As some of you might have read, I’m starting to think that smartphones have gotten rather boring and lacking in any major step changes from generation to generation, even from two generations ago to current-gen models.

And in a recent conversation with Senior Staff Writer Hamish Hector, the topic of when people upgrade came up. While, as technology journalists, we get to see and assess the incremental changes from one generation to the next, the impact of new phones might be better felt by people who’ve held their phones for two to three years.

For what it’s worth, were I not a tech journalist, I’d probably only look to upgrade my phone every three or four years. Other than declining battery life, I tend to find that many of the recent generations of phones offer the performance and camera quality I need.

While I do appreciate the thrill of something new, I do rather hate seeing phones get discarded for newer models, given the use of rare-earth materials in them and their contribution to e-waste.

This is why I rather salute the position Nothing is taking in not releasing a new flagship phone every year until it feels it can bring something special to the table.

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Roland Moore-Colyer is Managing Editor at TechRadar with a focus on phones and tablets, but a general interest in all things tech, especially those with a good story behind them. He can also be found writing about games, computers, and cars when the occasion arrives, and supports with the day-to-day running of TechRadar. When not at his desk Roland can be found wandering around London, often with a look of curiosity on his face and a nose for food markets.