How Much Do Smartphones Cost?

I need a new phone. As a tech writer, you would think that I’ve got one of those super shiny new devices that can do just about anything, wouldn’t you? Well, you’d be wrong. I have, in my pocket, an Alcatel OneTouch. Yep, this cheap little $150 phone is what I use to get by, and it mostly works. Sometimes. Sometimes the screen just goes black for no apparent reason, and the phone itself is often painfully slow. And internet browsing? Forget about it. It’s definitely time for an upgrade, but the more I look at the pricey phones, the more my wallet cringes at me. That made me wonder. Do most people actually know what their smartphones cost? How much do smartphones actually cost? How much do most people pay for their smartphone? Participate in my poll below to see! According to a Computer World article published last year, the average smartphone price is supposedly going to drop (although I am guessing no one told Apple this) and the average smartphone cost in 2018 has been estimated to be around $200. In 2013, the average unlocked smartphone cost $335, while in 2014 it was projected to be around $300. It seems about right to me, but I think the numbers were extrapolated a few months before the more than $900 iPhone 6 Plus was released. So its hard to say. If you ask your average person how much their smartphone cost, chances are they aren’t going to be able to tell you. Prepaid customers are far more savvy about this than postpaid customers, who often benefit from phone subsidies or payment plans that make that huge number seem far more palatable. I checked this theory with my coworkers, and about half of them grossly overshot the price of their phone. Several were under, but a few actually knew how much the phone cost (even if they, personally, didn’t pay that much). Of course, none of this really helps me any. I desperately need a new phone. I considered going with a feature phone just for the nostalgia of it, but really, I like Google way too much. I guess I’ll just have to suck it up and fork out the money for a better device.]]>