[ge0rg]

The compact models are probably not competitive to modern smartphones, except if you need optical zoom.

The NX series interchangeable lens cameras however don't fare too badly compared to today's models, and have a good price-point on the used market, if you are ready to do some bargain hunting.

In the last decade, the improvements were largely in sensor resolutions (from 20MP to 40MP, not relevant for most practical uses) and in "smart" auto-focus, with better tracking of eyes, animals or objects.

[cmrdporcupine]

In-body image stabilization is another area that has had huge improvements in pro/pro-amateur cameras in the last 10 years.

[ge0rg]

Right, that's something that I'm actually sometimes missing on my NX500 when using vintage lenses, but I'm not sure how relevant it is for pro amateurs in general.

[cmrdporcupine]

It's super useful, esp if you're going after longer focal lengths and snapping birds, and if you're... like me... into manual focus or vintage lenses. My little Olympus M43 camera has an older IBIS system and it's very useful and I can definitely tell when it's off or not configured. Newer cameras have made huge improvements in this, and, yeah, autofocus ...