iPhone XS Android flagships 1/2 the price of iPhone, will apple lower prices?

[The-Real-Deal82]

Two things.

One. Whenever people ask this question they generally make the assumption that Apple is targeting the same customer as Android.

They aren't.

Apple is targeting the repeat Apple customer and the Apple customer that is looking to upgrade after sitting out for a model or two. Both customers are willing to spend to get an Apple device. Android users…not so much.

Two. Apple doesn't play this game…lowering the price to spur sales. The price is the price and if you want to pay it then Apple has a phone for you. If you don't…guess what, Apple still has a phone for you, it's just not the current flagship. This is why Apple always continues to sell the second to last model. And if the non-current flagship isn't what you want, then there is the used market.

Would you buy a used older iPhone or a used older Android?

In short, Apple is not going to do what you expect just because that's how any other business would do it.

Apple might need to alter their perception of this stereotype they have for their customers. Most of their customers are not buying their flagship devices and an increasing number of their user base are keeping their iPhones longer and upgrading to older models. Sure there is a phone for them but sooner or later Apple will be concerned that the desirability of their flagship iPhones is not as big as it once was. I don’t know many people who opt for the XS over the XR and there is a big reason for that.

 

[Shanghaichica]

It doesn’t really matter about the resale value, the tech in the phones is still good. If you buy an android phone today you can use it for a few years.

 

[whitedragon101]

I don't see it. The S10+ model is £899 on Amazon today

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-Galaxy-Dual-SIM-Android-Smartphone-Prism-Black/dp/B07NWLZMGJ/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=S10+&qid=1565114169&refinements=p_76:419158031&rnid=419157031&rps=1&s=gateway&sr=8-3&th=1

It's also £899 on the Samsung website

https://www.samsung.com/uk/smartphones/galaxy-s10plus-sm-g975-hybrid-sim/SM-G975FZWDBTU/buy/

Well that was fast I guess it was a good price.

Closest is this seller for £714 for the uk version

Samsung Galaxy S10+ Dual Sim 128GB / 8GB Prism Black https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07NZX5BKH/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_pvHsDbWJTZJYG

 

[AppleFanboy1984]

1. Apple is not a "lower-the-price" kind of a company.

2. I would sell my soul to the Devil for an iPhone every day, rather then getting a piece of crap Android.

 

[carltabs]

I tried an android flagship. Note 9. 512gb storage, 8gb RAM. Crap phone for me because in my opinion android is a clunky mess. A plethora of useless features that are there just because. And not cheap!

I’ll take iOS on overpriced hardware any day.

I have used Apple products for years and I routinely upgrade my iPhone upon every release.
However, 6 months ago I bought the note 9. I kept my xs max also as an escape route.
I've just sold it.
The note 9 is an exceptional handset and Android performance on it in my view is by no means a clunky mess and very compatible to that of iOS.
What aspects of clunkiness do you refer ?

 

[Tsepz]

I would say your post is spot on, and it is.

However, more than ever Apple is feeling the pressure from the market and people's unwillingness to upgrade to the flagships.

So your post stands today, but we're rapidly approaching a time frame where this logic will not apply as the used/older models will still be more than people are willing to pay.

Apple is all powerful, BUT the MARKET always wins in the end, ALWAYS!!!

So let the waiting game begin and let's see who blinks first.

Absolutely agree with this!

This is now more true than ever. I know a lot of iPhone users who have questioned why they should stay when rival Android OEMs seem to be pushing more innovative products. These are people who are more than happy to spend +$1000 on a phone BUT they want something worth their money.

I wouldn’t say the XS/XS Max are not worth the money, I am loving my XS Max, however, competition is so fierce at this point that Apple really do need to look within and consider making some real mid end devices that push innovation and not just watered down versions of the top end.

 

[mrochester]

Absolutely agree with this!

This is now more true than ever. I know a lot of iPhone users who have questioned why they should stay when rival Android OEMs seem to be pushing more innovative products. These are people who are more than happy to spend +$1000 on a phone BUT they want something worth their money.

I wouldn’t say the XS/XS Max are not worth the money, I am loving my XS Max, however, competition is so fierce at this point that Apple really do need to look within and consider making some real mid end devices that push innovation and not just watered down versions of the top end.

I always find it odd that people think/assume that android is an equal equivalent to iOS.

