Are high end smartphones worth the money (to you)?

[JakeC]

Quote

You are making the mistake of thinking having an old iPhone is better than a new android. There was a guy posted the other day, he has an iPhone for work, android for home and hates the iPhone 

 

Who made the mistake? I gave my Redmi Note 10 away when new and kept the iPhone. You think one person's opinion should sway everyone? That's a mistake.

[ThreeCardMonte]

On 2/5/2025 at 12:52 PM, mogandave said:

My wife likes getting the new “top model” iPhone. So I buy one when the new model comes out. 

 

Her old one goes to my son, and my son’s old one goes to me.

Nothing like being the top dog of the family.

[Yellowtail]

Just now, ThreeCardMonte said:

Nothing like being the top dog of the family.

Indeed

[scubascuba3]

38 minutes ago, JakeC said:

 

Who made the mistake? I gave my Redmi Note 10 away when new and kept the iPhone. You think one person's opinion should sway everyone? That's a mistake.

Redmi Note 10 is just a middle of the road android phone, not high end

[JakeC]

Quote

Redmi Note 10 is just a middle of the road android phone, not high end

 

Your experience is mainly with low end Android phones. You don't know a thing about iPhone, but you like to proclaim as if you know something.

I'm still using an iPhone from 2016. That's nine years old. Works perfectly, still runs the apps that I need.

How many people are using Android phones from nine years ago?

It's only now that you have upgraded your phone, that you have moved to anything close to iPhone specs. Your previous phones were just... cheap, with some headline specs that made them look like value for money. Then let's not talk about this: https://www.androidauthority.com/remove-ads-xiaomi-miui-1019139/

 

[scubascuba3]

18 minutes ago, JakeC said:

I'm still using an iPhone from 2016.

Proves my point that most old farang that have iphones have old ones

[JakeC]

Quote

Proves my point that most old farang that have iphones have old ones

 

I also have newer models. They don't break, so I have three. All in use.

 

Proves my point that you don't have a clue about iPhone nor phones in general. Just surface knowledge combined with a good dose of bluffing.

 

[Hummin]

5 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

Proves my point that most old farang that have iphones have old ones

Why is a new phone important? 

 

Most have other devices to comply with?

 

I use my phone to stay in touch with family, simple bank duties, bank id, and snapshots. 

 

I do have a dwcent camera, but a bit lazy to use it on daily basis.

 

Anyone have Xiami 13Tpro? 

 

 

[Photoguy21]

The improvements if that is what you want to call them is aimed at people who spend all day on Tik-Tok and the like. For normal phone use and maybe the camera then the new phones offer very little. For years the Snapdragon processor has been used which is the standard for mobile processing.

The companies go one about downloading will be faster which it wont for very obvious reasons. When you connects to a site you pass though many switches etc along the way. Your speed will be that of the slowest section. Having said that when there is very low traffic on the internet your phone may see an increase in speed.

[Negita43]

I agree expensive phones are a waste of money BUT one thing I always look for in my new phone is the screen - is it able to be seen well in sunlight and be dual SIM (next one I guess e-sim).

Current phone POCO X6 Pro (UK)

[JakeC]

iPhone has supported eSIM since 2018. Most Android phones were devoid of that function unless you bought a high end phone. One Android user here got their first eSIM compatible phone in 2025. Seven years later. Yet they claim they get the new tech 😊

[scubascuba3]

31 minutes ago, Hummin said:

Why is a new phone important? 

As I said further up new phones have new tech, the luddites denied that. I wanted a better camera, processor and esim. I'm happy with my 13 Pro+ couldn't care less about iPhone, just making the point most guys have old models

[Yellowtail]

Just now, scubascuba3 said:

As I said further up new phones have new tech, the luddites denied that. I wanted a better camera, processor and esim. I'm happy with my 13 Pro+ couldn't care less about iPhone, just making the point most guys have old models

No one denied new phones have new tech, you made that up. 

 

A new cheap phone has newer tech than an old cheap phone. 

 

A new expensive phone has newer tech than an old expensive phone. 

 

Your argument was that buying cheap phones allowed you to "upgrade" to a new cheap phone more often. 

 

Unless skint, there's nothing stopping anyone with any phone from upgrading any time they like. 

[scubascuba3]

7 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

No one denied new phones have new tech, you made that up. 

 

A new cheap phone has newer tech than an old cheap phone. 

 

A new expensive phone has newer tech than an old expensive phone. 

 

Your argument was that buying cheap phones allowed you to "upgrade" to a new cheap phone more often. 

 

Unless skint, there's nothing stopping anyone with any phone from upgrading any time they like. 

You are ignoring the fact iphones have massive mark ups using slave labour around the world, so I'm pretty confident a high end android phone is as good as or better than latest iPhone at much lower price

[Chris Daley]

Three months - screen cracked

 

6 months - your model is no longer supported

 

8 months -  all banking apps refuse to work on your 'latest phone'

[Yellowtail]

4 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

You are ignoring the fact iphones have massive mark ups using slave labour around the world, so I'm pretty confident a high end android phone is as good as or better than latest iPhone at much lower price

 

You hate Apple, I get it, but I don't hate cheap phones, I think they are great for the people that want them.

 

Apple's margin was 24.3% and Samsung's was 23% in 2024, so it would seem the markups are similar. 

 

Manufacturers that contract with Apple likely have among the best working conditions and compensation for direct labor among all manufacturers in a given area. You do not know what you are talking about. 

 

If you want to buy cheap phones, I think that's great, I just get annoyed that you seem to be calling me stupid for buying what I want. 

 

[Hummin]

6 hours ago, Yellowtail said:

And even more people buy cheap phones because they can't afford more expensive phones. 

