Sunday debate: Are phones getting too expensive?

04 February 2018
In this installment of our Sunday debate, and nicely timed with Apple Q1 results, we ask are phones getting too expensive.

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  • M
  • MKL
  • D0j
  • 05 Feb 2018

@Paul, please don't argument only for the sake of argument. You are putting about 3 year old iPhone 5c, se and new iPhone X on the same bracket. The question is whether the phones are getting expensive each year or not. Please provide an example where Apple launching a phone cheaper or little more expensive than last year (same category of course).

    • ?
    • Anonymous
    • LQw
    • 05 Feb 2018

    PiCosm, 04 Feb 2018Apple have failed to exploit their powerful hardware, unlik... moreAndroid apps cant replace a computer.

      • ?
      • Anonymous
      • LQw
      • 05 Feb 2018

      Sammy copies others and charge tons of money.

        • ?
        • Anonymous
        • 7xH
        • 05 Feb 2018

        Is that even a question ? The writer can dance around and try to make the case , tilt the result to whatever he wants , but the truce is that HELL YEAH
        Look at the TVs cost about the same time of the first iPhone , or first cell phone , a Plasma TV set was $10K for a 40" unit , now you can get a 65" unit with 100 times more and better options for as little as $1K , and on top of that it will last 4 times longer than the $10K unit
        While the phones went up in price and last ( the manufacturers ) make its life span max out a 2 weeks before the 2 years mark , coincidence ??

          Anonymous, 04 Feb 2018Wonder who will be first to do custom built smartphones whe... moreWell... Google's modular phone concep a.k.a "Project Ara" was dropped so... unviable or non-profitable; don't know... but innovative and not crazy at all

            Anonymous, 04 Feb 2018And it's funny how some people don't think spending $1000 o... moreHehehe... I'm one of that people :p

              • D
              • AnonD-625430
              • DkE
              • 04 Feb 2018

              I have always wanted to buy shiny luxurious things but often found myself short of money. So, yes. Phones are getting expensive, especially flagships from established brands like the fruit company.

                Only posible answer should be - YES!
                Greed is all-consuming thing,and the same thing goes for about everything we buy today...sadly

                  • ?
                  • Anonymous
                  • ka8
                  • 04 Feb 2018

                  Short answer: Yes Long Answer: Hell Yes

                    • A
                    • Aadrian
                    • 0wE
                    • 04 Feb 2018

                    Are phones getting too expensive?

                    Yes.

                      AnonD-672395, 04 Feb 2018Someone has obviously not been updating himself on news ...... moreExynos will be limited in potential because you know rhe reason and aside from rumored variable aperture I dont think camera will be radical improvement hardware wise

                        • P
                        • PiCosm
                        • mpR
                        • 04 Feb 2018

                        Apple have failed to exploit their powerful hardware, unlike Samsung and Motorola. For example, you can dock a Galaxy S8 or Note 8 into Samsung's DeX station and turn it into a desktop PC. That saves on buying a laptop. Concept is flawed, but at least Samsung are trying to reduce the cost of gadgets by having less do more. I used to use my Note 4 as a computer by connecting it to my projector or monitor using Samsung's MHL adapter. Connected a bluetooth mouse and keyboard to Note 4. Was powerful enough even then to display 1080P video or play games on the big screen. And apps of course.

                        If the iPhone or other expensive phones could be turned into modular PCs then their high prices would be justified.

                        Typed on a Pixelbook, best laptop ever made. My phone is a Note 8, best phone ever made, although I wish it had stereo speakers and better placed fingerprint sensor.

                          • M
                          • Marshall
                          • ajM
                          • 04 Feb 2018

                          I think this is the poll where an answer is going hit the 95% mark :-) at least! Even the company employees would vote YES...heck...even the owners of those companies :-D

                            I think main problem is phones are getting expensive without offereing anything unique or ground breaking atleast give consumers their basic needs like dedicated sd card slot, 4 years of major upgrades, IR blaster, 3.5mm jack and bigger batteries with longer lifespan atleast give these these thing and people wont complain much and also some gimmicks or atleast make the design unique now adays most people cant tell the difference between LG, Samsung, Oneplus etc I loved how manufacturers used to go crazy with design and stuff like nokia going wild with cameras, motorola offering ahead of time features, sony with now being INNOVATED camera features like AR
                            But nowadays we get old and boring features that are termed INNOVATION

                              • D
                              • AnonD-672395
                              • rK{
                              • 04 Feb 2018

                              Anonymous, 04 Feb 2018Let all the foolish tech heads pay top whack for the latest... moreSomeone has obviously not been updating himself on news ...


