What is the point of high end phones?

[IR76]

So I just went on versus.com to compare the high end Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra to my mid range Google Pixel 7a because I was curious if it was way superior to mine.

 

Honestly for the price difference new it's barely worth it. 

I got my pixel 7a for around £350 new with a 2 year warranty free.

 

The S24 Ultra is £1,200 

 

Based on your experience why have you always gone high end?

 

Honestly the fact it's more than triple my phone price I find high end phones ridiculous.

 

Not saying they aren't good just I don't see the point when my pixel 7A serves me great and takes great pictures and everything is efficient and smooth.

 

 

I was an iPhone user all my life till about a year ago so the change was big but for the better as I love customisation and I was introduced to the nova launcher and its brilliant.

[Poinkachu]

Pretty much like a PC

Depends on your needs / wants and your (or your audience) minimum standard of those needs / wants.

 

Be it gaming, photography, etc

Especially if you make money off it.

 

For my sis-in-law whose income kinda depends on how good of a pic she takes, but too lazy or need to be able to move fast to carry bulky camera

It does have a point.

Edited July 21, 2024 by Poinkachu

[IR76]

2 minutes ago, Poinkachu said:

Pretty much like a PC

Depends on your needs and your (or your audience) minimum standard of those needs.

 

Be it gaming, photography, etc

Especially if you make money off it.

 

For my sis-in-law whose income kinda depends on how good of a pic she takes, but too lazy or need to be able to move fast to carry bulky camera

It kinda does have a point.

That's a fair point I guess I was just ranting about people who have the latest phone then next year the new one comes out and they buy it for no reason.

 

If it's income based then I completely understand and agree but I still find it baffling how the average consumer who isn't that tech savvy will buy high end phones just because it sounds good.

 

It just annoys me when people buy something without proper reasoning. 

 

If you got the cash then fair enough.

[Poinkachu]

12 minutes ago, IR76 said:

That's a fair point I guess I was just ranting about people who have the latest phone then next year the new one comes out and they buy it for no reason.

 

If it's income based then I completely understand and agree but I still find it baffling how the average consumer who isn't that tech savvy will buy high end phones just because it sounds good.

 

It just annoys me when people buy something without proper reasoning. 

 

If you got the cash then fair enough.

Well, some people upgrade their PCs each year out of hobby too.

Some peoples do like having the newest thing in town even if they barely use it or not using it at all.

If I were to make a wild opinion about what kinda need that is, maybe "Satisfying my ego" or "Satisying my craving".

But then again I'm not a psychologist.

 

But yea, sometimes I get the crave for the newest thing in town as well.

 

I wil also add that yes, for some peoples it's a social status thing.

I had a friend who kept buying the newest phone because he was in a circle of elites, and he still needed to be in that circle for varying reasons, so....

Edited July 21, 2024 by Poinkachu

[Fasauceome]

35 minutes ago, IR76 said:

Based on your experience why have you always gone high end?

I enjoy high-end last-gen. When the note 10 came out, I got myself a used note 9 for like $300. 

[Blue4130]

16 minutes ago, IR76 said:

That's a fair point I guess I was just ranting about people who have the latest phone then next year the new one comes out and they buy it for no reason.

 

If it's income based then I completely understand and agree but I still find it baffling how the average consumer who isn't that tech savvy will buy high end phones just because it sounds good.

 

It just annoys me when people buy something without proper reasoning. 

 

If you got the cash then fair enough.

You should rephrase your topic then. It isn't "What is the point of high end phones" it is more "Why do people buy things that they don't need". It's more about the psychology of people and less about the hardware itself.

 

But you should look in on yourself. Why does someone else buying something bother you?

[Poinkachu]

4 minutes ago, Fasauceome said:

I enjoy high-end last-gen. When the note 10 came out, I got myself a used note 9 for like $300. 

I like it when a new model comes out

Because it makes the gen before it cheaper

[IR76]

15 minutes ago, Fasauceome said:

I enjoy high-end last-gen. When the note 10 came out, I got myself a used note 9 for like $300. 

That's good yeah if the price is good then I'd say go for it 

[IR76]

15 minutes ago, Blue4130 said:

You should rephrase your topic then. It isn't "What is the point of high end phones" it is more "Why do people buy things that they don't need". It's more about the psychology of people and less about the hardware itself.

 

But you should look in on yourself. Why does someone else buying something bother you?

It's not just buying something it's buying a piece of tech when they A. Don't need the upgrade. 

B. More importantly don't actually have the money for it.

 

It's one of the reasons I study computer science because one of my passions is to help people with their tech and advise what to get based on their needs.

 

But then it's a double edged sword where I care too much to people who aren't relevant to me or making ridiculous claims.

 

Like how some people judge Samsung as a whole because of the one smartphone that blew and a laundry machine that spun too quick causing the lid to come off.

 

And people who automatically assume apple or android are superior without giving their reasoning. (Most of the time they don't have any.

 

So yes this is more of a psychology issue with me caring about peoples tech/financial wellbeing too much.

