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Google Plans Cheaper Smartphone To Draw Users Into Internet Empire (nikkei.com)
Google plans to unveil its first lower-priced smartphone this year as part of an aggressive push into hardware that it hopes will draw more users into its ecosystem, Nikkei Asian Review reported Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. From a report: The U.S. internet giant is moving quickly to exploit the troubles currently besetting Apple, which has suffered disappointing sales of its new premium iPhone as consumers migrate to cheaper models and global smartphone sales tumble, industry sources say. Google's new smartphone will be its first non-premium model aimed at price-sensitive customers and those in emerging markets.
It is expected to be priced lower than Apple's cheapest iPhone, the XR, which starts at $749. The latest model in Google's own Pixel range, released last October, started at $799. Midrange to highend phones are priced at between $150 and $700, while low end models sell for less than $150, industry sources said. The new phone will be the spearhead of Google's drive to expand the hardware using its operating systems. New products planned for this year include smart speakers, wearables and web cameras, sources familiar with the company's plans told the Nikkei Asian Review. Google also plans to launch a new premium phone in its Pixel range, as usual.
It is expected to be priced lower than Apple's cheapest iPhone, the XR, which starts at $749. The latest model in Google's own Pixel range, released last October, started at $799. Midrange to highend phones are priced at between $150 and $700, while low end models sell for less than $150, industry sources said. The new phone will be the spearhead of Google's drive to expand the hardware using its operating systems. New products planned for this year include smart speakers, wearables and web cameras, sources familiar with the company's plans told the Nikkei Asian Review. Google also plans to launch a new premium phone in its Pixel range, as usual.
It is expected to be priced lower than Apple's cheapest iPhone, the XR, which starts at $749.
If this is the stick they measure "midrange phone" instead of the better Chinese models that sell for less than $200, I'll go out on a limb and predict that Google won't be getting too many customers.
I bought a bunch of these phones for the kids, wife, and my personal phone. Got everything you need for 300 bucks in the Android ecosystem.
It is expected to be priced lower than Apple's cheapest iPhone, the XR, which starts at $749.
That's odd. I bought a bottom-end unlocked iPhone SE at Target in December for about $200. Required that I buy one month of pay-as-you-go service for an additional $30. Have they gone up that much since?
a quick search tells me retail is $399, but I can get one for $125: https://www.digitaltrends.com/...
Here is the problem.
Premium phones can cost about $1,000
a budget phone costs about $100
The problem is even though a premium cost about twice as much as a mid-ranges and ten times as much as a budget. The fact that for many peoples lives, these phones are integrated into their lives, they are going to splurge on the premium, because they can afford it, 1k may be an expensive purchase, but for the use out of it, it may be worth it to them.
The people who don't have phones integrated into their live would spring for the budget model. Calls, Text, Emails, and Simple browsing, is more then enough for their use in 2019.
Mid-Range is tough, because it would be mostly for the people who just need a more advanced phone for work, but would be happy with a budget phone. Because their life style doesn't demand a premium phone, however there are practical reasons, where a budget just will not do.
There were phones that were more expandable. Like the Moto Z. However they never really caught on. Wireless technology, availability and speed, have skyrocketed lately, so getting such expansion modules, like your SD card slot soon become a wasted investment.
Now as a tech guy, I would love to be able to tweak my phone, take a safe backup of the factory condition. Mess with my device until it is broke and restore back. But in reality that isn't going to happen, unless we want to live like in the 1990's where every phone is getting infected with viruses and spyware. Sure google is spying on us. But at least we have some degree of trust they will not blackmail us with the data they collect.
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
Their Nexus 4 and Nexus 5 lines weren't too expensive. Except they didn't make enough to satisfy demand. Then they decided it would be more fun to make phone that cost $600 to $1000. Somewhere in there they got rid of Motorola, who now makes decent phones like the X4 selling for decent prices like $300 (oops, $250, oops, $200, oops, $150).
I was working there when they acquired Android, and I remember being really chuffed that they'd be able to bring decent software to the masses rather than skimming off the top - so I was pretty salty about it when they decided they're rather join the feeding frenzy at the top. Making an amazing $1k phone isn't rocket science, you just need to avoid errors, the existing companies like Samsung and Sony can push the boundaries there. Making a great phone for $200 is where the real challenge is, and it bothers me that Google simply abdicated that position. Instead of co-evolving hardware and software to make a tight fit at $200, they're off bloating things up with elaborate camera systems and voice recognition for the high end, then getting upset that the low-end devices ship with an older Android version.