Re: My problem with the latest top-end phones
Curious what needs you have that phones five years ago met but today's don't? I guess if you consider a 3.5mm port a must have then Apple's latest aren't for you, but other than that what has Apple taken away? If you are an Android guy, anything that gets taken away on some models like 3.5mm, SD, removable battery, etc. are still available somewhere, you just can't get them all in the same phone if you buy a flagship.
But why would you restrict yourself to flagships? After all, if smartphones five years ago did what you want, you can't exactly complain about low end performance since today's $100 Android phone has performance that matches if not exceeds a 5 year old flagship...