iPhone 14 Pro How would you justify paying well over 1000 dollars for a next-gen iPhone ?

[SmugMaverick]

It's all well and good saying you have the money and you'll spend it how you like but at some point you have to stop and take a look at yourself.

This phone cannot be worth the money and I'm a muppet for throwing money at Apple.

it's already lagging behind much cheaper devices in the camera department as well.

 

[danb1979]

It's all well and good saying you have the money and you'll spend it how you like but at some point you have to stop and take a look at yourself.

This phone cannot be worth the money and I'm a muppet for throwing money at Apple.

it's already lagging behind much cheaper devices in the camera department as well.

Why?

If there's something I want I'll buy it...

Why should I then question that?

Everything loses value in the end (bar cheap houses and classic cars)...

And re the camera; that's your opinion. For me, the 14 Pro Max is better than my short lived Pixel 7 Pro; superb cameras, but I prefer the 14 Pro Max as it doesn't colour it as much...

Each to their own

 

[OneBar]

So what? That doesn’t make any difference to my comment.

Sure it does. Their pocket isn't being affected by a 5% shift in product movement, so they're not going to adjust their pricing. They won't until they feel it themselves.

 

[compwiz1202]

That may be the case but to the consumer the price hiked £150 compared to the 13 Pro/13ProMax. Cost of living in general has skyrocketed and wages have remained the same in many cases. Sure Apple are only maintaining that profit, but they ultimately lose out as their products become less desirable for the price. I understand how it works, this is just the consequence.

Exactly. This is the correct answer. The iPhone price in US hasn't changed, but all the needs prices are out of control, so there is less money to buy wants. Between that and the iPhone barely changing anymore, why would I buy another?

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Sure it does. Their pocket isn't being affected by a 5% shift in product movement, so they're not going to adjust their pricing. They won't until they feel it themselves.

That is their problem, not mine.

 

[OneBar]

That is their problem, not mine.

Except you said "...but they ultimately lose out as their products become less desirable for the price." I'm saying they're not losing at all. While they're still profitable, they're not losing. You and I might lose out on purchasing their product, but until the upper middle class can't purchase their product, they're not going to lose or care about changing pricing.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Except you said "...but they ultimately lose out as their products become less desirable for the price." I'm saying they're not losing at all. While they're still profitable, they're not losing. You and I might lose out on purchasing their product, but until the upper middle class can't purchase their product, they're not going to lose or care about changing pricing.

It’s not just the upper and middle classes that buy iPhones though and I don’t believe that Apple don’t notice a drop in sales. They may be profitable but their analysts still notice that that unit sales are marginally down and that is lost profit even if more money has been made due to hiking prices. Apple have noticed the drop in demand for the iPhone 14/14 Plus for example.

I won’t be losing out by not having a new iPhone, I can’t speak for you. If the prices are not competitive then I go somewhere else, it’s as simple as that.

 

[OneBar]

It’s not just the upper and middle classes that buy iPhones though and I don’t believe that Apple don’t notice a drop in sales. They may be profitable but their analysts still notice that that unit sales are marginally down and that is lost profit even if more money has been made due to hiking prices. Apple have noticed the drop in demand for the iPhone 14/14 Plus for example.

I won’t be losing out by not having a new iPhone, I can’t speak for you. If the prices are not competitive then I go somewhere else, it’s as simple as that.

They're not the only ones that purchase iPhones but they're the largest demographic purchasing them. The UMC is the peak of the economic bell curve and represents the largest population of people buying Apple products. Until those people are dramatically impacted and cannot purchase Apple products, Apple isn't going to budge on their pricing. Even if they're fully aware of the fluctuations in product flow.

By losing out I meant the inability to purchase a $1000 device period, irrespective of brand. Because, as you said, you can go somewhere else. That's always been the case. But when you cannot buy Apple *or* go somewhere else, then manufacturers are going to start taking notice.

 

[compwiz1202]

It’s not just the upper and middle classes that buy iPhones though and I don’t believe that Apple don’t notice a drop in sales. They may be profitable but their analysts still notice that that unit sales are marginally down and that is lost profit even if more money has been made due to hiking prices. Apple have noticed the drop in demand for the iPhone 14/14 Plus for example.

