The march toward the $2000 smartphone isn't sustainable

tRaDeZ tHE cRyPTo @Xerobull @IBTL @Yung-T

actually use my phone for everything. >>>my computer

 

Same reason why people buy a $3000 macbook to web surf.

 

Display tech.

OLED, HFR, HDR, etc.

I made a switch over from Galaxy S20+ -> iPhone 12 Pro and will buy the iPhone 13 whenever that comes out for the HFR. Although after that point I'm not sure if I'll upgrade.

Its a dumb hobby and a complete waste of money, but its inconsequential to my budget so...

I don't think I'd ever shell out $2k on a phone though. The Fold seemed too gimmicky and way too expensive for example. That being said, most people are shelling out $1300 which seems to be the new flagship price point so who knows maybe it becomes normalized.

 

Camera is the biggest factor for me, and why I only use Pixels. Every year I try out the latest top line Samsung Galaxy but hate the way they process their photos.

Taking a lot of photos at once uses a lot of processing power. Pixel 5 is not using the latest top Snapdragon 8-series processor, and I've noticed that I can't infinitely hold down the shutter button compared to previous Pixels. Think there is a limit to how fast HDR photos can be processed.

This applies to me as well.

 

Games? Teens and kids are moving away from PlayStation and Xbox to mobile games they can play primarily on their phones. When they’re not playing games they are on YouTube, TikTok, or Discord.

Given the utility factor of mobile phones I would think Gen Z would consider it their most important possession and not blink at paying huge prices.

$2,000 does seem too much however.

 

You're an avowed cheapskate so you have a bias here.

A lot of reasons for current cell phone prices are big inflation due to the way governments pumped non-backed trillions into the economy, and part demand/scarcity/price.

Moore's law stipulates that chips will double in power every two years, and software developers will take advantage of that power increase, meaning the old hardware becomes obsolete for applications.

Personally I upgrade when there's a good buyback plan around 3-4 years old.

 

I mostly upgrade phones for the camera. For me, the camera is worth 1K by itself.

 

Mostly upgrade to the newest cell phone for the flex. Personally waiting for the Balenciaga smart phone so I can hit up the clubs in style. I just use Gmail on my phone.

 

Think they get away with it and I be fine with it. It's a TV, a computer, a camera, a library of information. It's a human extension of incredible value. and it saves time. You are literally buying time back.

 

This very thing has gone through my mind a few times recently. My soon to be middle school son is on the precipice of "needing" a phone. And will be giving him my iphone pro max 11 and then proceed to get the newest one in September as I have always done every 2 years or so. I'm starting to think i do not need the newest I dont use this phone for games ever and truly dont take advantage of the camera.

 

I stopped buying phones every two or three years for this reason. I don't game on them, I do email, surf the Web, make phonecalls, etc., and I can do that with a myriad of phones. The main reason I stopped buying them that frequently happened when they started costing $700-$1000+ for the top models. I usually like to buy something higher-end so they won't be obsolete in terms of performance within a year or so, but now I just buy it and wait until I can't use it anymore (it breaks, won't hold a charge for long, slows down, etc.).

The other thing is, I started seeing very little reason for the jump in price of phones from around $600-$700 to $1200 other than "we want you to spend more". I'm not getting anywhere near another $500-$600 worth of phone in that jump, so why spend it? I have a Samsung Galaxy 9+ that I don't plan on getting rid of until it breaks, slows down, or some other forced reason.

 

I'm on an S8, the only reason I'm considering a new phone is they announced end of security updates for it at the beginning of the month. Other than that it more than still meets my needs.

 

I’m the idiot that always finds a reason to upgrade every year...

 

This is a little bit of me. I admit to it being a dumb hobby. Usually two or three phones a year and after trades it's not at all costly.

I do calls, text, web browsing, social media, streaming, gaming, and camera.

I won't do a flexible glass display until the crease is straightened out. Only foldable I'd consider at the moment is a surface phone sequel. I dug the separate screens of the first, but other design choices left a lot to be desired.

Most I've spent on a phone is $1500. I'll go up to that again, but won't go more than that again after seeing how OEMS can optimize using mid-range chips.

 

Phillyrocket hit on the head. Teens and kids. With the advent of social media and no signs of it slowing down, a powerful phone can do more than call and text people will remain highly desirable.

Not sure how old jiggyfly is, and not to overstep in making an assumption, but older folks are less likely to care about the latest specs or camera or Snapdragon processor or whatever. Most people are content with simply calling and texting people, while browsing an app with no slowdown. However, people want to scroll through Instagram with no lag or have a bunch of apps open at once without it slowing down your phone. And, some people want to play games with the best specs.

Phones are also an investment, imo. I know it's a meme to replace your phone after a year, since a new model comes out that's sliiiightly better than what you have, but if you want the phone for 3 years, why not pay a premium for the best phone at that point in time?

Theoretically, a $1,200 phone should last you at least 3 years.

 

I definitely don't use phones enough to spend 1300+ on them. The flagship phones just seem to expensive to me, and that's why I like the budget pixels, moto phones, etc. They do "enough" and is enough is all I need out of a phone (call, text, email, web surf, streaming a few movies while on the go, and maybe letting kids play some simple games).

 

I don't understand the necessity of these high tech phones, either. I'm one who typically buys flagship phones and keeps them for 3-4 years, only replacing when there's a deal (BOGO or trade-in). My spending on a phone amortizes to $150/year.

You can make a phone more powerful but it'll never have the ergonomics or use of a true computer. Some day, I can see phones being able to dock to a true workstation. But for now, it's too costly for the average consumer in my opinion.