The cost of mobile phones.

[PassingStranger]

Why are phones so bloody expensive?

My ideal phone would be a Google pixel 10 or 10 pro plus.
These are about 1,500 pounds to buy outright, more if you pay monthly.
Does anyone know anyone who affords this type of phone for themselves?

Are we being ripped off?
I expect its about the same with the new I phone too?

I've always been on contract, with an upgrade every (now) 2 years... Probably cheaper to buy phone outright, but I wouldn't be doing it every 2 years, and I like to have a decent one (Pixel 9 atm) 👍

Just buy a Motorola for 120 quid. It does 95% of everything the top phones will do day to day and I'm only on 12 pounds a month for data.

Much better then being a slave to the latest handsets.

Well, with Pixel and iPhone, you are paying for the brand, status and fancy features (no judgement, I like them too). If you just want A.N.Other smartphone, you can get one for less than £100.

I buy a new iPhone for myself every two or three years because I like the quality of the camera and I can afford it.

when my phone was in for repair recently I bought a £100 android phone so I still had access to email and two factor authentication for work.

Expensive phones are a luxury.

My £120 samsung does everything a top of the range iphone does. An expensive phone is not a neccessity.

I often wonder why people get that sort of phone. Dd2 once asked for an iphone. I took her into Carphone Warehouse and showed her that was worth more than our current car.

So we get a phone in the £100-£150 range. I do have a £10 contract now, but we were on PAYG for ages. Only my middle dd has a contract, and the reast of the family all have stuck on PAYG.

My contract gives free texts, calls and I think it's 10GB data/Month which I have never used above half except once when ds was performing in the middle of nowhere when there was a football tournament on and he watched it on my phone.

They do us fine.

You can get decent Samsung phones on contract I think I'm on the 3rd year now. Samsung S23 contracted ended so I pay £8.00 sim only. No issues it does me fine. Not spending that type of money on a phone outright personally.

My Samsung was £70, it does everything I want it to do 🤷

Here you go, OP. £99, brand new. Problem solved.

https://www.johnlewis.com/motorola-moto-g35-smartphone-android-4gb-ram-6-7-5g-sim-free-128gb-juniper/p112573260#citrusAdId=display_r4aw9nWARQwZU7mtocdre6o_nhsKCwoJMTEyNTczMjYwEgIIARoMCMi93MgGENnM_4ECIgIIAQ==

You can buy refurbished or put it in a contract. It’s like how people afford expensive cars….a lot are leased

Out of interest what is it the expensive models do that the cheaper version ,s dont ?

Usually the camera is a good deal better. That is why I am considering spending more next time.

I buy older, reconditioned phones second hand, never had a problem with them doing what I need them to and I've never paid more than £250.

I have had my last two phones on contract. iPhone 7 Plus lasted four years in total before replacing with a 14 just over two years ago. I’m now paying sim only with lebara for 1.50 a month increasing to 6 ish I think after 6 months. I will keep this phone until it dies. I always check MSE and similar when phone shopping and go through cash back websites for the best deal.
Some people will be like me and some will update to the latest phone the minute they can. Usually those who can afford it the least have the best phones . It’s a status thing.
Then there are my husband types who buy whatever phone they can for £50 and use it until it dies.

Have you looked at purchasing from Google direct? £900 for an unlocked Pixel 10, 0% finance over 36 months, so doesn't cost more and deals for trading in your old phone, and black Friday deals coming up. Then you just pop in your Sim.

We always buy our unlocked phones direct from Samsung or Google and make the most of any offers/ 0% finance .

I used to get every new iPhone the day it came out and then I realised how awful Apple is and paid £350 for a brand new Samsung that has better storage, cameras, works faster and charges faster and holds its charge. Iphones are shite, and so not worth their price. Weirdly though I find the more wealthy people I know have samsung or similar, less wealthy pay thousands for iPhone. It's a weird kind of status symbol

Better camera, higher resolution screens, more durable casing, faster processing, AI enhancements, that type of thing. But probably not to the tune of £1000 worth of better - you are paying for the brand as well, as with designer clothes.

DH went from a Motorola to a Samsung S25 and the main difference was the camera.

Prices are insane but that’s just what they cost if you want one.

I paid £1000 for my IPhone a couple of months back, and £800ish for DPs new phone a week later. A couple of years ago we both got new phones for roughly £600 each, prices go up every year.

The next month or so is the best time to buy a phone. Keep an eye on mse.

How much is that per month if you want to say?

Controversial opinion, but I don’t think smartphones are particularly expensive. Certainly not “insane.”

Consider what you’d need to buy 20 years ago to do what your smartphone can do today.

High quality camera (plus film, plus printing)
Video camera
Laptop for emailing and internet browsing
Landline telephone for calling
iPod or portable CD player
Paper maps for literally everywhere you ever go
GPS locator
Newspaper every day
Paper diary every year
Torch
Powerful Calculator

Really it’s amazing that for about one week’s pay at minimum wage you can get a device that does all that and much, much more.

I think I would worry about losing it at that cost?

I paid £120 for a Redmi. It does what I want it to do.

Edited to say I do a £5 a month bundle from ASDA that gives me more than enough mobile data for my needs.

But what are people doing that they need these things?

I'm another one with a 3 YO £150 Samsung that works perfectly well and takes good photos, there's nothing about it that needs to be 'better'.