Too much phone? Why the iPhone 16 Pro Max and S25 Ultra feel overwhelming
This is how we used to consume information prior to the Internet revolution | Image by PixaBay
When the Internet became a thing back in 1992, people were thrilled by the prospect of accessing all the precious vaults of information the world had gathered over the centuries.
It was a revolution that democratized the world in an unprecedented way. This easy access to information led to many totalitarian regimes crumbling, and some of them even falling.
Back then, to access this informational wealth, you needed to go to a library or get a desktop computer with a dial-up connection and a modem. People consumed the information pill in small dosages.
Fast forward to modern days and the portable terminal we all carry inside our pockets, calling it a smartphone. What it really is and what it's primarily used for is a mobile access point to all the information in the world. And this can be overwhelming. Relentless notifications
Not all notifications are important, but we treat every one like an emergency | Image by PixaBay
Not only are smartphones connected to all the information in the world at all times, but they also remind you of the fact all the time. Notifications are an essential part of every mobile OS, and most of the apps also rely on constantly firing those at you many times a day.
"Have you checked the latest info on so-and-so? You haven't logged your weight or calorie intake. Your friends are missing you on Facebook or Instagram. You haven't posted on TikTok for a while. Get back on!"
Your iPhone 16 Pro Max or Galaxy S25 Ultra constantly reminds you of all the things you might be missing out on. This can be detrimental to your mental health. A study from 2016 showed that "smartphone push notifications produced a decline in task performance in the smartphone risk group, exerting a negative influence on cognitive function and concentration."
But it gets even worse. Fear of missing out
There are so many things going on in the world that you're bound to miss some, don't worry | Image by Ricardo Vargas What these non-stop notifications are doing is slowly conditioning you to be connected to your smartphone. In your mind and thoughts. It's FOMO, or "fear of missing out."
Every notification could be something important, a matter of life and death, or a popular topic that you need to stay relevant on in order to fit in.
There are many studies (links) on how FOMO affects behavior and mental health, and none of them show any positive impact.
One such study showed that "FOMO has been associated with daily-life disruptions, such as distractions during driving. FoMO has also consistently been a predictor of Internet, smartphone, and social network use disorders."
I remember canoeing with one of my colleagues on a team building event. The organizers took our phones away and an hour into the event my colleague started worrying about her iPhone 16 Pro Max not being with her. She was genuinely anxious and displayed symptoms similar to abstinence. But again, this behavior is not our fault. The dopamine treadmill
Smartphones can be as addictive as smoking | Image by PixaBay
Smartphones are addictive by design. This includes the latest flagships as well, your iPhone 16 Pro Max or Galaxy S25 Ultra are no exceptions. The business model of most apps out there is to keep the user occupied at all times. But this also applies to smartphone UIs, it turns out. According to psychiatrist Anna Lembke, Chief of the Stanford Addiction Medicine Dual Diagnosis Clinic, smartphone use can lead to addiction, and the mechanism is similar to that of gambling, alcohol abuse, and substance addiction.
Our brain is wired to reward enjoyable activities with splashes of dopamine—a "feel good" chemical. When you scroll your Instagram feed or you play a mobile game, you receive these splashes of dopamine in your system.
The thing is, app engineers know about this mechanism and use it to attract and keep your attention. The infinite scroll feature that most short formats have is one tool in this strategy. Just like how the casinos lack any clocks to show you the time, infinite scroll has no end.
'If I take the bottom out of the glass, you don't know when to stop drinking,' comments Tristan Harris, a former Google design ethicist who co-founded the Center for Humane Technology.
The "pull to refresh" feature that many smartphone UIs have also exploits a mechanism similar to gambling. In pathological gamblers, uncertainty drives bigger dopamine spikes than money. It's the same when users refresh an app or a service, expecting new content.
Finally, smartphone operating systems and UIs are designed to trigger maximum arousal in dopamine receptors with bright colors, big and flashy animations, and also sounds. The latest iOS 26 on your iPhone 16 Pro Max is a clear example, the same goes for One UI and the Galaxy S25 Ultra . What to do?
Go out and do something fun! | Image by PixaBay
"Okay, we get it—smartphones are bad," you might be thinking. But what are the steps to mitigate some of the potential damage? Surely, in our day and age it's not realistic to give up using your smartphone altogether. Here are some steps you can take to lower your risk of smartphone addiction and take care of your mental health and well-being.
