So, 2024 - 7 = Galaxy S8 should still be getting security updates until end of year, 2024 - 4 = Galaxy S20 should have its final OS version upgrade this year.
The notification LED, the pressure sensitive display, the edge screen (rounded edges), the iris scanner, the 3.5mm jack, the beautiful orchid grey back pattern. It even had a heart rate and SpO2 sensor. But being stuck on android 9 without security updates is just too much of a problem.
The notification LED was so great to notice a missed call etc. An always on display is not as useful because it's so dim. You can't see it from a distance. It's more like an almost off display :) The LED you would easily notice across the room.
Tell that to Google. They release almost every year a "new" Android version.
I paid about $100 for a brand new iPhone SE2 through a budget prepaid carrier with a projected support life of 8 years from when I bought it 2 years ago- a fairly common discount offer you can still find for new SE3s now. I don't think you can buy any usable Android phone for the $12 or so I'd have every 8 months instead of buying a base model iPhone. And Apple uses their top end CPUs and hardware in their cheap base model phones.
If you take Tracfone for example, they have plans that are as cheap as about $8-15 a month depending on the term, so I don't think being locked in for 2 months on whatever carrier you already want to use is a "loan." Presumably you're using some carrier or wouldn't have a phone. Worst case scenario add $30 to the total price to use it as an unlocked phone.
This is also generally the cheapest way to buy an Android phone. However, the cheap carrier versions of flagship Android phones are often banned from getting security updates for some reason.
The thing that makes getting an iPhone like this so much cheaper than even a base model 3rd world country targeted Android is the really long support life.
However, I can't imagine anyone actually doing that, because if you're budget conscious enough to be doing this, you'll already be using one of those low priced prepaid carriers, so the 2 month lock-in is not an extra expense.
However, in the past I never paid those full website rates because you can often get the pre-boxed store shelf versions of these phones new on eBay, or in person at stores for even cheaper... and the monthly service itself is also a lot less than $15/mo if you prepay for a longer period. In real life $100 total is possible for a brand new iPhone if done right, and is about what I paid for mine.
Play Walmart games, win Walmart prizes.
While I do not know whether this the case for the specific phone mentioned in the (2018) article but it is true for my (2014) Samsung Galaxy SIIIneo, the (2013) Galaxy Tab 3, the two (2018) Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro devices, my daughter's (2015) Galaxy S6 Edge+, etc. Many if not most Android devices are more like PCs in that you're not stuck with whatever the vendor installed on them, instead you have the freedom to install your own OS distribution.
I bought my budget Samsung phone in about 2018 (a J145 for about $150). It has 16gb and struggles a bit these days performance wise.
Edit:
We use my wife's iPhone for photos and stuff like that, mine just for texting and so I can receive spam calls (wouldn't want to miss those).
Any phone that requires a case is going to be bulkier than one that doesn't so this automatically means that the iPhone will be bulkier in the pocket than his budget Android.
If you go the budget phone route you'll probably buy a new phone more often because why not. They're cheap. If next year's model is a decent upgrade you'll probably get it.
I run into people with iPhones that look like they've been through hell despite the case, glass cracked in three places, edges scuffed, outdated model... because frankly they can't afford a new phone all the time so they have to live with this one. But they'll say they just HAVE to have an iPhone and would never consider Android.
Personally I'm somewhere in the middle of the two extremes with a Samsung A5 that costs a couple hundred bucks. Maybe I should ditch the case.
It still costs more than a screen replacement, but at least if I buy a new one, I know I'm not getting a dodgy screen.
And personally, I find it better ergonomically with a little more thickness. One auxiliary benefit is that I can throw it around without caring.
iPhone users can walk into Target and find all manner of cases and other accessories with a variety of styles designed to fit their phones. Samsung users enjoy almost as much diversity. For my replacement Google Pixel, I had to go to Amazon and get a plain case from China that almost looks 3D printed.
These days, dropping an iPhone is unlikely to result in cracks or display damage. The glass on these phones is really strong. However, if that does happen and it gets bad enough to need replacement, with AppleCare, you basically tap a few taps in the Support app and a new phone will be at your front door the next day.
Totally different story if you don't have AppleCare, but I think that it's a no brainer given the cost of these devices.
