Modern smartphone are fantastic. Models like Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 7 remind us that innovation isn’t dead, daring us to ask manufacturers to increasingly push hardware and design limits to previously inconceivable places. But despite clear progress like this, consumers also aren’t always getting access to the phones we actually want.
There’s progress, and then there’s change, and when it comes to smartphones features, those aren’t necessarily the same thing.
Looking at all the headaches Google’s been running into with Pixel batteries lately, it’s easy to get nostalgic for the days of phones with removable batteries. While you can still find a few even now, shoppers have largely accepted this loss, sold on the change with promises that this would help companies build sleeker, slimmer, more water-resistant models. This sort of trade-off can be fine, so long as everyone involved understands what they’re giving up — and why.
Don’t want to miss the best from Android Authority? Set us as a preferred source in Google Search to support us and make sure you never miss our latest exclusive reports, expert analysis, and much more.
Start going down this road, and you’ll find no shortage of incredibly useful, highly desirable smartphone features that in 2025 have been almost entirely given up on in anything approaching a mainstream device. Hem and haw all you want about access speed, or users being overwhelmed when tasked with rudimentary file management, but losing microSD support from most Android phones has been nothing short of tragic.
And then there’s probably the most public-facing of all: phones losing their analog headphone jacks. Even this week, during the Pixel 10 launch event, Google seemed to be going out of its way to still convince us that we hate wired earbuds, with a cringey subway scene full of some of the worst takes I’ve heard in recent memory.
Can wired buds get tangled in your bag? Yeah, obviously. And were they often prone to damage from getting yanked around? Sure. But find me one person who is seriously opposed to the idea of just retaining the option to use them.
Because: We’ve had Bluetooth for the better part of forever. It absolutely predates smartphones. And if you just wanted to go wireless, you always could. Instead, we’ve been deprived of the choice. Manufacturers took away our option to use buds we could afford to lose, afford to break — took away our option to privately enjoy music without needing to keep a second device charged.
And now, they’re coming for our SIM cards.
Buy a Pixel 10 in the US, and the phone Google sends you will lack any way to physically insert a SIM card. To activate the phone for cellular service, you’ll have no choice but to go with an eSIM.
... continue reading