Are you setting a budget or is the sky the limit?
Last week, a tweet from YouTuber Marques Brownlee went viral, suggesting that smartphone makers should focus less on budget devices and more on providing updates to their existing flagships. I’m not going to dive too deep into my disagreements with the tweet — you can hear that on this week’s Android Police podcast — but I do think it’s curious to suggest people jump for more expensive devices. Devices are more expensive than ever, and prices only seem to be going up.
Thankfully, as MKBHD suggests, software support is getting better, with longer lasting updates. The vast majority of Samsung’s modern smartphones, including the A-series, get four software upgrades and five years of security updates. OnePlus is set up to start offering similar levels of support with upcoming phones, likely beginning with the OnePlus 11 next month. Google can’t quite measure up, promising “at least” three upgrades with five years of patches for its Tensor-powered phones. Really, Motorola is the outlier for major US brands, but it’s also usually focused on cheaper devices — not flagships.
With that level of support, it’s possible people might feel more comfortable spending more money on smartphones. Of course, with many budget and mid-range phones seeing similar levels of longevity — and prices on groceries, rent, and other essentials up across the board — it’s also possible we’ve seen a drop in willingness to shell out four digits for a smartphone at all.
Three years ago, we asked what your maximum amount for a smartphone would be, with nearly half of respondents choosing a price between $400 and $800. Seeing as most flagship Android phones no longer fit into that price range, I’m curious to see how people feel now. Are you willing to drop upwards of a grand on a new device, or would you rather limit your spending and pick up a mid-range phone from Samsung or Google? For the sake of keeping things simple, this is over the life of the device, even over years of financing through a carrier, and includes any discounts or promotions in the final bill.
