Smartphones are getting more powerful and more capable every year, but the prices are rising rapidly as well. Consider the fact that the first iPhone was launched in 2007 at $499 for the 4GB model, or $599 for the 8GB version. People thought these prices were crazy – phones had never been this expensive before, but Steve Job’s legendary presentation of the features of the new device meant it flew off shelves faster than Apple could build them.
Google purchased Android in 2005 for $50 million, but the first Android devices were clunky at best. Phones such as the Sidekick still had a foldout physical keyboard, and the resistive touch screen made for a poor user experience. Soon after Apple launched the iPhone, Google knew they needed to scrap everything they had been thinking about the future of the mobile phone, and, with Samsung, began work creating something that could rival the features, ease-of-use, and overall capabilities of Apple’s new flagship product.
Since 2007, the price of these devices has risen year on year, and the latest base model iPhone 13 costs $899, whilst the top-end iPhone 13 Pro costs an eyewatering $1,299. Samsung’s popular Galaxy models are equally highly-priced, and Sony’s flagship Xperia One Mark 3 is even more expensive than the iPhone at $1599.
For most buyers, the truth is that you don’t need to spend this much to get a great smartphone in 2022. The mid-range was previously seen as the poor man’s alternative to the flagship phones being produced by the top cellphone manufacturers, but today, mid-range phones are very capable devices offering most of the features of the flagships, without costing the better part of a months salary.
Google Pixel
Google’s road to producing their own handsets has been an interesting situation to watch; the company partnered with a range of companies including Samsung, LG, and Motorola to produce their Nexus range of phones, but looking back each of these devices was simply a stepping stone, with Google demanding more and more control over the overall hardware and software included with these phones.
The Google Pixel range does include some high-end options, but the company is pricing their mid-range offerings extremely aggressively considering their impressive feature sets. Take the Pixel 4A for example, priced at just $399 with a feature set that wouldn’t look out of place on a flagship phone just a year or two earlier.
A 1080×2340 high-resolution display with 443ppi density ranks higher than Apple’s first attempts at their “Retina” display, whilst software support continues to be offered up to the latest Android 12, unlike many phones from other manufacturers who offer only a year of major software upgrades.
The Snapdragon 730G is a capable chip, and with 6GB of ram and 128GB of onboard storage, this phone will keep up with everything you want to do, whether that’s watching movies on the go, placing bets with a legal betting app in Virginia, or playing the latest graphically intensive mobile games. The Google Pixel 4a will do everything you need with no lag, 5G connectivity, and industry-leading picture processing algorithms.
The iPhone 11/12
What exactly are the differences between earlier iPhones and the current models? The iPhone got a significant redesign with the iPhone 12, doing away with the rounded edges found on earlier models and returning to a much more squared-off design reminiscent of the iPhone 4.
In reality though, whilst the chips inside are getting more powerful, Apple is renowned for allowing their customers to continue upgrading their phones to the latest version of iOS for many years, meaning that an iPhone 11 from years ago can comfortably run the same software as this year’s iPhone 13 range.
The iPhone 12 is even closer in likeness and capabilities – it has the same design, although the notch is larger on the older model. Rumours suggest Apple may do away with the notch entirely for the iPhone 14, although this has not been confirmed as yet. Android phones have been using pinhole cameras or even under-screen designs for years now, and some have criticized Apple for what they see as an unnecessary intrusion of their screen real-estate – not to mention the demise of Touch ID, a feature that was loved by many.
Sticking with the iPhone 11 though, let’s look at the specifications – the phone has a 6.1-inch retina display with a pixel density of 326ppi. The A13 Bionic chip has 6 cores, with 2 dedicated for high performance and 4 for lower-power tasks. This division of processing power enables the iPhone to last a lot longer on a smaller battery than a comparable Android device.
The iPhone 13 has the same 6.1-inch display, although the resolution has improved to 2532×1170, giving an industry-leading pixel density of 460ppi. The A15 Bionic chip uses the same six-core setup as the A13 used in the iPhone 11, and whilst Apple doesn’t advertise the amount of RAM used in their phones, Youtubers who have taken the phone apart and inspected its internals believe that the iPhone 13 uses a very similar memory setup to its older sibling – just like it’s CPU.
The bottom line – don’t spend a fortune on the latest flagship phone unless you absolutely need it. Last years model will often be on sale at a great price, and will still be capable of everything you want to do for many years to come. If you look after your phone well, the battery is likely to die long before a modern smartphone begins to lag behind your expectations.