No screens for the first hour of the day. This might be hard at first, especially due to the fact most people use their smartphone as an alarm clock. But postponing smartphone exposure by just an hour gives the brain time to wake up properly and break that dopamine addiction cycle. Turn off all non-essential notifications. Most mobile OSs give you the ability to tailor the notifications you receive. Maybe that online game pinging you to come back and play or check the daily reward isn't that important after all? Remove the distractions and leave only what's truly important. Take a day off from your smartphone. Experts suggest up to a month of abstinence, but if that's not possible, even a day away from your smartphone can reset some of those rewarding pathways. Take care of your eyes—20 minutes break per hour. You've probably heard of this one before, tied to other screen usage. It's even more important when it comes to smartphones because focusing on small screens that are close to your eyes for an extended period of time can be really detrimental to your eyesight. Do analog things. We know this sounds strange, but doing things in the real world and not on a screen, inside a virtual one, is much more healthy and rewarding as well. Go out with friends, go on a hike, find a hobby, exercise, or play sports—these are all great ways to break the unhealthy bond with your smartphone.
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P When Jerry pulled the Z7 backwards, I cringed. I don't put too much on these tests but it is good to see the phone won't easily bend. One of main causes of damaged to the screen comes from the inside when heat damages the board or wires. The exposed wire rubs against the back of the screen and you get a black screen. It's not the only reason for damaged screens, but it is probably responsible for many of the damages that happens out the blue. The wires are very delicate. ProMaxUltraAreBricks, 52 minutes ago Teams crashing, need to reinstall it to make it work again : ... more "OneUI is superior to OriginOS, that's a fact." Lmao fact you say.🤣🤣 No, it's not, you like it better, that's a fact, and that's perfectly fine. I wouldn't claim OriginOS is better, but for me it is, and for many others it is, while for plenty of people One UI is simply the best, it is what it is. It's completely subjective. "Teams crashing, need to reinstall it to make it work again : Sure, I can see it, weird because I use it as well and it's fine. It's likely device specific. So, while am at it, I will ask. Which vivo device did you get, and why? Did you buy it, or it's just a loaner device from someone you know? Just curious. "OriginOS 5 doesn't have a lot of customizations compared to OneUI 7.." As a long time user of it, I can tell you that's not true, you just aren't a user of Origin OS, and are used to One UI, stick to what you like, but don't tryna claim Origin OS is bad or not customizable enough, when that's clearly not true. "while Samsung one is nothing like those two." They separated it the same way, when they didn't need to and their users never wanted this and disliked it when it got introduced. Thankfully you can turn it off on both devices. DarlingYext, 2 hours ago "OriginOS is usable but nothing flagship-like" For you, for me it is the flagship... more Teams crashing, need to reinstall it to make it work again : No Vivo account should be needed to change the default launcher. "Customizations" means I should be able to remove this useless origin kit tab, I can already access it elsewhere. OriginOS 5 doesn't have a lot of customizations compared to OneUI 7, for example on the lock screen: it's always the same clock style with just 8 slightly different fonts, give me at the very least a vertical clock. And the rest is basically system-wide colors, corner radius, apps icons, and a couple of cheap 'dynamic effects'. Also, OriginOS quick settings panel when separated is looking exactly like a cheap copy of the iOS one, while Samsung one is nothing like those two. And let's not talk about "Origin island". OneUI 7 is just better in every way, unmatched customizations (especially with Goodlock modules), more features (like Routines, Dex, QuickShare...), a more complete ecosystem integration, better AI (assistant, photos)..., all working nicely out of the box. OneUI is superior to OriginOS, that's a fact. C Well Zack gym would help a little. But for a bend test you should call a Mariusz Pudzianovsky aka The Dominator and few other strongmans which would bend it in second. And from Galaxy Z series we could get Galaxy Ash series. ProMaxUltraAreBricks, 2 hours ago Currently using latest OriginOS 5 to experience what a so-called Chinese Ultra flagship is. Or... more "OriginOS is usable but nothing flagship-like" For you, for me it is the flagship experience, when I switch to any of my other phones, I miss Origin OS. "some Microsoft apps crash, like Teams (it worked for a bit)" I use Teams as well, and some other Microsoft apps, they all work perfectly. 