Buying high end phones doesn’t make sense anymore

Let’s stop for a minute to appreciate the fact that Apple has literally named their newest iPhone the “Excess”. Which perfectly sums up the current state of the high end smartphone market. 

Cupertino’s newest shiny has come under fire for yet another boost in price. The base model XS starts at $1,379 CAD for the 64GB 5.8” model, and goes right up to a butt puckering $1999 for the 512GB 6.5” slab. Only a few years ago and the typical iPhone was retailing for half that much in comparable packages. Though there still seems to be no shortage of people willing to fork out that kind of cash for them. But what are you really getting?

There was at one time a good case for buying high end phones. Each new generation was a big leap from the previous one. Packed with new features and speeds that were actually usable. However, that ultimately came to an abrupt end by the time the iPhone 5 came out.

Over the last couple of years, smartphones have started hitting that “good enough” plateau. While hardware performance continues to increase, software has stagnated. The most commonly used apps and games barely use a fraction of the computing power offered by contemporary handsets. Adding faster CPUs, higher resolution screens, more RAM, and more storage isn’t really going to improve the overall user experience at this point. They’ve hit a wall of diminishing returns. It’s a bit like buying a Lamborghini only to drive it around low speed limit streets.

Meanwhile, it seems that most of the innovation has been occurring in the mid-range market. Phones that are inexpensive, but still manage to obtain 95% of the functionality of high end flagships.

About a year and a half ago, I bought an Asus Zenfone 3. Though it’s now a full two generations behind, I haven’t noticed any issues with it. It’s still runs every app I throw at it like a champ, it takes great pictures, it looks stylish, has solid build quality, and it cost below $400 CAD fully unlocked. In terms of functionality, there’s really not much it can’t do that the iPhone XS can, except maybe tap pay. 

The same can be said from similarly priced handsets from manufacturers like OnePlus, Motorola, and Huawei. For the price of a typical iPhone these days, you could buy three or four mid-range models, which will still do everything you need them to. Heck, you can even break a couple and still break even. 

At this point, flagship phones are looking like little more than a luxury fashion statement. A poor value proposition bought by people who are only looking to keep up with the Joneses. For the rest of us, you’re best bet nowadays is to stick with the middle road.