The reason the iPhone can command a higher price than the competition is because of iOS and the value the OS brings. Not many people are going to give up all of the good stuff that iOS gives them just to save a bit of money.

You need to stop looking at smartphones as just hardware parts thrown together. It’s the software and ecosystem that are the single most important part of a smartphone.

 

[Tsepz]

I always find it odd that people think/assume that android is an equal equivalent to iOS.

The reason the iPhone can command a higher price than the competition is because of iOS and the value the OS brings. Not many people are going to give up all of the good stuff that iOS gives them just to save a bit of money.

You need to stop looking at smartphones as just hardware parts thrown together. It’s the software and ecosystem that are the single most important part of a smartphone.

It’s fine, you as an enthusiast can find it odd, but to the average user it’s all the same, and they are who makeup the majority of the market.

This rings more true if someone doesn’t really have other Apple products and are just looking for a good phone.

I’ll give you an example, a close friend of mine as we speak is in the USA for business but he has also put away $1200 to buy his next phone that will replace his aging OnePlus 3T. He upgrades every 2-3years, has no brand loyalty to any OEM, he just wants the best for his money. He is not tied to Android or iOS, he just wants the best thing out there, that can Charge it’s battery as fast as his 3T Dash Charging, take great pictures and keep him connected to his family wherever his across the globe. I told him to look at the XS Max 256GB like I have, but he was put off by its slow charging and average camera (compared to current competitors), he is looking at OnePlus 7 Pro, Note10, Waiting for Mate 30 Pro, considering just getting a P30 Pro and also the Asus ROG Phone 2.

For someone like this, iOS and Android are the same, and they are just looking at Hardware, he uses Apple Music but that’s available on Android anyway so he doesn’t need an iPhone for it.

 

[mrochester]

It’s fine, you as an enthusiast can find it odd, but to the average user it’s all the same, and they are who makeup the majority of the market.

This rings more true if someone doesn’t really have other Apple products and are just looking for a good phone.

I’ll give you an example, a close friend of mine as we speak is in the USA for business but he has also put away $1200 to buy his next phone that will replace his aging OnePlus 3T. He upgrades every 2-3years, has no brand loyalty to any OEM, he just wants the best for his money. He is not tied to Android or iOS, he just wants the best thing out there, that can Charge it’s battery as fast as his 3T Dash Charging, take great pictures and keep him connected to his family wherever his across the globe. I told him to look at the XS Max 256GB like I have, but he was put off by its slow charging and average camera (compared to current competitors), he is looking at OnePlus 7 Pro, Note10, Waiting for Mate 30 Pro, considering just getting a P30 Pro and also the Asus ROG Phone 2.

For someone like this, iOS and Android are the same, and they are just looking at Hardware, he uses Apple Music but that’s available on Android anyway so he doesn’t need an iPhone for it.

That’s what android is there for, to cater for people like that. iOS is there for people who care about quality, security, privacy and an entire ecosystem of products. I don’t think Apple should waste their time trying to woo inherently disloyal customers who don’t value the key things that Apple products offer.

 

[Tsepz]

That’s what android is there for, to cater for people like that. iOS is there for people who care about quality, security, privacy and an entire ecosystem of products. I don’t think Apple should waste their time trying to woo inherently disloyal customers who don’t value the key things that Apple products offer.

They’ll have to.

I’d love to see a poll regarding what portion of iOS customers stay on just for Security and Privacy when so many use Facebook and Google products

Quality depends on the apps one uses, some are better on iOS while others better on Android, and One of our new digital banks does not even have an iOS app yet, I have to have my P30 Pro nearby to look at my account, the reason being such a small portion of people use iOS in our country that they focused on making a powerful Android app first.


Apple will have to “waste their time” if they want to continue to make more money from the iPhone, otherwise they will have to continue focusing more on their services and making them available on more platforms.

I am a very disloyal user, the only product I simple wont change the OS of is my tablet, in that area iOS rules with an iron fist, I have no reason to leave iPad, but iPhone? That’s up in the air until I see the 2020 models.

Right now I love my XS Max and using it along with my dated iPad Air 2 is a pleasure, I love how iOS does not really feel that different between the 2, this situation does not exist in Android, but in the next 2 years that could change.

 

[noSpeed]

You can't compare a base model Galaxy with a base model iphone. The Galaxy note, for example starts at 256gb or 512gb of storage for $1000. What does an equivalent xs max cost?

