[Casualballer]

Wandering if anyone has any data about what percentage of flagships are bought more then a year after launch. I always recommend to fam and friends buying a flagship right after its sequel is launched because I feel that's when you get more bang for your buck. How much of the market acts this way?
Also it might anecdotally explain why I feel like I never really see the s20 around that much (quarintine may have what yo do with that)

[Morty2264]

Very interesting thread - thank you for posting! I *sort of* follow your notion: I'll buy a flagship maybe six to eight months after its launch. That way, if there are any issues, they will have been fixed by then; or I'll at least know about them and can look elsewhere.

I bought my Google Pixel 2 six months after its launch; and my S10 seven months after its launch. However, I do remember getting my LG G3 either on the heels of the LG G4 or soon after its release.

[gendo667]

Funny. I was just telling my wife this morning about how rumors are saying the Note 20 will be more expensive than ever this year. I told her I might upgrade to the S20 after a price drop instead of waiting for the S21/S30. It's pointless to buy a flagship at launch these days.

Wandering if anyone has any data about what percentage of flagships are bought more then a year after launch. I always recommend to fam and friends buying a flagship right after its sequel is launched because I feel that's when you get more bang for your buck. How much of the market acts this way?
Also it might anecdotally explain why I feel like I never really see the s20 around that much (quarintine may have what yo do with that)

[dpomerance]

Two weeks after the S20 launch I bought an unlocked S10+ from BB for $500. Coming out of an S6 I thought my new phone was super fast and I have no regrets having saved over $500.

[Kizzy Catwoman]

I bought my £1250 ceramic white S10+ for £699 in January 2020. I don't regret it as I got top specs for budget price, well nearly half price.

[gendo667]

A counter point to my previous post in this thread. A week or two after launch, I traded in my S8 and got my S10. T-mobile took $300 off the S10. It made the S10 about $600.

[customshopkv1]

Funny. I was just telling my wife this morning about how rumors are saying the Note 20 will be more expensive than ever this year. I told her I might upgrade to the S20 after a price drop instead of waiting for the S21/S30. It's pointless to buy a flagship at launch these days.

Absolutely pointless, but I am a sucker. My iPhones I bought every year but usually a month after launch. The S20U was the first pre-order I have done.

[Mike Dee]

A counter point to my previous post in this thread. A week or two after launch, I traded in my S8 and got my S10. T-mobile took $300 off the S10. It made the S10 about $600.

Samsung does offer some great trade in deals at preorder.
When I bought my Note 10+ they gave me 600 for the Pixel 4XL. They were offering 600 for the regular 4 as well. At the time the Pixel used market was horrible and the phone was averaging 300 on Swappa less than a year after release.

[Adam Frix]

what Mike said. The other way to do it, at least with Samsung, is to dive in with a flagship and then immediately trade it in for the next one when it comes out.

You end up paying half, as long as you're committed to riding that Samsung upgrade train.

I bought the 9+, then last March immediately traded it in on the 10+. I have to admit, I didn't like the path Samsung is taking with the form factors of their phones, and that's why I held off on the 20. I'm still using my 10+, waiting for something better to come along. Samsung makes good hardware, and their software is great, but I really, really don't like the trend on form factor. Pretty soon, we'll all be carrying around a 12" netbook and everyone will think "well, that's perfectly normal". No, it's not.

Put the 20 or 30 guts into a frame the size of a 9+, but thinner like the 10. Give me the rear FPS. Put the power button in a reasonable position.

None of this will happen while Qualcomm chips suck power, especially like in the 20 series where they force the separate 5G chip. That just adds to the size, and the extra battery required to power it all adds to the size. Sorry, not interested. That's why I'm going to take a strong look at the Qualcomm 765 phones as they roll out. Maybe they'll be better.

But probably not from Samsung, as Sammy apparently insists on building huge phones no matter what. "Bigger is better!" No, bigger is only bigger. Only better is better.

[Mike Dee]

what Mike said. The other way to do it, at least with Samsung, is to dive in with a flagship and then immediately trade it in for the next one when it comes out.

You end up paying half, as long as you're committed to riding that Samsung upgrade train.

I bought the 9+, then last March immediately traded it in on the 10+. I have to admit, I didn't like the path Samsung is taking with the form factors of their phones, and that's why I held off on the 20. I'm still using my 10+, waiting for something better to come along. Samsung makes good hardware, and their software is great, but I really, really don't like the trend on form factor. Pretty soon, we'll all be carrying around a 12" netbook and everyone will think "well, that's perfectly normal". No, it's not.

Put the 20 or 30 guts into a frame the size of a 9+, but thinner like the 10. Give me the rear FPS. Put the power button in a reasonable position.