There is a fine line for most people where you seriously do not need an expensive phone.

 

I stopped with Iphone SE and Iphone 6, because it was not worth it anymore, and riding all over Thailand with bad battery capacity, and a phone who blacked out because og to warm, and In Norway to cold. There where better and cheaper options. 

 

Iphone is great as long you do not do much outdoor activities. 

 

I know quite wealthy people who still drive a 10 year pick up, and have old phones from before something was called smartphone. 

 

 

[impulse]

1 hour ago, Photoguy21 said:

The improvements if that is what you want to call them is aimed at people who spend all day on Tik-Tok and the like. For normal phone use and maybe the camera then the new phones offer very little.

 

I'll admit I'm in the wingnut fringe, but it seems to me that most of the newer zoomier features are designed to benefit someone other than the phone's owner.  They scrape up more data, sell it to more entities, and generally make it easier to separate we owners from our money.

 

Last month in Thailand (YT is blocked here), I downloaded a YouTube called something like "Own a new Samsung phone?  Make these privacy changes immediately".  I was gobsmacked at the privacy invasions I had not opted out of because I didn't know they were that deep into my jammies.

 

Rant over...  But don't even get me started on the auto industry and their data gathering.  Same tech, sold to us as "improvements".  But they can basically shut down your car anywhere, for whatever reason they (or the nanny states) decide on.

 

[scubascuba3]

8 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

 

You hate Apple, I get it, but I don't hate cheap phones, I think they are great for the people that want them.

 

Apple's margin was 24.3% and Samsung's was 23% in 2024, so it would seem the markups are similar. 

 

Manufacturers that contract with Apple likely have among the best working conditions and compensation for direct labor among all manufacturers in a given area. You do not know what you are talking about. 

 

If you want to buy cheap phones, I think that's great, I just get annoyed that you seem to be calling me stupid for buying what I want. 

 

A quick search shows Apple profit margin on phones 50%, Samsung and Xiaomi around 12%, let's leave it there

[Yellowtail]

1 minute ago, Hummin said:

There is a fine limit for most people where you seriously do not need an expensive phone.

 

I stopped with Iphone SE and Iphone 6, because it was not worth it anymore, and riding all over Thailand with bad battery capacity, and a phone who blacked out because og to warm, and In Norway to cold. There where better and cheaper options. 

 

Iphone is great as long you do not do much outdoor activities. 

 

 

Again, I do not need an expensive phone, my wife likes a having a high-end phone so I buy her one every other year or so for a gift, and I take her old one, which is always in mint condition. 

 

What annoys me, is people that think people that like iPhones are stupid. 

 

 

[Yellowtail]

4 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

A quick search shows Apple profit margin on phones 50%, Samsung and Xiaomi around 12%, let's leave it there

Yeah, apparently Samsung and Xiaomi can't give that cr*p away, fortunately there are enough guys living and to mouth that can't afford anything better. 

 

Let's just leave it there. 

 

[Hummin]

1 minute ago, Yellowtail said:

Again, I do not need an expensive phone, my wife likes a having a high-end phone so I buy her one every other year or so for a gift, and I take her old one, which is always in mint condition. 

 

What annoys me, is people that think people that like iPhones are stupid. 

 

 

Same situation here, god knows, but she do take some nice photos of what we do

 

Iphone 15 plus, and I got an S24 samsung 

[James105]

I like shiny new toys but the phones they make now are made pretty well so its really a 4 year turnaround at least now for me (and I used to update every year).   I bought an iPhone 16 pro to replace an iPhone 12 pro and really it has made next to no difference at all in what I use it for.  The 12 was already fast enough, the battery still lasted all day and it did everything I wanted it to do.  Unless there is a fundamental improvement I doubt I'll update again until at least iPhone 20 and even then only if there is a compelling reason to do so, which I doubt there will be as phones seem to have stalled or peaked in technology terms.  On that basis I think paying the top price for a new phone that lasts as long as this I do consider to be worth it. 

[Hummin]

Just now, Yellowtail said:

Yeah, apparently Samsung and Xiaomi can't give that cr*p away, fortunately there are enough guys living and to mouth that can't afford anything better. 

 

Let's just leave it there. 

 

Now you are a bit off sir, 

[scubascuba3]

Just now, Hummin said:

Now you are a bit off sir, 

He doesn't understand Apple premium pricing for the fan boys 😂

[Yellowtail]

Just now, Hummin said:

Same situation here, god knows, but she do take some nice photos of what we do

 

Iphone 15 plus, and I got an S24 samsung 

S24 is pretty high end. I tried to go with a Samsung when I quit getting company phones, but I'm old, and pretty stuck in the iOS. 

 

 

[Yellowtail]

1 minute ago, Hummin said:

Now you are a bit off sir, 

I'm just giving dude a hard time. 

[Yellowtail]

Just now, scubascuba3 said:

He doesn't understand Apple premium pricing for the fan boys 😂

I made a lot more off of Apple in my Roth than I could ever spend on phones. 

 

 

[Hummin]

8 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

S24 is pretty high end. I tried to go with a Samsung when I quit getting company phones, but I'm old, and pretty stuck in the iOS. 

 

 

Sorry A24, two years ago 7500,-

[Yellowtail]

1 minute ago, Hummin said:

Sorry A24, two years ago 7500,-

Thinking about it, the only phones I have ever bought for myself have been cheapies. Again, I buy the new phone for my wife, and I take her old one. 

 

If I were single, I would probably have a cheaper Samsung. I can't see laying out a lot of dough for something I do not care much about. 

 

I don't think I would go with a Chinese brand though.