 

[mrochester]

They’ll have to.

I’d love to see a poll regarding what portion of iOS customers stay on just for Security and Privacy when so many use Facebook and Google products

Quality depends on the apps one uses, some are better on iOS while others better on Android, and One of our new digital banks does not even have an iOS app yet, I have to have my P30 Pro nearby to look at my account, the reason being such a small portion of people use iOS in our country that they focused on making a powerful Android app first.


Apple will have to “waste their time” if they want to continue to make more money from the iPhone, otherwise they will have to continue focusing more on their services and making them available on more platforms.

I am a very disloyal user, the only product I simple wont change the OS of is my tablet, in that area iOS rules with an iron fist, I have no reason to leave iPad, but iPhone? That’s up in the air until I see the 2020 models.

Right now I love my XS Max and using it along with my dated iPad Air 2 is a pleasure, I love how iOS does not really feel that different between the 2, this situation does not exist in Android, but in the next 2 years that could change.

I don’t think they’ll have to at all. Apple can continue to steer the course and will remain the most successful smartphone maker. There’s no need for them to dilute and spoil what makes apple, Apple.

 

[Tsepz]

You can't compare a base model Galaxy with a base model iphone. The Galaxy note, for example starts at 256gb or 512gb of storage for $1000. What does an equivalent xs max cost?

I believe the 256GB XS Max is $1249 and the 512GB is $1449.

 

[The Game 161]

You can't compare a base model Galaxy with a base model iphone. The Galaxy note, for example starts at 256gb or 512gb of storage for $1000. What does an equivalent xs max cost?

Remains to be seen what the new note 10 will cost but if rumours are true it starts at 256GB that’s good but still going to be costly if it’s just 256GB and 512GB

 

[44267547]

Apple can continue to steer the course and will remain the most successful smartphone maker.

Major caveat in your post. Apple has the ‘most popular’ smart phone in the world, because of their hardware standards/customer service/OS support, but what has hurt them and will continue to, is their influx of price points for what they’re charging for smart phones. What makes the best smart phone maker in the world is also causing a detraction away from consumers wanting to upgrade due to obscene pricing. Changes are coming they are needed to be addressed in the right areas to be tactful to keep iPhone sales where they need to be.

 

[kargurin]

Remains to be seen what the new note 10 will cost but if rumours are true it starts at 256GB that’s good but still going to be costly if it’s just 256GB and 512GB

$1099 for the Plus 256 gb 6.8 inches in the same frame as the s10 plus. Very tempted. That’s a lot of phone value for the price.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

I don’t think they’ll have to at all. Apple can continue to steer the course and will remain the most successful smartphone maker. There’s no need for them to dilute and spoil what makes apple, Apple.

The shift away from flagship iPhones should tell you consumers aren’t going for Apples best. They are too expensive and the era of arrogant complacency is coming to an end.

 

[TheIntruder]

I don’t think they’ll have to at all. Apple can continue to steer the course and will remain the most successful smartphone maker. There’s no need for them to dilute and spoil what makes apple, Apple.

Any company that doesn't adjust to the market will eventually find itself out of business.

Apple has been subtly, and not so subtly, make pricing adjustments for at least a couple years now.

As a premium brand, that seldom means outright price cuts, or maybe not across the line, but Apple has been reducing the costs of its products, in different ways depending on the segment.

For iPhones, in the past that has mostly meant offering older models at reduced prices. but after abandoning that strategy for the X models and the 2018 lineup, it had to resort to upping the incentives through the trade-in program. It even cut retail prices in the most impacted markets in Asia.

After the iPad business started to wane, it responded with the value-oriented "iPad" models, and allowed retailers to further discount them. That has worked to reverse the trend, and a renewed effort on the higher-end models has revived the business again.

For Macs, even users for whom Apple's history began with Jobs' return might have noticed that they are now commonly discounted, especially within the past couple years. Such a change is more acutely notable for those older users familiar with Apple's formerly iron-clad MAP pricing policies, where any small discounts that a retailer could eke out of the ultra thin margins were hidden in shopping carts, or available only through sales agent inquiries. Now, Macs are commonly advertised at discount through major retailers like Best Buy.

Advertised discounts on Apple products were not a thing in the past, but they've never been more prevalent than they are now, across all product segments.

