“Top 10 Phone Blunders of 2024: A Look at the Biggest Missteps”

The year 2024 was quite favorable for smartphones. Apple ultimately embraced RCS to facilitate more contemporary messaging with Android users, Google released an affordable Pixel model featuring Pro quality cameras, and Samsung became the second brand to guarantee an astounding seven years of updates.

However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. Here are the most significant phone flops and failures of 2024, including a few that aren’t completely related to phones.

While it may not fall under the category of smartphones, we cannot overlook the AI gadget craze that erupted in early 2024 as various startups debuted standalone AI devices. Among the most prominent were the Rabbit R1 and the Humane AI Pin.

The Rabbit R1 was a compact AI tool that boasted a Large Action Model, effectively claiming to serve as a butler capable of executing app functions on your behalf. Regrettably, the device and platform faced significant security issues upon release, alongside a notable absence of several features initially. The Humane AI Pin wasn’t much of an improvement either, as this shirt-mounted device processed your inputs and displayed responses via a mini-projector or audio output. Reviews criticized the gadget for being glaringly unfinished, particularly since the projector proved ineffective in outdoor settings. Ouch.

The lack of refinement and restricted features at launch was disheartening for both devices, but reviewers also noted that the Rabbit R1 could have, and perhaps should have, simply been an app. Nevertheless, smartphone manufacturers and chip developers are promoting this task-agenting method as the next significant innovation.

This year, Apple joined the AI movement with its Apple Intelligence feature set, aiming to compete with Android counterparts in this area through utilities such as writing assistance, notification summaries, and more. Sadly, the company drew criticism for a dystopian and tone-deaf advertisement showcasing Apple Intelligence. The video depicts children surprising a father with birthday gifts, while his wife quietly realizes she overlooked his birthday and gift. But don’t worry, she swiftly produces an AI-generated slideshow of memories on her iPhone. Really.

Apple was not alone in miscalculating with its AI ads. A contentious Google advertisement featured a father asking Gemini to assist his daughter in composing a letter to a well-known Olympic athlete. Would you genuinely want an AI-generated letter that is supposedly heartfelt? And wouldn’t guiding your child during times like these be the responsibility of a parent? What’s next, OpenAI teaching a child to ride a bicycle?

Google also had more AI-related blunders lined up in 2024. This included an image creator that generated diverse Nazis and an AI Overview offering terrible advice. But hey, at least these companies hastily introduced generative AI functions to pacify investors, right?

We referred to the Pixel 9 Pro Fold as Google’s most remarkable foldable yet, awarding it 4.5 stars out of five as well. This acclaim is largely due to its slim design, expansive display, and future-proof updates. However, a closer examination reveals some notable reductions compared to the standard Pixel 9 Pro series.

Perhaps the most striking issue is that the $1,800 foldable device possesses significantly inferior camera hardware compared to Google’s traditional smartphones. This is disappointing but not surprising for foldable models. Unfortunately, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold also suffers from exceedingly slow wired and wireless charging, peaking at 21W and 7.5W respectively. Even the $800 Pixel 9 exceeds these wattages across the board. Have a Pixel Stand? Unfortunately, the foldable model does not accommodate this charging accessory.

Adding missing Video Boost capabilities (8K, Super Res Zoom video) makes it abundantly clear that the Pixel 9 Pro Fold isn’t truly on par with its name implies when compared to the other Pixel 9 Pro devices. It remains a great foldable phone, but it’s not a Pro model.

The majority of smartphones are notoriously challenging to repair, and Samsung devices are no exception. Unfortunately, 2024 unveiled some dubious actions from the Galaxy manufacturer in this respect.

The first major setback came in May when the DIY repair platform iFixit disclosed it was terminating its partnership with Samsung. This indicated that it would no longer serve as the Korean brand’s official distributor of third-party tools and parts. The platform suggested that Samsung lacked seriousness about supporting DIY repairs, mentioning various concerns. This encompassed high component prices, a scarcity of parts for newer models, and Samsung’s unwillingness to allow iFixit to assist local repair shops.

These dubious repair practices did not end there. Independent repair shops were obliged to notify Samsung if they discovered components in a customer’s Galaxy device that were not sourced from Samsung. These shops were also mandated to disassemble customers’ devices if they contained non-Samsung components. It’s telling that the latest iPhones are significantly easier to repair. Perhaps Samsung should take a page from Apple’s book (yet again).

