The 2017 phone trends as we saw them

31 December 2017
We'll give you the facts about the 2017 phone trends. We all know our phones are getting thinner but by how much? Read on and we'll give you the hard facts behind the trends.

Sort by:

  • ?
  • ?????????????N??
  • 8Sp
  • 06 Nov 2018

AnonD-481725, 31 Dec 2017Okay, i want to ask a question. First, yesterday, after a ... more???????????????
?????????????????????????????????????????????????????2018?????????????????????????????2???????.???1???????????????????????????????????????????????1????????????????????:???????????????????????????????????????????...???????????????????????N?????????????????????????????1???????????????????????????!
??(???)????????????????

    • L
    • LLL
    • tDS
    • 02 Jan 2018

    AnonD-727720, 01 Jan 2018somethings wrong with those charts. we have sony XPERIA's ... more"So, using our extensive phone database and test results, let's power up our machine learning algorithms and feed it the 50 most popular phones based on your browsing and search patterns here at GSMArena.
    These 50 phones will represent our definition of 'the market' and as we're not splitting them down by flagship, mid range or entry level we can average them out to give you the hard facts to those trends you probably already know about."

    I am afraid the Sony devices did not make it into the top 50 most popular list.

      Honor8Pro User, 01 Jan 2018How difficult it will be to manufacture: 1. 5.5" inch 18... moreI think a 5.5" 18.9 smartphone would be too small. Even the Galaxy S8's 5.8" 18.5:9 is too small for me.

        AnonD-664474, 01 Jan 2018I don't like 18:9. No content is really made in that ratio ... moreTotally agree, 16:9 with no bezels. The notification bar is impossible to reach on 18:9, unless phone makers redesign the UI and make it easily accessible from the bottom.

          Thanks GSMArena, This site has always been great as a specs database and I love seeing articles like these. Been reading since 2003 - researching the Sony Ericsson T610 haha.

            • S
            • Shubham
            • rW$
            • 02 Jan 2018

            You say "machine-learning algorithm" but you're really only using Excel Pivot Tables, aren't you ? :D

            We still love you though

              • D
              • AnonD-727720
              • asZ
              • 01 Jan 2018

              somethings wrong with those charts.
              we have sony XPERIA's flagship with fingerprint sensor in, side position in 2017. please check that chart again.

                • ?
                • Anonymous
                • pB%
                • 01 Jan 2018

                Stuff that disappointed me this year:
                -lack of IR Blasters
                -drastic decrease in megapixels (I just couldnt buy a new phone. 12MP are far from enough.)
                -poor implementation of dual cameras (LG G6 and V30 had the only good dual camera setup. Well, and also Asus Zenfone 4 Selfie, but when you want to take landscape photos, not selfies, you gotta flip the phone to use the wide angle camera. Not that inconvenient as it might seem tho)
                -a lot of phones companies that had software bokeh with one camera removed that feature for whatever reason in the newer phones
                -phone prices skyrocketted, althrough they have less features than before
                -tweeter + woofer instead of true stereo
                -too much glass (i'd rather have a full metal phone, or metal sides and leather back, or nylon sides and metal back, or full nylon, or titanium sides and ceramic back, or metal sides and sapphire crystal front. Why not more phones have zirconium backs like the LG Signature Edition?)

                And here comes the thing that disappointed me the most.

                Android skins lack the flavour they had before.
                Everything looks too stock. Almost all manufacturers discontinuted most of their most useful apps in favor of Google's alternatives. HTC discontinued the browser (like most OEMs), the calculator, the whole System UI with that amazingly useful recent apps grid view screen, etc. Sony did the same with their messaging app (like most OEMs).
                I really dont know why is this a trend. Who throught it was a good idea to remove the flavour from the OEM skins.
                Touchwiz, MIUI, Optimus and Flyme are still the same as before, just with small design changes in every update.
                And why do all phones have the same recent apps screen? Why only the cards? (Except Miui and Blackberry)
                Somewhere around Lollipop-Marshmallow the trend started and it kept going downhill through Nougat and Oreo.
                Before, choosing the skin you liked the most played a major role in buying a phone.

                Stuff i liked this year:
                -18:9
                -more stereo speakers than ever
                -very high performance chipsets
                -6/8GB RAM
                -128GB internal storage
                -more phones with water protection

                  • A
                  • Anonymousss
                  • nHi
                  • 01 Jan 2018

                  Dear GSMArena,

                  How did you get the 54.3hrs average endurance rating? If I look at your "Battery life test results" page, most of the phones with 54 or less endurance rating are more than 2 years old...

                    • D
                    • AnonD-664474
                    • Kg{
                    • 01 Jan 2018

                    Anonymous, 01 Jan 2018Expensive tiny phone. The price is not reflected in the bui... moreBuild quality is not always defined by having metal. It's about how smartly a device is made.
                    The XZ1 Compact is made out of extremely high quality plastic that no one would even notice that it is plastic when holding it, until it gets "intentionally" damaged (scratched, bent, burned, etc.) which I doubt one would always do in reality.