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" It's nothing like iOS, and I personally prefer the notification panel to be separate from the Quick Settings. One UI also has it like that now btw. "OneUI 7 is clearly superior, none of these issues, it work out of the box and has more features." Superior TO YOU. DarlingYext, 6 hours ago "And it clearly a very subjective thing, different people have different experiences..&qu... more Currently using latest OriginOS 5 to experience what a so-called Chinese Ultra flagship is. 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At least there is the option to have the quick settings panel to be something else than the iOS copy-pasted one. Mid-range software on flagship hardware... OneUI 7 is clearly superior, none of these issues, it work out of the box and has more features. V DarlingYext, 6 hours ago "And it clearly a very subjective thing, different people have different experiences..&qu... more To be perfectly honest, after Samsung's One UI, I think only Vivo's Origin OS and Google's UI on the Pixel would be something I would actually consider. The fluidity of the UI and multitasking on the new Vivo X Fold5 is just amazing, I wish Samsung would take inspiration from that. Vale, 6 hours ago You seem to know a lot about Samsung, do you use one? I have been using them for 4 years bot, ... more Don't bother you're not dealing with a rational person All of his comments literally only existed moments before posting. There is no supporting evidence, many even contradict testing and impartial review. You will find many are proven incorrect by this site or Google search only to be repeated Replying is incoherent click bait as he camps in ev everything Samsung Shame no fiction section. Vale, 6 hours ago That was a mistake, I wanted to write "now" not bot. I apologize for the misundersta... more "And it clearly a very subjective thing, different people have different experiences.." This, I fully agree with. For me Samsung's software isn't the best, I much prefer vivo's Origin OS, but I understand why people like One UI so much. y Very impressive for such a thin device. However, I am not optimistic about investing such a price on such a delicate new tech. Flip seems to be a better first adoption with half the price. V Vale, 6 hours ago That was a mistake, I wanted to write "now" not bot. I apologize for the misundersta... more Ieant 2000$, sorry I can't type today lol V DarlingYext, 6 hours ago Immediately calling someone a bot just because they dislike your favourite brand, not a great ... more That was a mistake, I wanted to write "now" not bot. I apologize for the misunderstanding. And it clearly a very subjective thing, different people have different experiences, look at people using iPhones, a lot of them say they are very satisfied, while others say they aren't that good. To answer your question, I'm currently using 3 phones like a maniac haha. I kept my s23 Ultra to use solely for gaming, as that takes a toll on the battery. I got the Fold 5 by mistake actually, my wife wanted to go from the iPhone 13 pro max to the 15 pro max but then reconsidered, as it was no noticeable upgrade for her. But it was too late, the phone was already ordered so we either had to accept the iPhone or choose another phone, and I chose the Fold5 for me. 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For me, personally, the software experience is more important than 1-2 hours of extra battery or a better telephoto camera. But that's just me. That's why I said it's very subjective and you can't just blatantly say a brand has bad products just because you had bad experience. It's the same with everything, cars, appliances, etc. Even a 200$ Ferrari can break down, doesn't mean people won't buy them anymore kdss, 7 hours ago I don't know about other countries, but in mine you can even buy a phone displayed in the... more That's different. The ones in windows are usually regular phones or dummys. k Batteri Voltas, 6 hours ago "now they are", i said at the end of the comment, just saying there used to be varia... more And maybe there is no problem at all, but it was just photographed in a biased way. My problem is that some people here tend to take everything they see for granted in favor of their fandom, and they don't see anything, as if it doesn't exist, that shows their favorite company in a bad light. k Vale, 6 hours ago My model opens fully flat but I saw 2 of them in a store and both display models didn't o... more That's why I've said several times that I DO NOT BELIEVE either the picture with the Samsung or the picture with Honor. My initial comment was simply directed at a person who accepts the pictures against Honor as pure truth because the Chinese are bad, and the pictures of Samaung don't exist for him because only Samsung is good. D Vale, 7 hours ago I used my Fold 5 to the beach, I dropped it once in the sand, and also dropped it from chair l... more Who mentioned hikes? I know I didn't. Look dude, all that anecdotal stuff you just said is all well and good, means naff all to me though. 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