I won’t be losing out by not having a new iPhone, I can’t speak for you. If the prices are not competitive then I go somewhere else, it’s as simple as that.

The big ? is are people priced out of the top just getting lower models or waiting longer or bailing to Android. The latter can be the worst if they also lose services $$$

 

[ctjack]

This phone cannot be worth the money and I'm a muppet for throwing money at Apple.

It depends on circumstances. Right now I am thinking about the ways to get me cheaper to 15 PM. Buying 13 now and trading in for 15 PM is equal in the total cash spent ($1440) as if I were to pick up 14 PM and turn it in for 15 PM ($1480).
Of course, if I were to own 13 PM from beginning, then it would be a no brainer to keep that thing as long as possible - that was a better money spent product. Even SOT are vastly different - 13hrs for 13PM and 10hrs for 14PM with the same use cases.

it's already lagging behind much cheaper devices in the camera department as well.

Let's be honest here - Iphone was never a king of mobile photography. Every year from Iphone 1 there was always a better opponents if we speak about pure photography.
At some point I bought Samsung Galaxy S3 and installed custom audio drivers by reinstalling android - that thing would pop speakers and drove 320 Ohm studio headphones. Iphone? It barely drived 32-64Ohm headphones back then.
There are always better phones out there if you are interested in particular functions - it is just iphone is jack of all trades with no particular shining point except ecosystem(copied on Mac and pasted on iphone, sidecar, icloud and etc).
Sorry, I am lying here - back in the days when I jailbroke iphones, I used hidden camera functions(black screen but photo and video keeps going), screen tracking(screenshots are emailed) and other cool features which were totally unavailable on androids.

 

[russell_314]

Moving forward, what really justifies to spend that crazy amount of money onto an iPhone vs. an Android alternative ?

Webster defines justify as "to prove or show to be just, right, or reasonable". Maybe to focus on the "reasonable" part then it would be is it reasonable for you to spend X amount of money to get an iPhone. Well that would depend on your financial status. If you're having a hard time with rent and food then I would say no. If all your bills are paid and you have savings then what would make it unreasonable? Is it reasonable to spend $30k+ on a car when you can get one for $10k? They both will get you where you're going but one is nicer.

As to iPhone vs Android you skipped over the main difference. Hardware specs are great but they have different operating systems. Do you have any preference with iOS or Android? Do you have other Apple devices and is it important that they work well together? If none of that is an issue for you and you don't care about the OS then why are you buying an iPhone? I hope you're not spending that much $$$$ for looks or some weird status symbol.

 

[Fred Zed]

The problem with many phone deals is that the offers are usually for the lowest capacity models.

Extremely rare to get a promo deal on a 512GB or 1TB device.

And yes, the highest capacity offered is all I get when buying a new device.

Works at trade in also. They offer you the same value as the base GB model.

 

[sam_dean]

$1099 2021 iPhone 14 Pro Max 128GB 5nm could be amortized with your credit card or telco in these manner

- 12 months: $91.58/month
- 24 months: $45.79/month
- 36 months: $30.53/month
- 48 months: $22.90/month

This is perfect for anyone who buys a device then delay replacements by 1/2/3/4 or more years.

Because of inflation the buying power of the 1st month's payment diminishes over time and becomes weakest on its last month.

Odds are if Mirrorless Cameras, Mirrorless Lenses, Macs, iPads, Watches and other hardware were paid in this manner then more people would upgrade more often.

This payment scheme is very similar to Software as a Service (SaaS) where in Adobe software used to cost ~$1,000 for a perpetual license and now cost a fraction of that.

 

[ctjack]

could be amortized with your credit card

There is also credit card SUBs like open and spend $500 and get $200 back making your example $900 right away and even then that is delayed for 18 month with 0% apr.

 

[sam_dean]

There is also credit card SUBs like open and spend $500 and get $200 back making your example $900 right away and even then that is delayed for 18 month with 0% apr.

Forex also comes into play for purchases made in countries that do not use US$ as currency.

