On Thursday 29th December we looked at the new Smartphones on offer and discussed why some of them were so expensive.
In general, the new “Flagship” – or premium phones cost the most:
“There is a variety of reasons why premium smartphones are rising in price. Premium phones are becoming as powerful as ever, with loads of new features, to a point where they’ve become luxury items, and companies are spending more to make and sell them.
Inflation plays a part, and people keep phones longer than ever, forcing companies to raise prices to maintain and increase revenue.” https://www.makeuseof.com/why-are-phones-so-expensive/
iPhones tend to be more expensive than Android phones. This article suggests some reasons why: https://www.makeuseof.com/why-are-iphones-more-expensive-than-android-phones/
…and this one describes why iPhones might be better than Android phones: https://www.androidauthority.com/ios-vs-android-1068950/
We then looked at the features of the new top-of-the-range iPhone 14 Pro Max (around €1500). First a review: https://www.techadvisor.com/article/1387647/iphone-14-pro-max-review-2.html This led to an investigation into what a “Dynamic Island ” is… We also looked at the official Apple webpage about this phone (impressive graphics!): https://www.apple.com/iphone-14-pro/ and found the Satellite Connectivity for emergency services and Car Crash detection features interesting.
(Post Script: One feature which was not highlighted is that the iPhone 14 is easier to repair: “The outside of this year’s iPhone 14 looked identical to previous models, but a new internal design enables it to be opened from either the screen or backside. That makes common repairs such as replacement of smashed back glass or the battery quicker, easier and cheaper.” https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/dec/29/guardian-tech-reviews-2022-repair-recycled-materials )
One highlighted feature was camera performance. Smartphone cameras have gradually improved over the years, adding more lenses. iPhones seem to be particularly good in low light and theatre conditions. However, Chris maintained that Digital Single Lens Reflex cameras are still capable of “better” pictures, partly because they have larger and interchangeable lenses. https://feltmagnet.com/photography/Best-Smartphone-for-Photography-DSLR and https://deep-image.ai/blog/what-is-the-future-of-photography-smartphones-or-dslr-5-things-a-dslr-does-better-than-a-phone-camera/
(postscript: Sony asserts DSLRs will soon be extinct: https://www.techradar.com/news/smartphones-will-kill-off-the-dslr-within-three-years-says-sony) … we shall see!
Finally, we looked at the new phones coming to the UK in 2023 – noting that some of them had foldable screens – this is about the third time foldable screens have been launched – previously without success. https://www.techadvisor.com/article/724353/best-new-phones.html We noted that in the recent past several “cool” features had been rolled out with new TVs – 3D, curved screens..remember them?
Cheaper new phone models are of course available. Scotty suggested a minimum specification of 128GB storage and 6GB RAM – we found models with that specification priced at less than €200. Whether you buy an expensive phone at the top of the range with the aim of hanging onto it for 6 years or buying a cheaper model which you might change for a new one in a couple of years, is a personal choice. Keep in view that the phone must be able to be upgraded to the latest Operating system for security purposes (The latest Android version is 13). It’s best to buy an established brand name since they are better prepared for System Updates. Batteries also have a limited life in terms of the number of times they can be recharged, though newer batteries are getting better.
Chris Betterton-Jones – Knowledge junkie