# iPhone v. other smart phones **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 4, 2017, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-v-other-smart-phones/781393 "2017-03-04T16:43:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bizerta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@bizerta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bizerta)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2017, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-v-other-smart-phones/781393/1 "2017-03-04T16:43:07Z")
This is not “my” humble opinion, I’d like your humble opinion. What makes the iPhone so expensive as opposed to other smart phones? I only buy unlocked phones. This give me the ability to switch carriers. As I’ve had Verizon for quite a while, this also gives me the ability to put in someone else’s SIM card if I travel. I purchased my first smartphone last year for $250. I now have a spare standby smartphone in my car (prepaid minutes only in case I forget my regular phone) that I purchased for $129. While Motorola smart phones start at $129, iPhones start at $400 and go up quickly. Apple has stores devoted to iPhones (and other Apple products). I don’t see Motorola, Samsung, or LG devoted stores. It appears that Android outsells IOS by at least 6:1. Are they better built? Longer battery? Better apps? Better operating system? ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2017, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-v-other-smart-phones/781393/2 "2017-03-04T16:56:33Z")
> [@bizerta](#): > > This is not “my” humble opinion, I’d like your humble opinion. What makes the iPhone so expensive as opposed to other smart phones? > > I only buy unlocked phones. This give me the ability to switch carriers. As I’ve had Verizon for quite a while, this also gives me the ability to put in someone else’s SIM card if I travel. > > I purchased my first smartphone last year for $250. I now have a spare standby smartphone in my car (prepaid minutes only in case I forget my regular phone) that I purchased for $129. While Motorola smart phones start at $129, iPhones start at $400 and go up quickly. Apple has stores devoted to iPhones (and other Apple products). I don’t see Motorola, Samsung, or LG devoted stores. It appears that Android outsells IOS by at least 6:1. > > Are they better built? Longer battery? Better apps? Better operating system? Apple does use higher end materials and makes certain parts of it (e.g. the metal back) in more expensive ways. Plus they design their own CPUs for it, so those costs have to be paid for as well. Then there’s the fact that they have the “brand cachet” to be able to charge greater markups. Also, in my experience they’re the best at managing battery life; I’ve never had an Android handset which could _touch_ my iPhone 6S in battery life per charge. Android vendors usually compensate by making bigger phones and just throwing higher capacity batteries at the problem. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2017, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-v-other-smart-phones/781393/3 "2017-03-04T17:36:54Z")
> [@bizerta](#): > > While Motorola smart phones start at $129, iPhones start at $400 and go up quickly. Apple has stores devoted to iPhones (and other Apple products). I don’t see Motorola, Samsung, or LG devoted stores. There are Samsung-only “stores” in some Best Buy stores, selling their smartphones, tablets and so forth. And I think the price on the iPhone is comparable to the price of Samsung smartphones. It’s kind of how the Apple notebook and desktop computers seem expensive, if you compare them to low-end PC compatible systems. But if you compare the Apple computers to higher-end PCs (like from Microsoft, Dell and the like), the prices are comparable. ---
**Author:** ![DrumBum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e79b87/32.png) [@DrumBum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrumBum)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2017, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-v-other-smart-phones/781393/4 "2017-03-04T17:39:09Z")
Our household has always been Apple, be it laptops, desktops, or cell phone. If there was compelling reason to switch to another platform we might switch but as the slogan goes, “It just works”. Another reason is the 8,000 or so shares of Apple shares I hold. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2017, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-v-other-smart-phones/781393/5 "2017-03-04T17:54:52Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > There are Samsung-only “stores” in some Best Buy stores, selling their smartphones, tablets and so forth. And I think the price on the iPhone is comparable to the price of Samsung smartphones. it depends. those really inexpensive ones you can get PAYG are really pretty terrible. slow CPU, obsolete version of Android with no hope of updates, and (most importantly) plain glass screens which start scratching instantly. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2017, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-v-other-smart-phones/781393/6 "2017-03-04T18:02:37Z")
Yes, but if you compare like to like (new Apple iPhone models to new Samsung Galaxy models), the prices are comparable. ---