OSOMemerged from the remnants of Essential a few years back. The fledgling brand first introduced the Solana Saga smartphone before launching a so-called privacy cable for data transfer and charging. However, August brought news that the firm was effectively closing down.

It’s not unusual for a mobile manufacturer to cease operations. Indeed, Royole and Bullitt Group were two additional companies that shut down in 2024. However, OSOM’s closure came with a lawsuit from a senior executive claiming that founder Jason Keats misappropriated company funds to purchase two Lamborghinis, finance his motorsport interests, buy first-class plane tickets, and more. Regardless, this marks another DNF for Keats (apologies).

One of the most significant blunders of 2024 was T-Mobile’s Price Lock fiasco. The company touted a so-called Price Lock guarantee, and you’d naturally expect this to mean you’d pay the same amount throughout your contract, right? That’s how price locks function in most instances.

Unfortunately, this simply indicated that the carrier would cover your final month of service if you opted to leave due to a price increase. That’s a decent offer if it were labeled anything other than Price Lock. The US National Advertising Division ultimately compelled the carrier to modify or eliminate this Price Lock assertion. I genuinely find it hard to believe that at least some individuals at T-Mobile didn’t raise concerns about this deceptive title initially.

Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Z Fold 6 back in July, but it featured minimal changes compared to the Z Fold 5. The cover display had a marginally wider aspect ratio, it was a bit thinner and lighter, and it boasted an IP48 rating. Other than that, there was very little to set this phone apart from the previous version.

Looking for a more substantial upgrade? That’s where the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition came into play, showcasing a more smartphone-like cover display, a larger folding screen, a 200MP primary camera, increased RAM, quicker Wi-Fi, and a significantly slimmer design. However, this reduction in thickness came at the cost of S Pen compatibility.

Nonetheless, we were quite disheartened by the Special Edition model’s limited availability. The device was only released in Korea, although it did arrive in China as the Samsung W25. It’s truly regrettable that Samsung didn’t distribute this phone to more regions, especially considering the fact that Chinese competitors continue to present more appealing hardware for the most part.

Bloatware is always a concern for us, but Google Pixel devices on Verizon encountered an unwelcome preloaded third-party application. Security firm iVerify found that the Showcase APK installed on Verizon’s Pixels had a significant security vulnerability. This flaw enabled man-in-the-middle attacks, spyware installations, and more. Although this required a user’s password and physical access to the device, it still posed a risk nonetheless.

The third-party application, which was intended to facilitate a demo mode on Pixel smartphones in Verizon stores, was ultimately eliminated from Pixel devices as part of the September 2024 update. Google also asserted that it had not observed any evidence of this vulnerability being actively exploited while stating that Pixel 9 devices did not come with this application at all.

This is not strictly a smartphone failure again, but the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro debuted alongside Samsung’s 2024 foldable. Some promotions also paired the Galaxy Z Fold 6 with these earbuds.

You would expect $250 wireless earbuds to possess excellent build quality, but this was not the case here. Numerous Galaxy Buds 3 Pro users reported easily breakable ear tips when attempting to remove them, while others mentioned odd manufacturing defects such as uneven seams, variable heights, dust and residue on new units, and more. It’s no surprise that Samsung temporarily withdrew them to rectify these quality control issues.

Well-known YouTuber Marques ‘MKBHD’ Brownlee launched a wallpaper application called Panels in September. While the existence of a wallpaper application itself isn’t an issue, many viewers were disgruntled with the pricing framework.

Panels initially included free and subscription-based options. The free plan provides SD-resolution wallpapers after viewing advertisements, while the paid tier supplies HD wallpapers for $12 monthly or $50 annually. Critics took issue with the SD limitation of the free plan while also expressing disappointment at the steep subscription charge, particularly disheartening in a time where subscriptions are ubiquitous and perpetually increasing. It also didn’t aid the situation that the application required some questionable permissions.

The positive news is that Brownlee seemingly addressed most of these concerns while also introducing a $2/month ad-free tier. Users can also purchase collections of wallpapers from individual artists or choose the existing $12 per month/$50 yearly option to unlock everything. Still prefer not to pay for wallpapers? Then you can always explore our free Wallpaper Wednesday collection of backgrounds from readers and the Android Authority team.

That concludes our overview of smartphone missteps and disappointments in 2024. What do you think has been the most significant mobile-related failure of the year?