[Dedayog]

1 hour ago, IR76 said:

So I just went on versus.com to compare the high end Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra to my mid range Google Pixel 7a because I was curious if it was way superior to mine.

 

Honestly for the price difference new it's barely worth it. 

I got my pixel 7a for around £350 new with a 2 year warranty free.

 

The S24 Ultra is £1,200 

 

Based on your experience why have you always gone high end?

 

Honestly the fact it's more than triple my phone price I find high end phones ridiculous.

 

Not saying they aren't good just I don't see the point when my pixel 7A serves me great and takes great pictures and everything is efficient and smooth.

 

 

I was an iPhone user all my life till about a year ago so the change was big but for the better as I love customisation and I was introduced to the nova launcher and its brilliant.

Like everything else in life, price doesn't mean better.  Look at clothing, cars, electronics, food, etc.

 

You must be very young to not understand how brands work and how the world isn't linear.

[IR76]

4 minutes ago, Dedayog said:

Like everything else in life, price doesn't mean better.  Look at clothing, cars, electronics, food, etc.

 

You must be very young to not understand how brands work and how the world isn't linear.

Interesting that is a perspective I never thought of it.

 

yea I am young but will say not below 18 but I have always struggled in general both socially and learning so I do find it hard to comprehend certain stuff if it's essentially not laid out step by step which results me trying to understand how the world works a lot harder but thanks for that info I'll keep that in mind it's a good lesson.

[IR76]

6 minutes ago, 8tg said:

As I’ve gotten older I’ve learned a lot of tech that I experienced was a mistake, and I shouldn’t have been involved with. High end phones are some of those things. At least for my uses, they’re not something I deem worth spending on because I don’t like the principles of the device as a whole. 
so this is my phone 

which I picked up after I was about to spend $1600 on a flagship Sony Xperia, and then wanted to wait to buy the newer model coming out soon, and asked myself why

and realized I needed none of those things, none of those features, nothing to warrant spending that much money on a brick which has no purpose beyond recreation over any other phone 

so I got a phone for no recreation, and found better things to do with my spare time

 

this doesn’t apply to everyone, but when you look at different smartphones you gotta weigh up what you’re really doing with it

is there any purpose behind a thousand dollar glass slab and a three hundred dollar glass slab when all you do with it is play YouTube videos and take mediocre photos nobody cares to see?

I agree unless there's justification for work use then buying a low end or mid range phone is perfectly fine depending on your needs.

 

I am happy you utilise your time well thanks to not being distracted by things like social media which are not completely necessary.

[Alex Atkin UK]

1 hour ago, 8tg said:

is there any purpose behind a thousand dollar glass slab and a three hundred dollar glass slab when all you do with it is play YouTube videos and take mediocre photos nobody cares to see?

Shooting video for one, It was the only reason I upgraded to an S10 from my Note 4 (that and my banking app no longer support the older Android version).

While my actual camera is leagues better than any phone in good lighting (plus it has a telephoto lens), phones tend to be tweaked to perform better in low light so I can at least shoot something, even if its not perfect.

 

Also my camera only supports 4K 30fps when my phone can do 4K 60fps.  When I've shot conventions I sometimes use my camera to do static 1080p 60fps while getting different angles with my phone.

 

This is also why I tend to get high-end phones, as while the cheaper ones have gotten a lot better, I'm not aware of any that can shoot video nearly as good.   Especially if you might want to shoot for long periods without the phone overheating, you tend to need the more cutting-edge SoCs.

 

Granted I'm due another upgrade due to no longer getting software updates and not sure what I will do as I haven't been keeping up with phone tech as its otherwise boring to me.  I don't often play games on my phone and when I do its not anything CPU or GPU intensive.

[SpaceGhostC2C]

3 hours ago, IR76 said:

Based on your experience why have you always gone high end?

 

Why do you assume we have?

[Somerandomtechyboi]

4 hours ago, IR76 said:

I got my pixel 7a for around £350 new with a 2 year warranty free

that thing by specs looks like a flagship killer especially the soc which isnt some lousy garbage like the snapdragon 600/700 or mediatek helio and ive heard pixels are pretty good at taking videos so youve essentially got a discounted flagship

 

ofc you would think high end phones are weird when you have a flagship killer thatll do most of the stuff high end phones can (game photos videos good screen etc.) with little compromize

 

high end phones its either taking good photos or videos so essentially a multifunction camera or some social status nonsense

 

personally im running with shitty lowend phones cause mom didnt listen to my cost cutting solution (cheap midranger from a few gens ago) and wasted 100$ extra on a shitty new lowend phone, previous phones were hand me downs or when i didnt know much about phones, next phone or even tablet i get ill ensure its a used one cause im not being new trash with trash specs for the same price as a used flagship thatll obliterate it in every way, i mainly game so a shitty lowend phone or a non flagship killer midranger aint gonna cut it thats for sure

[kb5zue]

What is the point of high end phones?

 

Money.

[IR76]

9 hours ago, Alex Atkin UK said:

Shooting video for one, It was the only reason I upgraded to an S10 from my Note 4 (that and my banking app no longer support the older Android version).

