Are the $1000 smartphones here to stay?

On September 12, 2017, I joined millions of people across the world to witness the launch of the 10th year anniversary edition of iPhone — the Apple iPhone X. I went to sleep knowing that the top end variant of the iPhone X costs about $1,250 in the United States.

Next morning, I started to think about it as thousand plus dollars is a lot of money to spend on a phone, which will eventually slow down after a few software updates and lose its monetary value with time. And, quite honestly, spending that kind of money on a gadget seem reckless and maybe even stupid.

So, I started to think even deeply about all the popular flagship smartphones out in the market and try to make sense of their $1000 or above price tag and its value proposition — and guess what? After considering how important phones have become and the part they play in everyday lives — the price tag suddenly looked not so ridiculous. I don’t remember the best phones with cutting-edge technology and unique feature set to be cheap ever in the last decade.

Manufacturers have always charged a premium for their mobile phones with high end technology. Do you remember the original iPhone that Apple launched in 2007? It was way too expensive at $399 for a 4GB storage model, but the very same price tag today is considered affordable. So was the case with other legendary phones like Nokia N series, Motorola RAZR and BlackBerry 8900 to name a few. Account for inflation and $1,000 already seems justified for today’s smartphones that are vastly advanced in every department.

My point is, top of the line smartphones have always been expensive. But, of course, it’s only now that we’re seeing the $1,000 barrier being broken, but hey, just wait for a while and it will be absolutely normal to pay thousand dollars when the newer phones gets pushed to $1,500-$2,000 category.

I’ll tell you more reasons why I think the $1,000 price tag is justified. You can think about it as well —

Beauty like never before

Almost all the flagship smartphones launched in 2018 are beautiful looking gadgets. The materials that go into the construction of these phones are really premium quality and the feel of holding these phones in the hand is an absolute delight. Now, think about the phones that were launched before — heavy, sharp edges and in general not so elegant looking models. With better design, quality, craftsmanship and smartphones becoming a thing of luxury, it seems quite natural that the asking price of these gadgets have risen.

Cutting-edge technology

Buying Apple iPhone X, Samsung Galaxy S9 or any other flagship smartphone means that you are getting the first look of latest state-of-the-art technologies — be it fingerprint scanner, dual-cameras, OLED displays or facial recognition. These products leverage sophisticated sensors, machine learning, artificial intelligence and other best technologies available in the market. Also, some of the tech these companies use are also proprietary, which would’ve been developed from scratch over a period of time and therefore, the higher costs.

Yes, eventually these technology will find its way to cheaper devices, but that’s exactly how technology works. If a company releases a new feature, all their competitors will try to get that as soon as possible. But, if you want to get the first dibs of the latest technology, then there’s simply no alternative.

Convenience

There’s no doubt that smartphone have made our lives a lot more convenient — having a gadget that lasts all day long, can be reliable in various circumstances and fits in your pocket is really fascinating.

In today’s day and age, if you take your smartphone, you can opt to leave behind your big, bulky DSLR camera and still be able to capture images and footages without compromising on quality. In fact, they are so powerful that you can pretty much rely on our smartphones to get some complex work done without any hassle. Basically, smartphones are not just about connectivity anymore.

Yes, there are always cheaper phones too that can do the same thing, but they come with their own compromises in terms of quality and overall experience. Also, I’ve found major differences in little things, like call quality, signal reception and speaker quality. At the end of the day, if you pay for peanuts, that’s exactly what you are getting.

Every single time you pick up a smartphone like Apple iPhone X or Samsung Galaxy S9 and start using them to their fullest capabilities, you would know exactly why you’re paying so much for these phones. And, no, these $1,000 phones are not meant of everybody. It’s only for those who appreciate design, quality, precision and cutting edge technology.

If you’re someone who’s looking at the price tag and not at what the product has got to offer, then these products are not for you. Sorry! This is just the beginning and yes, these $1,000 smartphones are here to stay

Sunil Jamboor Nagesh

Written by

Engineer by qualification. Product Marketer @newtonmailapp.

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade