C. Scott Brown / Android Authority
Samsung is the most popular Android smartphone maker globally, but my biggest problem with the company is that its flagship phones receive few hardware upgrades compared to rivals. Don’t believe me? The Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus have new processors, but offer the same charging and camera specs as the Galaxy S22 and S22 Plus. Even the Galaxy S25 Ultra merely offers a new processor, ultrawide camera, and Gorilla Glass, but sticks with the same battery and charging tech as its predecessors.
This can be frustrating for Samsung fans and general smartphone consumers, especially as manufacturers like Xiaomi, OPPO, vivo, and OnePlus routinely offer exciting upgrades. But with all of this in mind, we can think of a few reasons why Samsung seldom offers big upgrades for its phones.
Why do you think Samsung doesn't offer big upgrades very often? 341 votes Production challenges 11 % Reliability/safety concerns 13 % Profit margin concerns 35 % A lack of competition 35 % Internal obligations 3 % Other (leave a comment) 2 %
1. Production challenges
C. Scott Brown / Android Authority
Samsung ships more smartphones than any other Android OEM, and its flagship phones frequently appear in listings of the top ten best-selling smartphones. This creates an interesting challenge, as it needs a massive supply of parts from partners to actually build all of those phones.
This challenge means Samsung can’t adopt a cutting-edge part in a phone if its suppliers can only produce a small number of them. Therefore, the Galaxy maker might be forced to rely on tried-and-tested parts that suppliers can readily produce in massive numbers. This could be why we don’t see hardware upgrades like one-inch camera sensors, variable telephoto camera modules, and more.
2. Reliability or safety concerns
Ryan Haines / Android Authority
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