Okay, this article serves as some kind of an editorial–my own comments and take towards a specific topic. The first article I officially consider as such. While I don’t have an academic skills to prove this, I have my own reasons, and promise to be as objective as I can. To make it more credible, I’ll also try to include some supporting data.
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| A brief history of cell phone prices throughout the decade taken from timetoast.com Too small? Click the image above to zoom in. |
Anyway, the year is now 2016. Cell phones are no longer expensive. Cell phones are no longer for the rich and for show off. Well, at least most of them aren’t now. Additionally, cell phones are no longer a tertiary necessity. Cell phones are now primary necessity and now I dare you to comment if you’re not using a cell phone. On second thought, don’t. You’re going to spam my mailbox if you do so. Just consider yourself a very capable survivalist, for not having even a single cell phone.
Today I’m going to talk about how you, as a customer, can choose the perfect smartphone based on your criteria. During the course of the article, I may mention some specific handsets. To avoid misunderstanding, please bear in mind that I’m not endorsing any brand. I don’t even get paid for recommending them. Ready? Head past the break to read more.
Disclaimer: I’m specifically using Indonesia as the base market here, so the price you see is in Indonesia Rupiah (IDR or Rp). You could use Google to convert the currency to your own. The price in your country might be higher or lower than here.
Smartphones May Become ‘Too Smart’ and ‘Too Powerful’
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| Heart rate sensor in Samsung Galaxy Note 5 |
Our Pricing May Return to The ’90s
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| LG G4, LG’s Latest Flagship |
With great features come great price. We call these expensive, top-of-the-line gadgets “flagships”. They come with the greatest features, most sensors, and most beautiful design they could ever think of, regardless how customers view it. Some of these flagships include Samsung’s S and Note series, LG’s G series, Sony’s Z series, and Xiaomi’s Mi series.
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| Samsung Galaxy Note5 Pre-Order Ad in Indonesia |
You may have met some of them in your countries, and you may notice that they’re more expensive than your laptop. Yes, correct. Though at times their prices seem ridiculously high, please bear in mind that they are equipped with the latest and the greatest features available with some unconventional innovations. Additionally, they also boost your fashion level. Take the brown leather LG G4 for example, and the shiny gold Note5. And what about iPhones? Here in Indonesia, iPhones mean distinction from others, in terms of appearance.
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| A little bit more and I could buy a MacBook Air, or a high-end Windows laptop |
With inflation and the high price of innovation and new components, flagship prices may reflect the fact that the price of our smartphones may return to the ’90s, even though it’s not going to be that bad (except for those fancy gold-plated diamond-brimming custom cell phones). Fortunately, you’re not forced to buy these flagships. The market is currently flooded with all sorts of smartphones, and most of them offer amazing value for money, for much less. We’ll talk about it in the next section.
Mid-rangers Start to Become Attractive, Too
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| Getting old and obsolete? Maybe. But it’s still one Hell of a device. |
One example is the Xiaomi Redmi Note 2. Even though there’s already its successor, it’s still a very attractive package. In just approximately Rp1.700.000,00, you have yourself a very capable handset with 2.3GHz octa-core processor, 2GB RAM, and large 5.5 inch FHD screen. It’s gorgeous, I tell you, although isn’t perfect. I’ll be doing a review about it soon. Add a little bit and you’ll get Redmi Note 3, which comes with a fingerprint sensor and all-metal body. Don’t like Xiaomi? Fine, what about ZTE A711? It’s virtually similar to the Redmi Note 3 but with lower price. Lenovo also has some fine offering with its Vibe P1 and K4 Note, even though the former is quite expensive and the latter hasn’t come here yet.
You may notice that large, respectable brands such as Samsung, LG, and Sony don’t make the list. Well, it’s not that they don’t have one, I just personally think their current mid-range offerings aren’t as attractive as those handsets I just mentioned. Will they change? They will–the power of market compels them. It’s just a matter of when. Their current attractive mid-range offerings are their former flagships such as the LG G3 and G2.
So, As Customers, How Should You Approach This?
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| You have your choices. Which will you choose? |