While my actual camera is leagues better than any phone in good lighting (plus it has a telephoto lens), phones tend to be tweaked to perform better in low light so I can at least shoot something, even if its not perfect.

 

Also my camera only supports 4K 30fps when my phone can do 4K 60fps.  When I've shot conventions I sometimes use my camera to do static 1080p 60fps while getting different angles with my phone.

 

This is also why I tend to get high-end phones, as while the cheaper ones have gotten a lot better, I'm not aware of any that can shoot video nearly as good.   Especially if you might want to shoot for long periods without the phone overheating, you tend to need the more cutting-edge SoCs.

 

Granted I'm due another upgrade due to no longer getting software updates and not sure what I will do as I haven't been keeping up with phone tech as its otherwise boring to me.  I don't often play games on my phone and when I do its not anything CPU or GPU intensive.

My pixel 7a is mid range and it can shoot 4k 60FPS Stabilised video with Ultra HDR processing so theres no need to go high end for video.

[IR76]

8 hours ago, SpaceGhostC2C said:

Why do you assume we have?

Im not saying everyone does im just directly talking that audience to get their opinions and reasons because i like to debate.

[IR76]

8 hours ago, Somerandomtechyboi said:

that thing by specs looks like a flagship killer especially the soc which isnt some lousy garbage like the snapdragon 600/700 or mediatek helio and ive heard pixels are pretty good at taking videos so youve essentially got a discounted flagship

 

ofc you would think high end phones are weird when you have a flagship killer thatll do most of the stuff high end phones can (game photos videos good screen etc.) with little compromize

 

high end phones its either taking good photos or videos so essentially a multifunction camera or some social status nonsense

 

personally im running with shitty lowend phones cause mom didnt listen to my cost cutting solution (cheap midranger from a few gens ago) and wasted 100$ extra on a shitty new lowend phone, previous phones were hand me downs or when i didnt know much about phones, next phone or even tablet i get ill ensure its a used one cause im not being new trash with trash specs for the same price as a used flagship thatll obliterate it in every way, i mainly game so a shitty lowend phone or a non flagship killer midranger aint gonna cut it thats for sure

Thanks for the information yeah that makes sense.

[IR76]

6 hours ago, kodokuj said:

Oh yeah that bothers me so much too. I remember when the iPhone 14 Pro go announced the NEXT DAY at school I heard someone tell their friend they already pre-ordered it.

My brother also just gets the Pro version for no reason.

But as an SE homie, I don't get why people spend so much on just... a camera they're not using professionally

Yeah i had an SE before a Pixel 7a and i used it for ages and ran into minimal issues for my needs

[IR76]

4 hours ago, kb5zue said:

What is the point of high end phones?

 

Money.

Yes i get that i was just curios if there was an actual reason which is why i went to compare my pixel 7a to the high end s24 ultra

 

[Commodus]

For some of us it's practically a necessity.

 

My phone is not just a work communications tool, it sometimes doubles as my official camera. The better the phone gets, the better I can do my job. I won't replace my phone every year like some enthusiasts, but I'll itch to upgrade relatively quickly.

 

With that said, it's true that more and more people will be perfectly happy with a mid-tier phone. A Pixel 8a or Galaxy A55 will accomplish what most people want in fine fashion.

[Alex Atkin UK]

4 hours ago, IR76 said:

My pixel 7a is mid range and it can shoot 4k 60FPS Stabilised video with Ultra HDR processing so theres no need to go high end for video.

Shoot and shoot at the same quality in the same conditions, are two different things.

 

To me its all about what's the best quality I can get and have it on me all the time, vs the cost difference to get an actual camera that can surpass it but I lose the benefit of it always being with me.

 

I really want a good camera for 4K 60fps but as I've not done any conventions since the pandemic, I haven't looked into it.  Last I checked they were very expensive if you want something that can handle low light.

[rikitikitavi]

Little features and slight improvements that worth it to you to pay the premium over the mid/low-tier. Sure, some features/"improvements" are nothing more than a gimmick or simply unneeded.

 

Sometimes, it is as simple as "I think I need [improvement], because I will start using it and it will make [part of my life] better, for sure". And you never use it, but you keep telling yourself this lie every time... that is me 2010-2018 paying premiums for laptops with upgraded GPUs so I can play games, also me buying cars... I feel pain now lmao

[Alex Atkin UK]

10 hours ago, Commodus said:

With that said, it's true that more and more people will be perfectly happy with a mid-tier phone. A Pixel 8a or Galaxy A55 will accomplish what most people want in fine fashion.

I browse a lot of photo galleries and I cringe every time I see someone go from a DSLR to an iPhone.

 

Even the best phone completely ruins the colours and contrast, those tiny sensors make a lot of sacrifices.

 

I understand the concept of the best camera is the one you have with you, but lots of people were fooled because it "looks good on my phone" but still looks bad in print or on a good monitor.  It just sucks to be me who obsesses over the finer details in the image, or not when its from a phone whose sensor is too small to capture them.

 

Phones will never replace a good camera to me, but a top-end phone is usually better than a lower one.  But I wont assume so, I check example photos online first.