I’ve been reviewing and writing about smartphones for over a decade, and while it has been a dream come true to do this for a living, the past few years have left me jaded. It’s not because I’ve lost interest in the space; I think it’s more about smartphone makers drip-feeding us so-called “upgrades” and marketing them like it’s the greatest thing since sliced bread. Quite frankly, I’m fed up, and I think a lot of people are too.Phone manufacturers have trapped themselves in this annual cycle where they are now expected to launch a new product, year on year, and it’s somehow supposed to be vastly better than the one before. That’s obviously a near-impossible feat, and as expected, it rarely (if ever) happens. Instead, what we end up getting are “new” smartphone models with higher prices, minor hardware upgrades, and very little to no innovation.