My country's currency weakend to the $ so my monthly payment for that $1099 iPhone became cheaper for the last 12 months as my fixed monthly amortization remained the same at 2499/month in spite of the actual value of it jumped from 50 = $1.00 to 60 = $1.00. In terms of buying power this month I should be paying nearly 3200/month.

If my currency did the reverse and strengthened against the US$ then I'd be paying more for its actual worth.

 

[Ac1d 8urn]

I'm in the camp of "It's my money and I'll spend it however I want". My dad, bless his soul, always responded with "that's a want, not a need" anytime I wanted something as a child, so I refuse to do any DARVOing for spending money on wants as an adult. lol. Life is short and I don't wanna be a rich old hag on my deathbed regretting all the cool things I never let myself enjoy because they weren't needs. My bills are always paid, I can afford to treat myself, so if I want a new phone this year even though my existing phone still works, I'm gonna buy it. I earn cashback from my apple card, and my family members who refuse to spend their own money on upgrades get to enjoy my pristine condition hand-me-downs. Conversely- if you want use your phones till they die or save money on budget models, there's absolutely nothing wrong with that either. I will never make anyone justify their choice to use an old or budget phone, you do you boo.

But I don't think I'll ever understand the argument of "why spend so much on an iPhone when you can get an Android for less" either. iPhones and Androids may accomplish the same tasks but they're not interchangeable. They're different OSes, different ecosystems, and have completely different quality of product support so it's not as simple as just buying a $300 Samsung or Xiaomi phone instead of spending $1000 on an iPhone. All my notes and pictures are in iCloud, I have years worth of paid iPhone & mac exclusive apps, and both my computers are macs so saving $700 on an Android phone is not worth the effort and inconvenience of trying to switch. Budget androids are a great suggestion for someone who isn't as deep in the ecosystem and doesn't care about platforms, but for many people switching is more of a hassle than the saving several hundred on the phone is worth.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

I'm in the camp of "It's my money and I'll spend it however I want". My dad, bless his soul, always responded with "that's a want, not a need" anytime I wanted something as a child, so I refuse to do any DARVOing for spending money on wants as an adult. lol. Life is short and I don't wanna be a rich old hag on my deathbed regretting all the cool things I never let myself enjoy because they weren't needs. My bills are always paid, I can afford to treat myself, so if I want a new phone this year even though my existing phone still works, I'm gonna buy it. I earn cashback from my apple card, and my family members who refuse to spend their own money on upgrades get to enjoy my pristine condition hand-me-downs. Conversely- if you want use your phones till they die or save money on budget models, there's absolutely nothing wrong with that either. I will never make anyone justify their choice to use an old or budget phone, you do you boo.

But I don't think I'll ever understand the argument of "why spend so much on an iPhone when you can get an Android for less" either. iPhones and Androids may accomplish the same tasks but they're not interchangeable. They're different OSes, different ecosystems, and have completely different quality of product support so it's not as simple as just buying a $300 Samsung or Xiaomi phone instead of spending $1000 on an iPhone. All my notes and pictures are in iCloud, I have years worth of paid iPhone & mac exclusive apps, and both my computers are macs so saving $700 on an Android phone is not worth the effort and inconvenience of trying to switch. Budget androids are a great suggestion for someone who isn't as deep in the ecosystem and doesn't care about platforms, but for many people switching is more of a hassle than the saving several hundred on the phone is worth.

Quite a few of my friends and family have switched to Android recently after a decade or more on iPhone so it can be done. When you’ve got better deals being advertised for Android models, even the higher end models, it does tempt some people. I could probably switch with not too many issues. Most of the apps if not all the apps I use on my iPhone are interchangeable. I have photos backed up on both iCloud and Google Photo so I made life easier in that department.

With prices going up everything is being questioned at the moment, even for the middle classes earning £40k+. I took the decision last last to not get the latest iPhone and save a few hundred buying the previous years Pro model. Did I have to? No I could have gotten a 14 Pro but as you say, life is too short to not buy the things you want and I didn’t want to spend £1300 on a marginally better iPhone than the one I have. It’s all down to choices and this thread is refreshing as it’s always assumed by others that everybody on MR buys the latest and greatest.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

They're not the only ones that purchase iPhones but they're the largest demographic purchasing them. The UMC is the peak of the economic bell curve and represents the largest population of people buying Apple products. Until those people are dramatically impacted and cannot purchase Apple products, Apple isn't going to budge on their pricing. Even if they're fully aware of the fluctuations in product flow.

