The Galaxy Note 8

We use our smartphones more than ever. These days, we would trade our laptops occasionally for something smaller and more compact. After all, smartphones nowadays are equipped with laptop-level internals, capable of running Photoshop Lightroom Mobile, make a quick travel video on the fly, and provide us with quality photos and videos that can rival DSLRs and Mirrorless cameras. With all these improvements and innovation comes a price: All these cutting-edge tech have driven the prices of smartphones, particularly those from big-name brands, to stratospheric figures. So high, consumers wish they could donate their kidney to purchase these powerful smartphones (but seriously, don’t ever do that).

Admittedly, I was blown away with the features of Samsung’s Galaxy Note 8, from its Live Focus camera feature to Bixby. Aside from its dual rear cameras—both equipped with OIS, the Note 8’s S Pen has evolved further in terms of functionality—now closely mimicking a real pen, just like Apple Pencil. However, as much as I love the Note 8, I have issues when it comes to the price. At an SRP of Php 49,990, the Note 8 is one hella expensive smartphone. John even discussed at how Samsung is moving to a more premium pricing structure with its pricing on the Note 8.

Galaxy Note 8, Y U So Expensive? 😐

What can you buy for the Note 8’s price?

For the SRP of a Note 8, I could get myself a decent Windows laptop like Lenovo’s IdeaPad 500s, which is priced at a hair under 47K. But since I am a Mac user, I only need to add four thousand pesos to get myself a MacBook Air (it is priced at Php 53,990 at Apple’s Philippine online store, but of course you can get it cheaper through other retailers). Although the MacBook Air is a dated and outgoing model (there are rumors that Apple might kill the MacBook Air), it is still a dependable laptop—a lot of people still use a MacBook Air up to this day, as the new MacBook Pros (the ones with the not-so-useful-for-now Touch Bar) are too expensive for most people and have barely noticeable upgrades. Trust me: I am using a Mid-2015 Retina MacBook Pro in writing this commentary, and it just does the job for me, from writing articles, batch editing photos, creating banner images for the site, to rendering Full HD videos.

 

Previously, we asked if anyone will buy insanely expensive gaming notebooks like Acer’s Predator 21 X or Asus’ ROG GX800, and the answer is yes. In fact, some crazy individual out there decided to buy three Predator 21Xs instead of an SUV (for reference: You can buy a Toyota Fortuner, and have some spare change!)  Just like gaming laptops, most people would buy expensive smartphones like the Note 8 because it is crucial to their field to work. For some, however, it is a status symbol—just like why people would splurge on Rolex watches, Gucci shirts, or Louis Vuitton bags.

 

The iPhone 8 will be more expensive

With news now that the iPhone 8’s price will start at $999 (~Php 51.1K), I ask myself: At what point will consumers stop craving for the latest gadgets due to their exorbitant price? Early surveys have revealed that only 13% of American consumers are willing to pay a grand for the iPhone 8, and that figure goes as low as 8% should the iPhone 8 be priced at $1,400 (which will most likely happen, given the rumors of a 512GB variant).

Rumored final design of the iPhone 8

 

However, no matter how expensive the upcoming iPhone 8 may be, it should not be a big deal. If Samsung did it with the Note 8, so can Apple. After all, they price their products higher than the competition and still dominate in terms of global smartphone sales.

 

Will the fanboys eventually switch brands because of the Price?

Brands like Huawei, OnePlus, and Xiaomi are selling smartphones that offer performance-level specs at a much lower price (check out our list of great smartphones for under Php 30k), and people are generally happy with them. With a bigger competition in the smartphone industry, we wonder if even the avid Samsung and Apple fanboys are willing to splurge significant amounts of money just to get their hands on the latest smartphones from their favorite brands. While Apple and Samsung are established brands, is it only a matter of time before their loyal fan base will be turned off by their insane price points for their products? 

Our take? We believe that the diehards will stick it out and keep upgrading. The more practical ones though will realize that it’s not upgrading every year because prices keep going up but the changes are incremental. How about you guys? What’s your take on it? Hit us in the comments section below with your thoughts!