None of this will happen while Qualcomm chips suck power, especially like in the 20 series where they force the separate 5G chip. That just adds to the size, and the extra battery required to power it all adds to the size. Sorry, not interested. That's why I'm going to take a strong look at the Qualcomm 765 phones as they roll out. Maybe they'll be better.

But probably not from Samsung, as Sammy apparently insists on building huge phones no matter what. "Bigger is better!" No, bigger is only bigger. Only better is better.

The sad part of the trade is that they don't offer more for the top models of a line.

[Morty2264]

It's pointless to buy a flagship at launch these days.

I couldn't agree with you more. The only phone I ever got shortly after its launch was the BlackBerry Q10. Thankfully it was a great experience and I can't remember encountering any hiccups.

I just think buying a phone at launch - though super exciting, don't get me wrong! - could be an easy way to encounter bugs that the manufacturer didn't catch upon the phone's release.

[Grabber5.0]

... insists on building huge phones no matter what. "Bigger is better!" No, bigger is only bigger. Only better is better.

Hah, I love this. Tired of phones getting so darn big!

[Morty2264]

Hah, I love this. Tired of phones getting so darn big!

I liked that, too. "Better is better" is a good philosophy.

[Mike Dee]

I liked that, too. "Better is better" is a good philosophy.

I think it's safe to say bigger is better for some people. That's why we have different sizes. The dilemma for some is that sometimes the smaller models lose features.

[Roosterman]

I was planning to get a Pixel 4a to replace my Essential phone. Then, on eBay, I found the s10 for only $60 more than the 4a's expected price. So picked up a flagship quality phone for only slightly more the Google's mid-grade. Plus, I'd still be waiting to replace my failing phone if I'd stayed on the 4a wish train.

[Morty2264]

I think it's safe to say bigger is better for some people. That's why we have different sizes. The dilemma for some is that sometimes the smaller models lose features.

Absolutely! I can totally get behind that notion.

[gendo667]

I think it's safe to say bigger is better for some people. That's why we have different sizes. The dilemma for some is that sometimes the smaller models lose features.

I prefer a smaller device. I had the standard S8 and currently have the S10. The plus models are just a bit too big for my taste. The only thing I really want is the bigger battery.

[me just saying]

what good is a flagship if it is not a flagship when you buy it. No more wow factor or bragging rights!!!! :-)

Seriously, I generally replace my phone every two years. When it is time for me to get a new phone, I just don't have the patience to wait.

[gendo667]

what good is a flagship if it is not a flagship when you buy it. No more wow factor or bragging rights!!!! :-)

Seriously, I generally replace my phone every two years. When it is time for me to get a new phone, I just don't have the patience to wait.

I used to be an every year guy. Launch day was a celebration. I remember getting the LG G4 day of launch while moving to Atlanta from Alabama. We stopped on the way. Had to be done. I've calmed down since then.

[Mike Dee]

I prefer a smaller device. I had the standard S8 and currently have the S10. The plus models are just a bit too big for my taste. The only thing I really want is the bigger battery.

Well it's hard to get a bigger battery in a smaller device unless you make it thicker. Of course that depends on what size battery you mean.

[gendo667]

Well it's hard to get a bigger battery in a smaller device unless you make it thicker. Of course that depends on what size battery you mean.

Oh I'm not worried about it. On days of heavy usage, I don't mind topping off. Doesn't bother me.

[Mike Dee]

Oh I'm not worried about it. On days of heavy usage, I don't mind topping off. Doesn't bother be.

I have never brought a phone down to empty because I always plan ahead for extended usage.

[gendo667]

I have never brought a phone down to empty because I always plan ahead for extended usage.

Same. My wife and I had to travel half the state today to see family. I just brought my charger. Phones charge so quickly now it's really not a big deal.

[Adam Frix]

Well it's hard to get a bigger battery in a smaller device unless you make it thicker. Of course that depends on what size battery you mean.

which is why Apple spends billions on chip research, which is why they use their own in-house chips for iPhones, and which is why they're dumping Intel in exchange for their own in-house chips on their computers. Apple has ARM chips that sip power--which means the batteries can be smaller--and yet which provide significantly better performance than anything else on the market. It's a one-two punch.

Meanwhile, Android makers just goes the brute force route. The chips get more powerful, which means they need more power, which means the batteries need to be bigger, which means the phone needs to be bigger.

And that sucks.

[Morty2264]

what good is a flagship if it is not a flagship when you buy it. No more wow factor or bragging rights!!!! :-)

Seriously, I generally replace my phone every two years. When it is time for me to get a new phone, I just don't have the patience to wait.

To me, though, buying the Pixel 2 thr following April, six months after release, still meant that I had a flagship. And I thonk that even though time passes, you're *still* buying a flagship - it just may be six months old or last year's flagship.