**Author:** ![Evan\_Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@Evan\_Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evan_Drake)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2017, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-v-other-smart-phones/781393/7 "2017-03-04T18:18:26Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > Android vendors usually compensate by making bigger phones and just throwing higher capacity batteries at the problem. Still, they come with the gift of fire in an emergency… ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-v-other-smart-phones/781393/8 "2017-03-06T06:12:51Z")
Another reason for the variation of smartphone prices generally is the wide variation in on-board memory and processing power. Android phones come with an internal SD card, part of which is used as RAM by the system, another part is used to store bloatware and any apps you download yourself, and the remainder is available for your media files. The phone may or may not have an expansion slot where you can add a second, or “external” SD card, and if it does, recent versions of Android have limited the kinds of files/data that can be placed on the external card. For instance, you usually can’t move many apps from internal to external storage absent extensive tinkering and reconfiguration of the device. This limitation becomes more pressing as successive versions of Android tend to occupy more space, as do many of the apps that run on it. So entry-level or budget Android devices may have very limited internal storage, like only 8GB. My two year old Samsung S5 has 16GB and even that’s not much given the size of Android versions L and M. I don’t know about Apple devices, but I imagine they are similar in this regard. ---
**Author:** ![MTVhike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MTVhike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MTVhike)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2017, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-v-other-smart-phones/781393/9 "2017-03-07T19:48:53Z")
Consider the “ecosystem” you want to be in, and that of your friends and family. I sometimes communicate with my daughter and grand daughter using facetime, which is an Apple-only protocol (I think). All my family members have iPhones and this works. When I tried facetiming an Android-using friend, it didn’t work. In response to Spectre of Pithecanthropus, as far as I know, iPhones cannot have their memory upgraded, although there are aftermarket cases with batteries and memory to extend that of the main phone. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2017, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-v-other-smart-phones/781393/10 "2017-03-07T22:02:57Z")
> [@bizerta](#): > > It appears that Android outsells IOS by at least 6:1. In unit sales, sure, but in terms of profit, Apple makes essentially all of it. Emphasizing profit over unit sales has always been Apple’s strategy, which leads directly into most of the other important differences. Apple doesn’t make budget devices (because those devices compete on price) They make pretty much only premium high-end devices. If you want a cheaper one, buy last-year’s model. > [@](#): > > Are they better built? Than the average Android phone? Definitely. Than the high-end Android phones? Arguable. Although the price difference is > [@](#): > > Longer battery? Somewhat. Mostly driven by a more power-conscious OS. > [@](#): > > Better apps? Generally, although not for everyone. > [@](#): > > Better operating system? Arguably. Depends on what you want to do with your phone. ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2017, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-v-other-smart-phones/781393/11 "2017-03-07T22:06:13Z")
I just got rid of my Windows Phone from 2012 and got a new iPhone 7 128GB. If you get a Windows Phone, do _not_ get the 32GB. If you have a reasonable amount of audio, photos, and apps, your phone will be virtually full the moment you set it up. I actually returned mine to the store for this reason. Right now, for smartphones, you have three basic choices: Android, iPhone, Windows. I wasn’t going to do Windows again because the apps simply aren’t there. I wasn’t going to do Android because there is nothing attractive about the system to me, and it has security issues, bloatware, and other problems. It’s kindof the Wild West of platforms, and that appeals to some people for good reasons. You can be more creative with it than with iPhone and its walled garden. I am a Mac user and the iPhone works well for me in the “ecosystem,” and it has the above benefits. I would get the iPhone 7 instead of the 6. Yes, it has no headphone jack (though it comes with headphones that plug into the power jack), but it’s water-resistant, and that was a selling point for me. Good luck with your selection! ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2017, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-v-other-smart-phones/781393/12 "2017-03-08T00:22:31Z")
> [@MTVhike](#): > > I sometimes communicate with my daughter and grand daughter using facetime, which is an Apple-only protocol (I think). All my family members have iPhones and this works. When I tried facetiming an Android-using friend, it didn’t work. Android user here. (Galaxy S7) It’s a function I’ll probably never use (because I don’t like Skype and videophoning in general), but I wondered how/if the android app works. Can’t think of the name offhand. Anyway, I set it up, called my cousin’s iPhone, and it worked fine. Audio and video both fine, on both phones. Then she called me back- same result. I have no idea if or how it would be for conference calling. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2017, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-v-other-smart-phones/781393/13 "2017-03-08T02:55:37Z")
> [@MTVhike](#): > > Consider the “ecosystem” you want to be in, and that of your friends and family. I sometimes communicate with my daughter and grand daughter using facetime, which is an Apple-only protocol (I think). All my family members have iPhones and this works. When I tried facetiming an Android-using friend, it didn’t work. > In response to Spectre of Pithecanthropus, as far as I know, iPhones cannot have their memory upgraded, although there are aftermarket cases with batteries and memory to extend that of the main phone. Yes, now that you mention it, I do remember now that the storage on iPhones can’t be expanded, so you are limited to its out-of-the box capacity. Whether you’re gonig to buy an Android or Apple device, always get the one with the most internal storage you can afford. If you’re one of those who like to use their phone for just about everything possible, you will end up needing much more space than you first thought. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2017, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-v-other-smart-phones/781393/14 "2017-03-08T03:12:19Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Yes, but if you compare like to like (new Apple iPhone models to new Samsung Galaxy models), the prices are comparable. For the S series (their premier line); they also have the budget J series. ---