                              The S9 is going to be the most radical camera and SoC Development (Exynos) in Samsung, since the start of the S Series.
                              Only Snapdragon can slow down the full potential of the Exynos 9810 (the Exynos and Snapdragon versions cannot have radically different benchmarks, for the sake of their clients).

                                • D
                                • AnonD-672395
                                • vI1
                                • 04 Feb 2018

                                The answer to this question may not be a simple Yes or No.
                                Smartphones seem to be developing much faster than almoat any othwr category of gadgets. The R&D inthe field of smartphones is way more than anything else out there.
                                They got 4k well before any DSLR/ Mirrorless and most cameras; they got log profiles (via apps) before most cameras too; they have way more sensors than most people know and can replace many health gadgets; for naking notes and quick notes, they are fast more convenient that laptops and even tablets; they can replace smaller sensor point and shoot cameras based on their features and ease of use; you could use them for recording notes (and converting to text); you could store and listen to your entire msic library if you have Micro SD compatible phones; you could use it for business and work (especially the Note and Huawei with their easy sync).

                                Snapdragon and a few others have constantly prevented development in smartphsmartphones from being even faster thanks to Extremely Slow and Uninspiring Chip Developments, as well as Patent Terrorism. The Snapdragon chips have causes a 5 year delay in speed in chip development, especially in the field of computational photography in Android. And while Apple may claim better horsepower than many laptops, the fact that they dpnt use their A Series chips in laptops means they know the truth.
                                Having said that, overpricing has always been an Apple phenomena. And as long as people use their phone to show off, instead of their Ferraris or Lamborghinis or their houses on Mayfair, smartphone companies will price their phones ludicrously. And this seems to moving to other market leaders (Samsung, Huawei, the Essential Phone etc)
                                Initially the margins were much smaller and the competition very fierce. Now the margins seem to have improved considerably.

                                But for some smartphones having a headphone jack and limitless Micro SD storage means that cloud backup doesn't need to be a 3GB Joke, where ones is restricted to Only things that are Already duplicated in your phones storage. Google's limitless promise is great, but one cannot upload and download or even access GBs of daily daily from the cloud, since mobile data is not free (there are daily limits).

                                I would love to see a smartphone that can compete with 1inch point and shoot cameras. And beat them, based mostly upon computational photography.

                                The Yearly Renewal Cycle needs to go. It's too short. And a terrible idea.

                                Take 2 Years Instead, and make Each new Phone, a Massive Improvement over the last generation. Not the tiny lip service, we have nowadays.

                                  Anonymous, 04 Feb 2018Their cost aint as much as they make it out to be. Especial... moreI am not an analyst, so I can't approve or disapprove what other analysts said =)

                                  Anyways, somebody got paid for this "buggy beta", so their salary is included in overall cost of the product, and this applies to other manufacturers as well :)

                                  Of course, it should be their concern, to release decent-working product, but customers should also not just rely on faith in the existence of this concern (or faith in ideality of the world), but be aware of what they give money, earned by their labor, for. It's like buying a game before watching streams/walkthroughs about it - strange, isn't it?)

                                    3D Memorys, 04 Feb 2018Definitely yes! The selling price is including the so call ... moreWell, that is obvious :)

                                      • ?
                                      • Anonymous
                                      • I8m
                                      • 04 Feb 2018

                                      Nicolas F, 04 Feb 2018It depends on how manufacturer invest in both hardware and ... moreTheir cost aint as much as they make it out to be. Especially with certain parts.
                                      And iOS? You mean how they wait until last second and slap out a buggy beta?

                                        • D
                                        • AnonD-573665
                                        • pEK
                                        • 04 Feb 2018

                                        They are only expensive iin local shops, 4g is premium and operators try everything to rip you off for nothing. I will newer put in phone money newer.