Do you set 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 won’t delve too deeply into my disagreements with the tweet – you can hear that on this week’s Android Police podcast – but I think it’s odd to suggest people go for more expensive devices. Devices are more expensive than ever and prices only seem to be going up.
Thankfully, as MKBHD suggests, software support gets better with longer-running 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 offer similar levels of support with upcoming phones, likely starting with the OnePlus 11 next month. Google can’t quite keep up, promising “at least” three upgrades with five-year patches for its Tensor-powered phones. In fact, Motorola is the outlier for big US brands, but it also usually focuses on cheaper devices — not flagships.
With this level of support, it’s possible that people will feel more comfortable spending more money on smartphones. Of course, with many budget and mid-range phones boasting similar longevity — and prices for groceries, rent, and other essentials soaring across the board — it’s also possible that we’ve seen a drop in willingness to pay four-digit amounts for a pay smartphone at all.
Three years ago we asked what your maximum purchase price would be for a smartphone, with almost half of the respondents choosing a price between $400 and $800. With most flagship Android phones no longer fitting into this price bracket, I’m curious to see how people feel now. Are you willing to spend more than a grand for a new device, or would you rather cut your spending and buy a mid-range phone from Samsung or Google? For simplicity, this applies over the life of the device, including years of carrier financing, and includes any discounts or promotions in the final bill.
