Current Events > So.... Samsung and Apple have crossed the $1k phone threshold

(+) Yeah! (+)

At least when taxes are factored in.

You'd think the era of super expensive flagships would be coming to a close thanks to amazingly affordable mid-range phones with excellent performance, but here we are.

I can imagine it's much harder for Samsung to sell a $1K "super premium" phone, especially since it's basically the same phone as the S8+.

Honestly, it makes the standard 5.8inch S8, which seems for $699, seem like the best deal.
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I haven't crossed the $100 dollar phone threshold.
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Sheep are easy to fleece
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I'm not sure I'd be getting the Note 8 if I had to pay full price for it

who am I kidding, I'd still be getting it day 1
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CableZL posted...

I'm not sure I'd be getting the Note 8 if I had to pay full price for it

who am I kidding, I'd still be getting it day 1

Got mine only because Note 7 owners get 50% off
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Best Buy is still a huge subsidizer of smartphones. Rarely do you need to pay $700 for a $700 phone.

And now carriers are following as well with tons of B1G1 and free deals.

Smartphones are the cheapest they've ever been if you factor that because now you're not tied to shitty 2 year agreements.
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addled posted...

I haven't crossed the $100 dollar phone threshold.

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Eh. A fool and his money are soon parted.
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Coffeebeanz posted...

CableZL posted...

I'm not sure I'd be getting the Note 8 if I had to pay full price for it

who am I kidding, I'd still be getting it day 1

Got mine only because Note 7 owners get 50% off

That was definitely what made preordering one a no-brainer for me.
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its weird cause a few years ago $200-$300 phones were all the rage with stuff like the Zenfone 2 and OnePlus One really sticking it to the $500-$700 flagships

now $200 smartphones are basically in the same place they were back then(or even worse, depending on what features you want), while flagships keep advancing and $50-$100 phones are creeping up on the $200-$400 market
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Funkydog posted...

addled posted...

I haven't crossed the $100 dollar phone threshold.

Same.

I'm still one OnePlus One

7.1.1 Android, 3GB ram, good CPU and display panel quality. Camera's average, but I don't use it that much so I don't care.
Except for the camera, I bet that 95% of the people would never have any trouble running everything they need without any issues.

But marketing does wonders.

And then you drop your 1k$ phone once and it's broken.

This really bugs me because ultimately smartphones are pretty disposable.

If you're on an Android phone your phone will eventually start to slow down, if you're on an iPhone (or Android with no SD card slot) your phone will eventually run out of storage, and for all phones the batteries are becoming nearly impossible to replace and only last for so long. You get like two years out of a phone, 3 tops.

This would be fine if phone makers were making phones for all price points, so if you have tons of disposable income you can buy a new $1k phone every 2 years, or with a lower budget a nice $300 phone.

However I don't see that many options. I'm on Verizon and besides Motorola, nobody is making any quality low-end CDMA phones. You're either stuck with buying a Motorola phone, some obscure Chinese phone that's probably loaded with spyware, or getting an old flagship phone that is very out-dated (like a Galaxy S5).

It sucks. I think the only reason people aren't complaining and fucking up this model is that carriers finance phones for people in the US and bundle the cost with an already high wireless bill, so people don't realize how much they're paying since they're used to being fucked over by carriers already
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These phones have basically plateaued and should be going down in price at this point.
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I can't fathom why anyone would want to drop anywhere close to a grand on a phone, but I guess brand loyalty is just that powerful a force.
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addled posted...

I haven't crossed the $100 dollar phone threshold.

unpleasant_milk posted...

Sheep are easy to fleece

EternalDivide posted...

Eh. A fool and his money are soon parted.

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It sucks, you'd think considering how many people there are on this earth, there'd be a threateningly large amount of people somewhere who are pissed enough about how phones and the people who make/distribute them work that they'd all just use brute force and cause an uproar at the HQs of those places, maybe rough up the CEOs a bit and strong arm them (inb4whatstrongarms) into kneeling to US instead of the other way around.

But no that's illegal and you'll just get arrested or shot by some cop.
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