7 smartphone trends I wish would die in 2026

Samsung Galaxy S25 in hand in Navy colorway
Credit: C. Scott Brown / Android Authority

On the whole, 2025 was a pretty good year for Android phones. Some brands stepped up with more respectable update policies, a variety of manufacturers now offer phones with absolutely gigantic batteries, and top-end devices have a crazy amount of horsepower.

It’s not all sunshine and roses, though, as we also saw a number of disappointing practices across the industry in 2025. So here are the smartphone trends that I don’t want to see return in 2026.



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