QA, the tighter margins means doing more with smaller staff, and so on.

This!

Things are getting tougher by the year. With growth in the Smartphone Market slowing down in major markets, it's a fight to see who survives and who doesn't.

 

[zledzhydro]

Blame it all to the manufacturers!

 

[apeksha_p]

Blame it all to the manufacturers!

Blame it all ON the manufacturers!

 

[wxboss]

Even back in the day when candybar and flip phones were in vogue, there were certain models that were known for issues and others that were more reliable. I don't think much has changed. It comes down to quality of products and design.

 

[ptkelly]

Blame it on whomever you wish but whatever you do, don't blame the user. Not a all. Never. It's simply not politically correct.

 

[LeoRex]

I don't think the overall quality of phones has worsened, in fact, I think across the board, things are as good/reliable as they've ever been. I look at it as a problem of perception and popularity. It wasn't all that long ago that mobile tech were toys... fun little distractions that didn't warrant a lot of attention. Now, these phones have become woven into the fabric of our lives and any significant development in the industry makes world headlines.

So everything is magnified.... and problems get all the attention.... No one cares if some dude had no issues getting an Uber to JFK, but if on the way, the battery in his phone pops and burns a hole in his jeans, it makes CNN.

 

[Tsepz_GP]

Indeed! Never have we relied more on these devices than now.

In actual fact if you tried to use an old HTC TyTN2, Nokia E90, Sony Ericsson P1, Samsung Omnia i900 etc... The way we heavily use our smartphones today, you'd run into major issues, their components weren't built to take the beating they do now.

 

[Morty2264]

Also, it could be that more and more people are speaking out about their phone issue(s) and are taking their complaints to a more public domain; like social media sites or forums like these.

 

[ggendel]

Also, it could be that more and more people are speaking out about their phone issue(s) and are taking their complaints to a more public domain; like social media sites or forums like these.

Since I've been a member of these forums (since the TreoCentral days), I have to disagree. Back then, we complained miserably, but it was mostly about the apps.