How much do you pay for your phones?

[Morty2264]

Usually by the time you want to replace the battery and / or OLED screen on a used phone, the same phone on the used market could cost not much more than the price of parts and labor to get the old one like new again... depreciation just hits these things too hard

You raise a very good point. My father-in-law and I were just yesterday talking about the depreciation value of Android phones versus iPhones.

But the depreciation of any smartphone is unfortunate, seeing as we pay so much for them in the first place!

 

[the_boon]

You raise a very good point. My father-in-law and I were just yesterday talking about the depreciation value of Android phones versus iPhones.

But the depreciation of any smartphone is unfortunate, seeing as we pay so much for them in the first place!

Only niche phones are protected from depreciation.

You wouldn't believe what these 3+ year old KEY2's and LE's go for on the market today ... At least 50% original MSRP used, sometimes more than that brand new.
Check out the sales price graphs of Swappa...natural downward curve on one, more or less steady on the other.

 

[Morty2264]

Only niche phones are protected from depreciation.

You wouldn't believe what these 3+ year old KEY2's and LE's go for on the market today ... At least 50% original MSRP used, sometimes more than that brand new.
Check out the sales price graphs of Swappa...natural downward curve on one, more or less steady on the other.

Wow! How interesting! I wonder if the same concept is true for phones like the Essential Phone. My husband has an LG Velvet which is the last phone LG ever made - I wonder if that will be of interest to any collectors in the coming years...

 

[the_boon]

Wow! How interesting! I wonder if the same concept is true for phones like the Essential Phone. My husband has an LG Velvet which is the last phone LG ever made - I wonder if that will be of interest to any collectors in the coming years...

Yeah I'm especially surprised the LG Wing isn't holding on to its value a bit better, considering the unique form factor and it being the last from the brand.

 

[cbreze]

Usually by the time you want to replace the battery and / or OLED screen on a used phone, the same phone on the used market could cost not much more than the price of parts and labor to get the old one like new again... depreciation just hits these things too hard

It amazes me when I’m out and about to see how some people treat their phones, usually kids. No wonder the screens are cracked. The other thing is the cell phone addiction to have the latest and greatest every year. Phones being as expensive as they are for flagship models to get a new one every year and always have that payment added to the monthly bill is mind boggling. I know some can afford to pay cash outright but still the tech hasn’t changed that much year over year to make that purchase necessary. It’s the addiction and/or the need to show off you have the newest. Years ago I did this but these days I can easily keep a phone 3 years minimum. Financing a phone is insane IMO. And trading it in? Well, the manufacturers wins there, every time.

 

[the_boon]

It amazes me when I’m out and about to see how some people treat their phones, usually kids. No wonder the screens are cracked. The other thing is the cell phone addiction to have the latest and greatest every year. Phones being as expensive as they are for flagship models to get a new one every year and always have that payment added to the monthly bill is mind boggling. I know some can afford to pay cash outright but still the tech hasn’t changed that much year over year to make that purchase necessary. It’s the addiction and/or the need to show off you have the newest. Years ago I did this but these days I can easily keep a phone 3 years minimum. Financing a phone is insane IMO. And trading it in? Well, the manufacturers wins there, every time.

If it weren't for foldables and a few niche Kickstarter phones that actually bring something different to the table, then we could definitely say that the market isn't changing much over the years...because it isn't.

 

[Morty2264]

Yeah I'm especially surprised the LG Wing isn't holding on to its value a bit better, considering the unique form factor and it being the last from the brand.

Maybe one day those phones will go up in value!

 

[dang1]

These days I wouldn't pay more than $400. I usually buy used galaxy flagship though ebay- currently on s9+ bought March 2019 for 388.88

 

[J Dubbs]

I've never paid more than $380 for a phone, only buy new, only buy flagships... just year and a half old+ flagships that aren't Apple or Samsung lol.

 

[tadpoles]

I've never paid more than $380 for a phone, only buy new, only buy flagships... just year and a half old+ flagships that aren't Apple or Samsung lol.

One day I'm gonna start doing that and save some $$$$.

 

[Kizzy Catwoman]

Normally try and get my phone on a discount. My S10+ was £699 2 weeks before the S20 line was announced. It was £1200 ceramic white version so I grabbed one interest free. My 4a 5G was £399 on Valentines Day sale so I saved £100 on that.