Even luxury brands have to resort to sales, and while they are careful to preserve the brand image by offering those discounts indirectly through wholesale rebates and pricing adjustments and/or through other retail sales channels (and not its own outlets), they still occur. Rebates, incentives, and special financing (on both the wholesale and retail side) are common tactics in the auto industry. Luxury goods like watches are commonly sold at discount, an open secret for those familiar with the market.

Apple has been no different.

 

[tonybarnaby]

1. Apple is not a "lower-the-price" kind of a company.

2. I would sell my soul to the Devil for an iPhone every day, rather then getting a piece of crap Android.

This kind of attitude is crazy to me. Have you used any of the top Android phones in the last year or 2? Yes, Apple is smoother and more secure. But if you could use a pixel 3, mate 20 pro, note 9, or OnePlus 7 pro and think they are garbage then I don't know what to tell you. You can like iOS, but that doesn't mean Android is bad. So many people base their opinions of Android on older or throwaway phones and have no clue. Sad, really.

 

[loybond]

Today's unveil of the Note 10/10+ shows that they are priced to compete with top-level iPhones. I watched a recap of it and it had me scratching my head... how can they claim to have secure enclave type security with off-the-shelf components like the Snapdragon SoCs? Tons of gimmicks and fake versions of iPhone features that are, and will always remain half-baked (like the AR and depth mapping).

 

[Tsepz]

Today's unveil of the Note 10/10+ shows that they are priced to compete with top-level iPhones. I watched a recap of it and it had me scratching my head... how can they claim to have secure enclave type security with off-the-shelf components like the Snapdragon SoCs? Tons of gimmicks and fake versions of iPhone features that are, and will always remain half-baked (like the AR and depth mapping).

Samsung Knox runs on its own hardware as far as I know, there is a hardware component to their Security over and above having the Snapdragon chip. Also the SD chip is only in a few markets (USA and China typically), everywhere else they use their own in-house Exynos SoC.

Anyway, as a Note fan I am not fully convinced by the new Note and will keep using my iPhone XS Max and probably get the Huawei Mate 30 Pro as my Android upgrade this year.

 

[AppleFanboy1984]

This kind of attitude is crazy to me. Have you used any of the top Android phones in the last year or 2? Yes, Apple is smoother and more secure. But if you could use a pixel 3, mate 20 pro, note 9, or OnePlus 7 pro and think they are garbage then I don't know what to tell you. You can like iOS, but that doesn't mean Android is bad. So many people base their opinions of Android on older or throwaway phones and have no clue. Sad, really.

I traded my XS for a One Plus 7 Pro. Amazing phone. Great screen, great battery but ****** camera.

But still...i sold it and got XS MAX. Android is crap.

 

[Abazigal]

I would say your post is spot on, and it is.

However, more than ever Apple is feeling the pressure from the market and people's unwillingness to upgrade to the flagships.

So your post stands today, but we're rapidly approaching a time frame where this logic will not apply as the used/older models will still be more than people are willing to pay.

Apple is all powerful, BUT the MARKET always wins in the end, ALWAYS!!!

So let the waiting game begin and let's see who blinks first.

That’s why Apple is pivoting into accessories (Airpods, Apple Watch, HomePod) and services (Apple music, news, video, Arcade, even its own credit card). Meanwhile, Apple supports its devices for 5 years on average. Google pays Apple 9 billion a year to keep search as default. Throw in 30% cut from apps.

Apple doesn’t need people to keep buying iPhones. They just need them to keep using iPhones, given how many ways Apple has of monetising their existing user base.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Apple doesn’t need people to keep buying iPhones. They just need them to keep using iPhones, given how many ways Apple has of monetising their existing user base.

I don’t agree with your last statement. Apples biggest margins are made on iPhones in comparison to accessories and services. They need existing users to be upgrading every 2 years maximum and the incentive should be hardware that improves the experience to coincide with iOS. Accessories like AirPods are minimal return and not even the most popular earphones on the market. The music subscription service has stiff competition to Amazon and Spotify which are already established in the market. Apple need to continue making the whole package appealing, not pull away from making iPhones appealing.

 

[Falhófnir]

The XR still fills Apple's traditional flagship device price point ~$750 - and to a large degree is perfectly competitive with Android flagships (as much as the 7 or 6 or earlier models ever were in their times). The XS and Max are special cases over and above, for Apple to cash in on those who will pay more for a supra-premium device.