                    And if about 90% of smartphone users today have hard cases on their phones, build quality of the phone seems to be irrelevant.

                      • D
                      • AnonD-664474
                      • Kg{
                      • 01 Jan 2018

                      Vegetaholic, 01 Jan 2018It just proofs, that smartphones are most important gadget ... moreTo be fair, no one is really complaining about extremely thick phones.
                      I have watched a review of the Asus Zenfone 3 Zoom in YouTube. The reviewer made mention of its thickness and weight but didn't really make it look like it is a disadvantage of the phone.

                        • D
                        • AnonD-664474
                        • Kg{
                        • 01 Jan 2018

                        Honor8Pro User, 01 Jan 2018How difficult it will be to manufacture: 1. 5.5" inch 18... moreI don't like 18:9. No content is really made in that ratio (movies are in 21:9 instead).
                        I want a true compact flagship like the Xperia XZ1 Compact.
                        4.6" 16:9 full screen small bezel design, how cool would that be?

                        I mean, I want to stop these large screen phones for a moment because they're too many now and we want true small phones instead.
                        They could've just made the bezels slimmer, stick to standard 16:9 and I'd buy the phones faster than any of the fastest things in our whole existence.

                          • D
                          • AnonD-664474
                          • Kg{
                          • 01 Jan 2018

                          TheLostWanderer, 01 Jan 2018OK that would be hilarious xD That would be a really obv... moreI do get your point there.
                          So maybe disregard what I have said lol.
                          What I wish for is every single Android OEM to improve their headphone jack quality (frequency response, volume, stereo crosstalk, THD, etc.) that is enough to beat the one currently found on the so-called "Lightning Port."
                          Not all, but at least the flagships.

                          After all, Samsung or LG, HTC or Sony, Huawei or Xiaomi, all of them are Android and our biggest competitor is that nasty fruit with buggy OS.

                            It just proofs, that smartphones are most important gadget of our lifes, covering all the needs, fashion, watching, computing, gaming, photography and what not. You reaching the point manufacturers charging premium cause they know importance of the smartphone. But can it do it everything right? Well judging by this article hell no, people stupidly expecting it do it everything perfectly but want it to be smaller and thinner but keeps demanding bigger screens, more power, bigger camera sensors and so on. Typical brainless consumers supporting stupid trends(wink wink fruit users), which the rest of the consumers has to pay the price. Smartphones would be much more advance and better and more cheaper than they are know just because people are following blindly trends and round experience for the rest, please think about next time when you buy a phone( fruit or not) if you going to effect others? :) Happy New year everyone!

                              • ?
                              • Anonymous
                              • tV3
                              • 01 Jan 2018

                              ClockSoicy084, 01 Jan 2018I'm holding a XZ1 Compact in my hands lolExpensive tiny phone. The price is not reflected in the built at all.

                                Luxor, 01 Jan 2018Overall, seems like our smartphones are becoming more luxur... moreI'm holding a XZ1 Compact in my hands lol

                                  AnonD-664474, 01 Jan 2018Samsung and every other Android OEM should insult Apple in ... moreOK that would be hilarious xD

                                  That would be a really obvious middle finger to Apple. Just it would waste some space in the device for pretty much nothing, because I doubt everyone always has someone besides them to listen music together...

                                  But more subtile was Samsung, not only putting headphone jack on S8, but also including 100 dollars worth AKG headphones in the box :)

                                    • D
                                    • AnonD-664474
                                    • Kg{
                                    • 01 Jan 2018

                                    BiyoBiyo JunJun, 01 Jan 2018yup... like how google did made fun of apple removing the jack Google making fun of Apple for removing the jack would not be beneficial to regular consumers, will it?

                                    Insulting in a good way that we'll benefit while not doing anything bad like bullying (like what Google just did last year to Apple).

                                      xXENDER FREAKXx, 01 Jan 2018And let's hope Apple won't remove anything in 2018, and I h... moreI agree, luckily, Samsung isn't following that "trend" yet. And I hope it stays that way, and I would also like if Samsung could make influence in opposite direction. Like adding or returning features instead of removing them.

                                        • L
                                        • Luxor
                                        • tu6
                                        • 01 Jan 2018

                                        Alex, 31 Dec 2017I will give my money to the first manufacturer who make a p... moreTry Xiaomi. Their budget phone got no fingerprint sensor or face scanner; Redmi 5A. I think there also have cheap 18:9 too; Redmi 5. But if you want stock android, only Pixel, Nokia and Sony are your closest choice. There also Xiaomi Mi A1 with stock android.

                                          1 of 5