But I will pay full price for my Pixel 6 Pro, just not till the New Year.

 

[Morty2264]

Normally try and get my phone on a discount. My S10+ was £699 2 weeks before the S20 line was announced. It was £1200 ceramic white version so I grabbed one interest free. My 4a 5G was £399 on Valentines Day sale so I saved £100 on that.

But I will pay full price for my Pixel 6 Pro, just not till the New Year.

Sometimes you gotta treat yourself! Though I love your strategy!

 

[cbreze]

I've never paid more than $380 for a phone, only buy new, only buy flagships... just year and a half old+ flagships that aren't Apple or Samsung lol.

This is a smart way to go. ^
After trying a 4a, I’m sold on the “a” line that pixel offers. Very economical.

 

[tadpoles]

I am such a technophile, its hard to save because I want to experience how far we’ve come.

 

[J Dubbs]

I am such a technophile, its hard to save because I want to experience how far we’ve come.

It's hard to resist the temptation of the newest tech for sure. I picked up my Moto X Pure Edition when it was cutting edge...great phone
But I still saved $100 on it with a promo sale . The modern phones are so good now though, that even last year's flagships, or the year before, are more phone than I'll ever need. And when I pick them up cheap I have no financial obligation to hang onto them any longer than I want to, so I can switch up phones whenever I want, without feeling the financial pinch

I have to admit though, the 6 Pro is the first since my Moto X Pure that has me itching to buy it. But the $1000+ price tag of the Pro is a lot more of a commitment than the $300 I paid for the Moto in 2015 .....times have changed lol.

 

[the_boon]

I would say that pay more than $600 for a phone is a lot. If not looking for the most recent model, it is often possible to buy good phones for not so high price. I found unboxed Samsung Galaxy Note 9 for $600.

$600 seems a bit much for a three year old Samsung flagship.

Swappa and eBay have some mint condition in the $300 range.

Well at least it's the last Samsung Note to have a headphone jack and notification LED.

 

[gray2018]

Not to mention a device that is no longer getting software updates and is almost done getting security patches as well. 600 is way too much. The only way I can say it might be worth 600 is if the device is brand spanking new AND is also the 512GB/8GB ram version. Besides that, you can find the Note 9 much cheaper elsewhere. Samsung is selling them refurbished currently for 400.

You can also get it fairly priced on swappa in a broad range of conditions, some being mint for around the same price if not cheaper. The next step up, you can also get the Note 10+ for around 600 or cheaper which still getting software updates and patches and will be for quite awhile.

 

[mrsmumbles]

I used my govt stimulus money in part for my new Nokia flagship, the xr20. It's the most expensive mid range phone I've ever gotten. I love it! It's fast and snappy and I found out they plant 50 trees for every xr20 they sell. That's a nice little bonus. It's about 2 months after release when I bought it. It gets 3 OS updates and 4 years of security updates. It's 5G which I hope is future proof for awhile. I saw that it was cheaper from different vendors but at the time of the purchase it was at best about $550. On Amazon.

 

[mrsmumbles]

I was also going to buy a Zenfone 8 and a OnePlus 8 and a pixel 4a, but I didn't yet.

 

[beantownsouth]

I used my govt stimulus money in part for my new Nokia flagship, the xr20. It's the most expensive mid range phone I've ever gotten. I love it! It's fast and snappy and I found out they plant 50 trees for every xr20 they sell. That's a nice little bonus. It's about 2 months after release when I bought it. It gets 3 OS updates and 4 years of security updates. It's 5G which I hope is future proof for awhile. I saw that it was cheaper from different vendors but at the time of the purchase it was at best about $550. On Amazon.

I wouldn't have bought my Pixel 5 if I had known about the Nokia XR20. Coming from a Nokia Icon 929, that Zeiss camera would have sealed the deal for me. I've was really impressed with our 5-6 year old Nokia's Icon's and how well they held up.

I usually spend around 500 on a phone. I bought my Pixel 5, brand new in the box, for $500 shipped from someone on Mercari. Which is what I thought the phone was worth in the first place. I wouldn't have paid Googles MSRP for it. My wife's Pixel 5a5G came straight from Google. IMHO that phone is a deal at the retail price.