Robert Triggs / Android Authority
After recently reminiscing about my favorite camera phones, it occurred to me that my fondest time writing about and playing around with smartphones all happened in a rather short period of time — the early 2010s. Of course, there were great phones before then and plenty of technically superior ones after that sliver of time. However, I still think 2010-2015 represents the most exciting time to be a smartphone aficionado, and not just because of the hardware.
The handsets were great, of course. The 10s were a period when the flagship phone market was still up for grabs, before it became today’s Apple and Samsung duopoly (though you could argue it was already on the way). Smartphones were still relatively new, and everyone was trying to push the boundaries. Brands like HTC and LG, now long gone from the market, produced their finest work during this period. The wonderfully built HTC One and One M8, LG’s powerhouse G2, G3, and G4, and Sony’s Xperia Z series, especially the Z3 Compact, all had adoring fans, all for equally valid reasons. You didn’t have to buy a Samsung to dine at the top table.
What was the best period for smartphones? 97 votes Pre 2010 11 % 2010-2015 60 % 2015 - 2020 14 % 2020- 2025 4 % The present day 10 %
I spent most of this period with the LG G3, which broke ground with its QHD display and camera laser focus, staple features of today’s flagships. Yes, its Snapdragon processor was a little hot (they still are, to be honest), and the 3,300mAh battery is tiny by today’s standards. Still, the cell was removable, and I replaced it at least once to keep the phone ticking along. Despite a reasonably slim design, it had a headphone jack, a gently curved back for a great feel in the hand, it took decent pictures, and the volume rocker placement on the back was an inspired design I wish someone would revive. If nothing else, it was definitely something new and exciting to buy, unlike today’s flagships, which are almost all copied and pasted from last year.
How often do we see phones launch in all-metal builds or sporting fantastic pleather backs? Not often enough these days. And truly compact phones? Forget it. The 2010s spoiled us for choice as brands desperately tried new things to stand out; competition at its finest, as it were.
Trying to stand out has its limits, of course, and many of the more bizarre ideas would be considered commercial failures, even though we couldn’t help but talk about them. 2016’s “modular” LG G5 was a step too far that arguably sank the brand’s reputation and helped put an end to the innovative fun. Before that, though, we had the LG G Flex banana phone and awkwardly curved Samsung Galaxy Round. Perhaps more sensible but no less contentious, we had the first Galaxy flagships with the curved “edge” display in this time period.
Can you imagine anyone selling products like this now? The best we’ve had recently is the incredibly slim yet incredibly average Galaxy S25 Edge. Meanwhile, Samsung’s Polygon foldable concept is the phone it should be selling. Maybe Nothing and its Glyph interface is the closest we still have to the old, unique approach to handset design, but that’s one company out of almost a dozen.
Back when Google and OEMs were still friends
Despite the intense competition, the second decade of the millennium also saw cooperation that feels completely alien in today’s Android ecosystem. Before Pixel, there was Nexus, which ran exclusively throughout this period. While Google focused on features and software, it partnered with the biggest names in the business to build the hardware. HTC, Samsung, LG, Motorola, and HUAWEI all claim at least one Nexus phone to their names. Talk about a supergroup.
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