The 10 biggest phone flops and fails of 2024

2024 is going to be a pretty good year for smartphones. Apple finally adopted RCS to implement more modern messaging capabilities with Android users, and Google released Pocket friendly pixels A mobile phone with a professional-grade camera, and Samsung Becoming the second brand to commit to updates for up to seven years.

Unfortunately, it’s not all sunshine and roses. Here are the biggest phone flops and flops of 2024, including some that aren’t quite phone-related.

Technically, it’s not a smartphone, but we’d be remiss if we didn’t highlight the popularity of AI gadgets in early 2024, as several startups launch standalone AI devices. The two most noteworthy entries in this regard are Rabbit R1 and Human Artificial Intelligence Pins.

The former is a pocket-sized AI gadget that advertises a large action model, effectively promising to be a butler who can perform app actions on your behalf. Unfortunately, the device and platform were plagued by major security issues at launch and were missing many features to begin with. The Humane AI Pin isn’t much better, as the shirt-wearing gizmo takes your input and outputs answers via a mini-projector or audio. Reviews condemned the product as unfinished and the projector itself was useless outdoors. Ouch.

Both products were disappointingly lackluster and limited in functionality at launch, but critics also pointed out that the Rabbit R1 could and perhaps should have been an app. Regardless, smartphone brands and chip manufacturers are touting this proxy approach as the next big thing.

Apple jumped on the artificial intelligence train this year Apple information A series of features that try to catch up with Android competitors in this field through writing help, notification summaries, and more. Unfortunately, the company Dystopia, Deaf Advertising Highlight Apple intelligence. The film shows children surprising a father with birthday gifts while his wife silently realizes she forgot both his birthday and the gift. Don’t worry, she’ll soon be creating an AI-created slideshow of memories on her iPhone. Seriously.

Apple isn’t the only brand whose artificial intelligence advertising has failed to hit the mark. one Controversial Google Ads It depicts a father asking Gemini to help his daughter write a letter to a famous Olympian. Do you really want a heartfelt letter from someone, generated by artificial intelligence? Isn’t it a parent’s job to help your children in times like these? Next, OpenAI teaches kids how to ride a bike?

In 2024, Google will also face more embarrassments related to artificial intelligence. But hey, at least these companies are launching generative AI features quickly to appease investors, right?

we call Pixel 9 Pro folding screen Google’s most impressive foldable device yet, it also gave it 4.5 stars out of 5. This is mainly due to the thin and light design, huge display and constant updates. But dig a little deeper, and you’ll find some significant downgrades compared to the standard Pixel 9 Pro series.

Perhaps the most notable issue is the $1,800 foldable phone The camera hardware is noticeably inferior compared to Google’s traditional phones. It’s a frustrating situation for a foldable device, but not a surprise. Unfortunately, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s wired and wireless charging speeds are also extremely slow, maxing out at 21W and 7.5W respectively. Even the $800 Pixel 9 has a higher wattage. Is there a Pixel stand? Well, this charging accessory is not supported on foldable devices.

Add in some missing video enhancements (8K, ultra-high-resolution zoom video), and it’s clear that the Pixel 9 Pro Fold doesn’t actually compare to other Pixel 9 Pro phones, as its name suggests. It’s still a great foldable phone, but it’s not a Pro device.

The vast majority of smartphones are difficult to repair, and Samsung devices are no exception. Unfortunately, 2024 revealed that the Galaxy manufacturer has done something nefarious in this regard.

The first major controversy arose in May, when DIY repair platform iFixit announced that Ending partnership with Samsung. This means it will no longer be the Korean brand’s official third-party tool and parts distributor. The platform noted that Samsung does not take DIY repairs seriously and cited various issues. These include high parts prices, a lack of parts for new phones and Samsung’s refusal to let iFixit help local repair shops.

These crude restoration practices didn’t end there. independent repair shop asked to inform Samsung If they find parts in a customer’s Galaxy phone that don’t come from Samsung. The stores are also required to disassemble customers’ phones if they contain parts not from the Galaxy manufacturer. That says a lot when the latest iPhones are easier to repair. Maybe Samsung should copy Apple (again).

