This past year, we’ve seen price increases across the board for flagship phones – particularly in the US. We’ve seen price increases from Google, Samsung, and OnePlus (While Motorola stayed at the same price this year). This opened the door for Apple to do the same thing, and raise prices for the first time since the iPhone X debuted in 2017. But, Apple kept the same prices across the board.
Last year, Apple did technically up the price of the Pro Max model. However it was a sneaky price increase, as Apple ditched the 128GB iPhone 15 Pro Max, raising the starting price to $1,199, which was the same for previous 256GB models. I fully expected that Apple would do this with the regular Pro model this year, but that didn’t happen.
Apple is selling the iPhone 16 for $799, iPhone 16 Plus for $899, iPhone 16 Pro for $999 and iPhone 16 Pro Max for $1,199. Since Apple pushed the price of the iPhone to $999 in 2017, the price has remained the same. When the cheaper iPhone was released in 2018, when the Pro Max was released in 2019, and the Plus released in 2022.
Android phones saw $100 price increases in 2024
Across the board, many Android phones saw price increases this year. The Galaxy S24 Ultra was released in January, and it saw a price increase by $100 to $1,299. The Google Pixel 9 also saw a price increase of $100 to $799, as did the Pixel 9 Pro XL to $1,099.
Even OnePlus raised its prices, with the OnePlus 11 starting at $699 and the OnePlus 12 this year starting at $799.
So why didn’t Apple raise prices? It’s actually pretty simple, and it comes down to upgrades. Apple wants to get people to upgrade, but at the same price they’re paying now. For example, the iPhone 16 Pro with 128GB of storage is $49.91 per month with the iPhone Upgrade Program. Now that is more expensive than just financing it, since you are paying for AppleCare+ in the iPhone Upgrade Program. This is the same price as last year, and the iPhone Upgrade Program lets you upgrade every year. And that’s what it comes down to.
Many iPhone users tend to stick with their phones for 5-6 or even more years. And with things like the iPhone Upgrade Program, Apple is able to get more people to upgrade every year. Keeping prices the same, at least in the US, allows that to be an easier thing to do.
It looks the same!
Many are saying the iPhone 16 looks the same since the iPhone 11 series debuted. So? Why does a phone company need to do a complete redesign every year? Especially when they know, the number of people upgrading every year is so small. And Apple isn’t alone here. Samsung hasn’t really changed the design of its flagship slab phones in a few years, just iterating on its design. Google had the biggest redesign this year, and really all the Pixel 9 did was get flat sides, and a flat camera bar.
Don’t expect to see many big design changes in the next few years. Companies have settled on their designs, and they are unique. This makes it easier to spot an iPhone, a Galaxy or a Pixel from a distance. It helps these phones stand out from the crowd. Look at OnePlus, OPPO, Huawei, HONOR and Vivo. They all have a similar camera bump, making it pretty difficult to tell the difference between them. However, Apple, Google, and Samsung all look largely different, even though they all have flat sides.
So if your reason for not upgrading is because “it looks the same”, well, you’re going to be keeping that phone for a very long time.
2024-09-12 15:12:11