Think phones are boring? Here are 4 reasons why 2025 was a big year for smartphones, and none of them are AI

Was 2025 a boring year for smartphones? Thin phones flopped, big time. The Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold elicited a collective yawn from my colleagues.

Phones are boring! I hear them say as they gaze into Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses or get sucked into Steam Decks. Phones aren’t as new as those gadgets, but that doesn’t make this year boring. It was a very exciting year for phones, from an expert’s perspective.

Apple changed the iPhone design, and every iPhone got better

It was a huge year for Apple, and a rare moment we got to see Apple being experimental. It tried out two new phones this year - the iPhone 16e in February and the iPhone Air in September. Not the best iPhone models, but that wasn’t the point. The point was to try something new: the ...