OSOM was born from the ashes of Essential a few years ago. The upstart brand initially launched the Solana Saga phone and then released a so-called privacy cable for data transfer and charging. However, news came in August that the company is effectively closed.

It’s not unheard of for smartphone companies to fail. In fact, Royole and Bullitt Group are the other two brands to close Decline in 2024. Lawsuits from senior executives Accused founder Jason Keats of misusing company funds to purchase two Lamborghinis, fund his racing hobby, purchase First class tickets and more. Either way, this is another DNF for Keats (sorry).

One of the biggest failures of 2024 is T-Mobile Price lock controversy. The company offers what’s called a Price Lock Guarantee, and you’d naturally think that means you’d pay the same price for the duration of the contract, right? This is how price locking works elsewhere.

Unfortunately, this just means that if you choose to leave due to a price increase, the carrier will pay for your last month of service. If it were called anything other than “price lock,” that would be a good offer. The U.S. National Advertising Division ultimately required the operator Terminate or modify this price lock statement. I really have a hard time believing that at least someone at T-Mobile didn’t speak out about this misleading name in the first place.

Samsung revealed Galaxy Z Fold 6 It had some changes over the Z Fold 5 back in July. Other than that, the phone is virtually unchanged from the older model.

Want a more radical upgrade? That’s where the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition comes in, with a more smartphone-like cover display, a larger foldable screen, a 200MP main camera, more RAM, faster Wi-Fi, and a slimmer design. The price of the latter is S pen But supported.

Nonetheless, we’re very disappointed with the limited release of the special edition model. The device was only launched in South Korea but is available in China as Samsung W25. It’s a shame Samsung isn’t bringing this phone to more markets, especially when Chinese rivals have largely continued to offer more compelling hardware.

Bloatware is always a concern, but Google Pixel phones on Verizon come with an annoying third-party app pre-installed. Security firm iVerify discovered Showcase APK distributed on Verizon’s Pixels Has major safety flaws. This vulnerability opens the door to man-in-the-middle attacks, spyware installation, and more. This requires the user’s password and physical access to the device, but is still a risk.

The third-party app was used to promote demo mode on Pixel phones in the Verizon store and was eventually removed from Pixel devices as part of the September 2024 update. Google also insisted that it had seen no evidence that the flaw was actively exploited, while adding Pixel 9 mobile phone The app doesn’t come with it at all.

This isn’t a definite smartphone failure again, but rather the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro launching alongside Samsung’s 2024 foldable phones. Some promotions are also pairing the Galaxy Z Fold 6 with these earbuds.

You estimate you will need $250 wireless headphones There’s excellent build quality, but that’s not the case here. Many Galaxy Buds 3 Pro users have reported that the earbuds are flimsy and tear easily when trying to remove them, while others have reported strange production issues such as uneven seams on the new model, different heights, dust, and Residues etc. No wonder Samsung pull them for now to solve these quality control problems.

Popular YouTuber Marques “MKBHD” Brownlee launched a wallpaper app called “Panels” in September. While the wallpaper app itself isn’t an issue, many viewers are unhappy with the pricing structure.

The panel initially has free and subscription-based tiers. The free plan offers SD resolution wallpapers after watching ads, while the paid plan offers HD wallpapers for $12 per month or $50 per year. Critics object to the SD limit of the free plan, while also bemoaning the expensive subscription fee, which is especially disappointing when subscriptions are ubiquitous and growing. It doesn’t help that the app has some questionable permissions.

The good news is that Brownlee seems to have solved most of the problems and also offers an ad-free plan for $2 per month. Users can also pay to purchase wallpaper collections from individual artists, or opt for the existing $12-per-month/$50-per-year plan to unlock all content. Still don’t want to pay for wallpaper? Then you can always check out our free wednesday wallpaper Background collection of readers and readers Android Authority team.

That’s it for our list of phone glitches and failures in 2024.