How much would you pay for a phone? (poll results)
The upwards average price swing of phones this season, compared to the previous year, can be attributed to the shift towards taller and narrower screen designs, the widespread use of more premium materials for the casing, and a bevy of features that phone makers have to offer now to stand a chance, like dual cameras, or neat biometry tricks for unlocking. Still, our disposable income hasn't really changed all that much in the span of a year, that is why we asked you last week, in the year when top-shelf phone prices swung from $650+ on average, to $750+, how much are you really willing to pay for a phone?
Well, more than a half of our 4000+ respondents are only fine with last year's flagship cutoff of $650 and below, while more than a fifth are satisfied with entry level phones at $350 and below. Just 24% of our respondents in total are prepared to pay what manufacturers are asking this season for their high-end devices, and we'd wager to bet that iPhone users are skewing the bill here, as they don't really have any other option if they want to get the latest and greatest from Apple. Not to rain on the phone makers' parade, but these results clearly show that folks would do with less pissing contests and piling of features, and more value-for-money offerings that don't close in on the $1000 mark.
Oh, let's not forget the LG V30, launched at $830 starting price. Even Huawei, which has now reached the third spot as phone maker, both in market share and profitability, is asking $900 for the Mate 10 Pro. This worrying trend may be spreading downhill, too, as value-for-money offers like the OnePlus 5T are priced $500, compared to the $480 that the OnePlus 5used to command at launch, and so on. Moreover, it's never been easier to nab a midrange or even lower-end handset that will do the vast majority of your tasks with "good enough" results, compared to something twice as expensive, too.
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