The march toward the $2000 smartphone isn't sustainable

I always I upgrade my phone every 3 years or so, but I always buy last year's model. I just recently got a Pixel 4a (with 5G)

 

Feel free to ask the same question to an answer you can't understand every few years

::shrugs::

 

i have a pixel 2xl, relatively ancient but it does everything i need. it's my portable music server, most accessible camera and pre-covid caster. it's also the interface to my smart home appliances, monitors my router, smart wallet, etc. my cell phone is my most personal computer, even if i'm writing this on my equally ancient pc.

i forgot how much i paid but not much less than a grand. outside of the camera i could get the same functionality from a cheaper phone. the march to 2k$ is crazy but the dudes(ettes) who live on the cutting edge fund a lot of innovation so i aint hating.

 

Same here. The latest iPhones have cameras that amaze me. I’m sure the Samsung’s do as well. I’ll upgrade next year before we do a lot of traveling the pandemic prevented. I spent the equivalent of over two thousand dollars in today’s money in 1970 ($600 at the time) for my Nikon F with lenses. It shot fantastic images, but now I can just slip my phone out of my pocket and the images it takes are pretty damn good, especially with what you can do now with software.

The convenience of a cutting edge camera on a smart phone is really unmatched. Compare it to carrying around a leather shoulder bag with a camera body and at least 3 lenses, maybe a tripod, plus film, filters, etc. that could add up to more than a few pounds, which is what I did back in the day. The Nikon was not a light camera, especially compared to some of the competition then, like the Pentax Spotmatic, another good Japanese camera.

 

The saying goes in photography. The best camera is the one you have with you.

 

My SO and I are still rockin' the NOTE 8. She wants a new NOTE 8 because the battery life is starting to diminish. I did an insurance claim when I broke my screen a few months ago so I feel like my NOTE 8 is new right now. I bet upgrading to the new version would be eye opening with the camera upgrades.

 

I'm all about the superwide lenses on all the new phones.

 

Just ordered a Galaxy S21 from best buy yesterday - they are $200-$300 off depending on the model which is why I pulled the trigger. This is usually the type of deal I wait for to upgrade, paying $550 instead of $800-$1000. I'm upgrading from a Pixel 2XL which has been a great phone. I'd easily go back to Pixel next time around, but for the money the S21 was more attractive than the newer Pixels with the better processing and video recording features (which I use extensively).

 

It's funny to me this article is asking if a $2000 phone is too much. I was saying this exact thing years ago when the top end phones started hitting $1000. Smart phones are a bit of a sore topic for me, really. I get paying that much for something that you need and that will last, but the idea of spending that amount of money on something that you fully expect to replace in 2 years boggles my mind. There are no other items in our lives that have that expectation. Appliances, televisions, cars, even computers (though their life is not quite what I would like either, but certainly better than 2 years). Even for people like me who are not using my smart phone for graphics or processor intensive activities, the battery life turns to crap right around the 1.5-2 year mark. So everything else may be good but it can't hold a charge. I've tried replacing batteries in those instances but somehow the phone is never the same. I will say that my experience on this topic is pretty limited to Apple phones.

These phone companies have done a good job convincing the general public that each year's upgrade is somehow worth purchasing. And as a result that's the main market they cater to, not folk like me who would rather have a phone the size of the old iphone 6, with a better battery life. I could give a crap if my phone has a photography-quality camera on it. Anyway, end rant.

 

Companies will still get people to spend hat much because they'll just start 72 month payment plans on their devices. What they see is a measly $30 a month, and not $1,000+.

 

Wait. There are people in this world that don’t have iPhones? Grow the **** up people.

 

Yeah the Apple ecosystem is insanely convenient. I’m fully confident I will be buying iPhones as long as they keep making them

 

I have a daughter who’s a lead dev and won’t touch an OS device. Likes working with Android, plays games on her PC, and buys Samsung. My son works in animation and rolls only with OS devices. Says they’re cutting edge and always has an iPhone. I used to think I knew about this stuff and now when I have a problem I call one of them. It’s pretty convenient, actually.

 

I use my I-Phone for everything. It contains all of my law files, it contains all of my pictures, it contains apps to make communication untraceable. I use it for music, I use it for zoom meetings, I use it for storing all of my private and confidential information. I use it for books and podcasts. I use it for research. I have quite a few apps. I ultimately use it for everything.

 

Unlikely.

 

Touche.

It makes tracing communication very, very hard to do....... and that suits my personal and professional needs.