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Is flagship iPhone now the "cheapest" flagship?

A

aneftp

macrumors 601
Original poster
Jul 28, 2007
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Base galaxy s7 is $696 msrp (for att).
Base htc m10 just announced is $699.

Makes the base iPhone 6S seem like a Bargin at $650! Especially with apples integrated hardware/software iOS/App Store system.

I remember when the msrp of the galaxy S3 was $550 on att. Than $629 for S4. Than $649 for s5 etc.

Seems like Apple's competitors aren't exactly cheap. Makes you wonder all the people who complain about Apple's pricing. Yet their competitors have jacked up their flagship phone prices as well.
[doublepost=1460470860][/doublepost]And we all know Apple will likely keep the base at $649 and have base 32gb iPhone 7 as well. So the 32gb/16gb argument will be mute soon.
 
A number of smaller companies have flagship devices in the midrange phone market.

The Nexus 6P is an affordable flagship. So is the Oneplus2.

I would not be surprised if the only companies that will be able to see high priced flagships are Apple and Samsung.
 
There's a few factors that need to be considered. You mentioned this but the iPhone comes with the least base memory and it can't be expanded like other devices. Nobody knows what the iPhone 7 will bring, it's silly to bring it into this discussion. The other thing is, a lot of other phones have fairly aggressive promotions even at launch that affect the overall cost.

Datapoint to consider, Apple still enjoys the highest ASP (average sale price) of any smartphone on the market.

Also: moot.
 
I wouldn't use AT&T retail price of the Samsung Galaxy S7 or any device really..... They sell theirs usually higher then the MSRP that Samsung or any other Android OEM
 
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I've found carriers have many more promotions and incentives to drive sales of other phones. "Buy one get one free" or something. These can sometimes be found with iPhones, but they're far less common.
 
se1000 said:
There's a few factors that need to be considered. You mentioned this but the iPhone comes with the least base memory and it can't be expanded like other devices. Nobody knows what the iPhone 7 will bring, it's silly to bring it into this discussion. The other thing is, a lot of other phones have fairly aggressive promotions even at launch that affect the overall cost.

Datapoint to consider, Apple still enjoys the highest ASP (average sale price) of any smartphone on the market.

Also: moot.
Click to expand...
Yes and no about average selling prices for Apple being higher. Essentially apple sells all their phones for $500. So their average sale price will be higher. Apple has what? iPhone 6/6s (+ versions) plus now the iPhone 5SE. That's it n

Samsung combines all their phones (from
Cheaper to most expensive). For competitive reasons they will never reveal average selling prices of just their Galaxy s5/6/7 phones alone. Just like Apple won't break down iPhone 6S vs iPhone 6S plus sales or iPhone 6 individual sales

So I am sure if you compare apples to apples. The average selling price of Samsung flagship phones is very comparable to Apples.
 
Sprint Samsung Galaxy s7 : $649
Verizon : $672

AT&T: $699


Apple iPhone 6S: $650

Apple to apples Apple and Samsung sells their main device the S series and iPhone X at the same price of $650.
 
aneftp said:
Yes and no about average selling prices for Apple being higher. Essentially apple sells all their phones for $500. So their average sale price will be higher. Apple has what? iPhone 6/6s (+ versions) plus now the iPhone 5SE. That's it n

Samsung combines all their phones (from
Cheaper to most expensive). For competitive reasons they will never reveal average selling prices of just their Galaxy s5/6/7 phones alone. Just like Apple won't break down iPhone 6S vs iPhone 6S plus sales or iPhone 6 individual sales

So I am sure if you compare apples to apples. The average selling price of Samsung flagship phones is very comparable to Apples.
Click to expand...

You're still neglecting the fact that Samsung phones launch with promotions, and regularly have them throughout their lifecycle. Apple rarely if ever discounts the iPhone.

The other thing you're missing is, Apple still commands a healthy lead in profit margin in the smartphone industry.

Finally, what's your point?
 
se1000 said:
You're still neglecting the fact that Samsung phones launch with promotions, and regularly have them throughout their lifecycle. Apple rarely if ever discounts the iPhone.

The other thing you're missing is, Apple still commands a healthy lead in profit margin in the smartphone industry.

Finally, what's your point?
Click to expand...



What's your point? Who cares
 
willmtaylor said:
I've found carriers have many more promotions and incentives to drive sales of other phones. "Buy one get one free" or something. These can sometimes be found with iPhones, but they're far less common.
Click to expand...


Promotion from Verizon 6s gold $549
 
"Cheap" isn't a word we like to use here in Appleville...
neutral_zpsgeb9ndcq.png
 
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se1000 said:
You're still neglecting the fact that Samsung phones launch with promotions, and regularly have them throughout their lifecycle. Apple rarely if ever discounts the iPhone.

The other thing you're missing is, Apple still commands a healthy lead in profit margin in the smartphone industry.

Finally, what's your point?
Click to expand...
My point is people main excuse for not buying iPhones is that it's expensive. Yet they don't hesitate to buy galaxy s phones when they are just as expensive.

And carriers do launch promos even on iPhones. Costco had a few deals on iPhones 6S at launch and Sam's had $300 gift cards on iPhones 2 months after launch.

That's my point.

1. Samsung flagship phones are more expensive now.

With profit margin u are missing the missing factor. Apple only focus on selling phones on higher end. To compare profit margin u must only compare Samsung higher end models with Apple models.
 
There are a couple of other cheaper flagships right around the same price range (Nexus 6P, Moto X Pure, OnePlus Two being the three I think of first, plus some lesser known [in the US] companies). But yeah, flagships for Apple, Samsung, HTC, and LG are all pretty close in price for their flagships. When people think of the "Android is cheaper argument", it's mostly due to the sheer number of phones available at a lot of price ranges (a lot of which are pretty poor performers), which a lot of people do actually get.
 
aneftp said:
My point is people main excuse for not buying iPhones is that it's expensive. Yet they don't hesitate to buy galaxy s phones when they are just as expensive.
Click to expand...
As you and I believe, it's dumb to not buy an iPhone, when you pay as much as for an iPhone. But unfortunately not all customers act rational. Some are trapped in a reality distortion field where specs like AMOLED, Quad-Core, 4GB RAM mean all the world. These poor sheep can't escape their preference for the spec-driven OEM business model, even as it lets them bleed money. They are brainwashed by the Church of Android, giving all their money to Jim Jones and drinking the Kool-Aid.
 
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Missing in this discussion is the notion of "value". iPhone may have lower price (although as many mentioned it's not really true if promotions and eventual price drops are taken into account). But don't forget a fact that iPhone also has the lowest BOM (Bill of Materials) among the flagship phones.
 
Applefan4 said:
How do you know that?
Click to expand...

I don't know. No one knows.

But the big clue give a way is that the "new" iPad models start at 32gb.

And no. I don't consider the iPhone 5SE base 16gb will carry over to the iPhone 7.
 
falainber said:
Missing in this discussion is the notion of "value". iPhone may have lower price (although as many mentioned it's not really true if promotions and eventual price drops are taken into account). But don't forget a fact that iPhone also has the lowest BOM (Bill of Materials) among the flagship phones.
Click to expand...

Am I going to break it down and sell the parts individually? If not, why do I care what is inside if it works and allows me to do what I need (especially if it is a better subjective experience than a higher BOM phone). The value a phone provides to the user is not purely dependant on the BOM.
 
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