1. Setting up some light deck and resting it on my thigh, heard a crack, phone smooshed
2. Intoxicated managed to bump the corner of the railing for my mum’s stairs slap-bang in the middle of the phone screen, through my jeans. Phone looked like it had been hit by a bullet
Apple care is a lifesaver for this sorta stuff but AFAIR you can only get it for the first three years of a device. After that you’re on your own
I’ve been amazed at what iPhones after the 6 have been able to survive. My 7 which I have kept as a backup is still kicking except for the camera being destroyed by vibration.
However, I do keep my phone in a back pocket usually and mostly take it out of my pocket if I sit down.
They have a monthly plan now that renews indefinitely. It's pretty recent so I wonder when they will start cutting those off (like I can't see them still supporting phones that have entered their "legacy" status)
Of course, there is the occasional lag (and by lag I mean that you have to wait a couple of ms/s for things to happen), and maybe you won't see the camera used on a movie set... but beyond that, you can live your life and never miss anything from that iPhone.
Using such a device, you also immediately become aware of apps and websites that were released a bit too quickly - heavy, clunky things take longer to load, and you're more likely to abandon a heavy app/website.
So once again, I ask you to optimise your front-ends (both web and 'native').
but for my last phone a year ago i got a refurbished phone that would have cost $300-$500 new. and the difference was massive. this phone has a way better battery life than i can remember from any of my previous phone. it has a better camera and more ram, and is faster (when previously i felt that more ram and faster cpu would affect the battery life negatively)
now this is just an anecdote, and it is very subjective, but i came away with the impression that spending more in a phone can be worth it.
the downside is that for my usage this phone doesn't last any longer than my previous ones. i broke the screen and had to replace it, which wasn't cheap, and the new screen also has some cracks already, which means my average spending on phones will go up if i replace this one with something similar next year.
I believe it was around 2021-22 when I was thoroughly testing but at the time even a 5 year old iPhone was faster than a brand new mid-range android (one of the Chinese brands that had good specs on paper).
And by faster I mean an integer multiple higher FPS, not just a little faster.
My guess would be that popular software like Unity and Unreal is much better optimised for iOS GPUs.
Personally the cost isn't an issue but I prefer the SE2/SE3 design to the flagship phones- you get nearly all of the performance but in a smaller, lighter, more durable body, and with a physical button and a fingerprint sensor.
I've followed Android since dropping it for a 3 year old 6s Plus in 2018 and the things I disliked about it seem to still be there based on reviews and the issues Android-using friends run into.
You can't compare an unsubsidized price with a subsidized one -- it's not a fair comparison.
I love the SE2 as well but it doesn't cost $100 and it doesn't cost $189. You're still paying ~$429, the remainder is just hidden among the monthly payments.
I really did pay $100 for an SE2 from Tracfone, and a few months and under $20 later switched carriers.
I believe these carriers are subsidizing the phone under the hopes you will use their service long term- but with no obligation to do so.
Thank you for actually explaining though- my comments were getting downvoted a lot without replies, and I can see this is because people were assuming I was talking about signing a service contract and not understanding the real cost, which is not the case at all.
While this is certainly cheaper than a full price iPhone SE, it is not even close to a "$100 iPhone" - it's a "somewhere between $200-$300 iPhone", depending on which network you use and how you quantify the cost of being unable to switch.
1: https://www.tfwunlockpolicy.com/wps/portal/home/!ut/p/a1/04_...
You can get a Tracfone SE for $100- I've seen them that cheap on the website, in person in box stores, and on eBay, but you have to hunt around. It would be $219 total right now for an SE3 and 2 months service on the website.
- the superficial feature gaps are lower than ever, and some aspects being better for the budget side (e.g. iphone 16 still with 60Hz display vs 90hz on a redmi a3)
- the flexibility with ios is reaching a tipping point (usb-c, altstore in the EU, etc.). meanwhile android ad revenue approaches are getting more egregious by the quarter.
- the repair ecosystem for iphones are (arguably) consistently better than budget android phones now. components would still cost a new budget android to change, however.
- iphones maintain their resale values, although refurbished marketplace is partially to blame for the continued success recently.
for basic use, now more than ever phones can last you for several years, provided the one you use serves your needs today. obviously, a 10x more expensive phone will not last you proportionally longer.