**Author:** ![kiz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7feea3/32.png) [@kiz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiz)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2017, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-v-other-smart-phones/781393/15 "2017-03-08T12:23:27Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > For the S series (their premier line); they also have the budget J series. I have a J series phone, 16G. I don’t know what Samsung’s done, but whatever it is this particular phone’s features/storage goes over and above anything I’ve ever had in a smartphone. I also have an external SD card. It’s true that it won’t allow you to transfer most apps to it, but you can certainly transfer your gallery and miscellaneous files to it. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2017, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-v-other-smart-phones/781393/16 "2017-03-08T12:31:06Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > Yes, now that you mention it, I do remember now that the storage on iPhones can’t be expanded, so you are limited to its out-of-the box capacity. Whether you’re gonig to buy an Android or Apple device, always get the one with the most internal storage you can afford. If you’re one of those who like to use their phone for just about everything possible, you will end up needing much more space than you first thought. Yep. The downside to expandable storage is that SD cards are slower than hell. ---
**Author:** ![Krouget](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b38774/32.png) [@Krouget](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Krouget)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2017, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-v-other-smart-phones/781393/17 "2017-03-08T14:39:39Z")
> [@bizerta](#): > > Are they better built? Longer battery? Better apps? Better operating system? I think those are things a company can use to market their product, but in the end, the price seems to directly relate to what the market is willing to pay for a particular brand. It’s pure profit. * * * \*"The bill of materials (BOM) for an iPhone 7 equipped with 32 gigabytes (GB) of NAND flash memory carries $219.80 in bill of materials costs, according to a preliminary estimate from IHS Markit. ## After $5 in basic manufacturing costs are added, **Apple’s total cost to manufacture the iPhone 7 rises to $224.80**."\* Taking a look at the [Google Pixel](https://store.google.com/config/pixel_phone), one of the top Android phones at the moment: * * * ## _“The new Google Pixel and Pixel XL certainly don’t come cheap, easily costing as much as Apple’s iPhone 7 and Samsung’s Galaxy S7, and it seems that there’s plenty of profit to be made with these high end phones. **The production cost of a 32GB Pixel XL is just $285.75** , including $7.75 in basic manufacturing costs, according to IHS Markit.”_ They directly matched the [retail price of iPhone](http://www.apple.com/shop/buy-iphone/iphone-7#01,20,31), because they figured the market would go for it. They were right, as the thing is consistently sold out. However, I think this mainly works because Google is the one doing it, while manufacturers like Samsung and Apple are big enough household names to get away with it, too. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2017, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-v-other-smart-phones/781393/18 "2017-03-08T17:08:41Z")
I’ve always been a Windows user and am in fact a Microsoft-language programmer (.net). I’ve also always been the “IT gal” in the family, building and fixing computers. Never owned a Mac. When it came time to finally get a phone, the whole idea of “You can customize it!” totally and utterly turned me off Android. I did not want another computer, I wanted a _device_. The whole “it just works” thing completely sold me. I didn’t get an iPhone until the 6 came out, but i had an iPod Touch 3 and then a 5, which were basically the phones without cell service. They have, in fact, always “just worked” with no fiddling or add-ons needed. I also honestly like the lack of broad choice. If I want an iPhone I can get one of the 2 or 3 current models. If I want an Android phone, well, time to get my search on. For me, the walled garden is bliss. For others, the idea is a nightmare. I’m willing to pay the cost for the iPhone and have it be a solid \*device \*for a few years then get a new one. For others, this is the least ideal situation. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2017, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-v-other-smart-phones/781393/19 "2017-04-08T07:14:20Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > . > I also honestly like the lack of broad choice. If I want an iPhone I can get one of the 2 or 3 current models. If I want an Android phone, well, time to get my search on. If you disregard the low- and mid-market Androids, the choice of remaining upmarket and current flagship devices isn’t all that overwhelming, though admittedly still with more to choose from than with iPhones. There are hundreds if not thousands of Android models available, but only a few are intended to compete directly with the iPhone. Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2017, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-v-other-smart-phones/781393/20 "2017-04-08T12:14:47Z")
> [@](#): > > After $5 in basic manufacturing costs are added, Apple’s total cost to manufacture the iPhone 7 rises to $224.80." IHS is only counting the money Apple spends to buy the components and pay people to put them together. They’re not counting the money Apple spent prior to launch on developing their own CPU/SoC architecture. Google just buys theirs from Qualcomm. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-v-other-smart-phones/781393.md?page=2)