Fast charging: tantalizing smartphone features take away the pleasure of opening up

LOOK: Smartphone releases have traditionally been exciting events, but the new trend of teasing features before revealing has taken that fun away.

I’ve always enjoyed covering smartphone launches – which shouldn’t come as a surprise, as does Mobile Editor – but in recent years it’s gotten a little boring. Why? Because brands are now slowly teasing and announcing features, sometimes weeks before an announcement, to generate interest.

It’s okay, the marketing machine should do what the marketing machine does, but that takes the fun out of a real big discovery. It’s like being told in advance what you’ll get for Christmas as a child; getting a gift is still fun, but it’s not exciting and certainly not a surprise.

I want that childish feeling of excitement back when I watch phone-revealing events. I want to be genuinely surprised when a company reveals a new smartphone feature not available from any competitor, and I’m sure I’m not alone.

Don’t get me wrong, not every company does this – companies like Apple are very quiet about future products and features – but it’s becoming more of an Android trend.

It actually started with a bold new mobile startup, OnePlus, back in 2014 that slowly built up a buzz. looking for details about their new smartphones in advance. It’s easy to see why OnePlus did this (and still does); this not only creates hype in the community, but basically ensures uninterrupted media coverage in the weeks leading up to the big event.

Fast forward to 2023 and it’s not just the smaller companies looking to get an edge on the big players teasing pre-launch features; companies with a loyal fan base and excellent brand awareness, such as Xiaomi, are stepping into action. Company fully revealed the design Xiaomi 12 series on Weibo a whole week before it was unveiled in China.

Even Samsung is getting into the trend of teasing and previewing features ahead of launch.

Take, for example, Galaxy Unpacked, which will be released next week. Samsung has posted a bunch of teasers that seem to focus on low light photography and maybe even astrophotography with a well-lit moon in the same teaser, essentially confirming the improved low light camera performance on future Galaxy S23 models.

It has also been confirmed that it will use the next generation Gorilla Glass Victus 2 with improved resistance to concrete drops.

Of course, it’s not as dramatic as companies like OnePlus revealing the whole design of OnePlus 8 a few weeks before the actual announcement, but two fewer potential surprises for the main event.

Can’t we just open up without knowing anything for variety?