By losing out I meant the inability to purchase a $1000 device period, irrespective of brand. Because, as you said, you can go somewhere else. That's always been the case. But when you cannot buy Apple *or* go somewhere else, then manufacturers are going to start taking notice.

I'm in that demographic and so are nearly all my friends, family and work colleagues. I don't know many who buy £1k+ smartphones though? If anything I am noticing more are keeping older devices and this might be down to the fact these people aren't as interested in phones as those who talk about them on the internet. I appreciate Apple aren't going to lower prices until a significant number of people stop paying through the nose for their products, but the current financial crisis and the reports the smartphone market has been successively shrinking is very good news, not for manufacturers, but for us. Its driving the market to keep devices longer and I am all for that.

 

[Hicksmat1976]

in the UK I've never seen a good carrier deal. I tend to use iPhone payments which is monthly at % with Apple over 24 months, and separately get a sim only deal from EE. I costed it up and its a lot more expensive to go through EE for the phone and contract. unless there's something I am doing wrong?

 

[Andeddu]

in the UK I've never seen a good carrier deal. I tend to use iPhone payments which is monthly at % with Apple over 24 months, and separately get a sim only deal from EE. I costed it up and it’s a lot more expensive to go through EE for the phone and contract. unless there's something I am doing wrong?

Yes, you are doing it wrong. You have to go through Fonehouse or uSwitch if you want to save hundreds of pounds on a contract. Never go directly through the carrier otherwise you will get ripped off.

 

[SmugMaverick]

I have principles, if I see Apple utterly ripping me/people off compared to what the market is dictating for such devices then ill go elsewhere.

They pushed the market into £1000+ prices in 2017 but others have tried to keep things around that while offering better features while Apple seem desperate to keep pushing it even during difficult times and giving nothing back in terms of features.

These are the UK prices right now.

iPhone 14 128GB is £850 - 60hz
Pixel 7 128GB is £599 - 90hz
Galaxy S23 256GB is £850 - 90hz

iPhone 14 Pro Max 128GB is £1200 - 120hz
Pixel 7 Pro 128GB is £850 - 120hz
Galaxy S23 Ultra 512GB is £1250 - 120hz

If rumours of another increase this year happen, and we don't see any major improvements except for a periscope lens most won't even use or curved bezels then I don't see how they can justify it.

Also, 128GB base storage iPhones at those prices are a disgrace whatever way you sugar coat it.

iOS, ecosystem and iMessage mean jack sh*t to me if I'm getting ripped off.

 

[BoctorBill]

I replace my iPhone every 5 years on average. It saves a lot of money and I've never had one die early. I'd never buy a Pro -- I'm not that kind of smartphone power user and the much higher cost would never seem worth it to me. A standard model with 128GB memory is enough for me.

One fun thing is that 5 years is enough time to see more than just tiny incremental improvements between my old and new phone hardware. Each one seems like a fairly big jump in capability. So there's that.

 

[ctjack]

periscope lens

Apple is Apple - they never use the feature for the sake of having a feature. Periscope basically works like a binocular vision and only wins when you need to get the text in long range shoot - if one needs that kind of zoom then they need samsung phones otherwise it is not a deal braker.

curved bezels

They were horrible from usability stand point speaking from samsung galaxy s5 and s8 experience.

 

[JapanApple]

Hey all,

I live in France and the cheapest iPhone 14 Pro model retails at 1329 euros, that's 1441 US Dollars.

I've had an iPhone for 15 years and used to update every year, lately every two years, but now sometimes ask myself...

Moving forward, what really justifies to spend that crazy amount of money onto an iPhone vs. an Android alternative ?

For the same amount of money I could probably get 3 Xiaomi phones with equivalent specs.

Looking forward to all your thoughts

(I've got mine but am interrested into other people's take)

Try paying yen ( no I not comparing us monies ). I use my for years because I don't like upgrading every year or two. hence why I can justify the cost. from computers to phones since 1978