GoKawiilC. Scott Brown / Android Authority
Rising prices have been rippling across the global smartphone industry for months, and now, they’ve come for flagship Android phones in the US. Samsung’s new Galaxy Z Flip 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra start $100 higher than their 2025 equivalents, and last week, Google’s Shakil Barkat all but confirmed rumors that the Pixel 11 will start at $899, up $100 from the base Pixel 10.
Year-over-year price increases are never ideal for consumers, but it’s especially inconvenient that new phones are getting pricier while everything else is, too. From laptops to game consoles to TV streaming hardware, practically all of consumer tech has shot up this year, not to mention steadily rising prices for non-tech essentials.
With smartphones more expensive and arguably less exciting than ever, I think it’s a good time to take a break from chasing the latest flagships.
When do you think you'll buy your next smartphone? 43 votes Sometime this year. 19 % Next year. 19 % In 2028 or later. 42 % Whenever this one stops working. 21 %
I used to be a frequent upgrader
Rita El Khoury / Android Authority
Like many Android enthusiasts, I used to upgrade my phone quite often. For a good while, starting with the Nexus 6P and going on through to the Pixel 5, I bought a new Google flagship each year. Fast-forward to 2024, and I found that while I had steady access to borrowed phones through my job, I didn’t actually own any phones that I wanted to use. An appealing Google Fi discount on the Pixel 9 Pro convinced me to take the plunge.
At the time, I figured that when I paid off my discounted flagship, I’d trade it in for whichever the current model was. I paid off my balance earlier this year, and while I was admittedly briefly tempted to trade up to a Pixel 10 Pro for its magnetic wireless charging and slick new Moonstone color, I scratched that itch with a new case instead.
New phones are still getting better with each hardware generation, but the gains are smaller with every year. The Pixel 10 Pro’s flashiest new capability was compatibility with magnetic Qi2 accessories. We don’t know much about the Pixel 11 Pro yet, but it seems like that phone’s defining new hardware feature will be a rear-mounted notification LED. Samsung, meanwhile, may use silicon-carbon batteries in its upcoming Galaxy S27 phones, squeezing longer battery life into a similarly sized chassis.
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