Anyone Else Not Happy With 2017 Smartphone Releases?

[mohit9206]

2017 smartphone releases have been decent enough i think.
Redmi 4 is terrific value for money.
Moto G5 is pretty decent phone for less than $200.
Moto C Plus is pretty good value for money as well.
I just don't like the design of Moto phones anymore as there's too much unnecessary bezels.
Then there's Nokia 6 which seems like a pretty decent phablet for the price.
There's the Sony XA1 which would be considered pretty decent if the price was lower.
There's the Honor P10 lite which is pretty decent value for money.
Instead of only focusing on the flagship phones, if you look below that there have been some very decent phones launched this year.

 

[Tim1954]

I love my S8! Can't wait for the S9...??????

 

[mohit9206]

I love my S8! Can't wait for the S9...

Am waiting for Moto G6 hopefully it will have snapdragon 450 and come with Android O.

 

[sercan acikgoz]

I am pretty happy with my S8+. we are still in the middle of the year. but anyway I believe it was not a poor session. Beside S8 and S8+, Huawei P10, Xperia XZ Premium, LG G6 are not bad devices. The world does not only mean samsung and apple

 

[Almeuit]

I am pretty happy with my S8+. we are still in the middle of the year. but anyway I believe it was not a poor session. Beside S8 and S8+, Huawei P10, Xperia XZ Premium, LG G6 are not bad devices. The world does not only mean samsung and apple

Very true .

 

[EnemiesInTheEnd]

I am pretty happy with my S8+. we are still in the middle of the year. but anyway I believe it was not a poor session. Beside S8 and S8+, Huawei P10, Xperia XZ Premium, LG G6 are not bad devices. The world does not only mean samsung and apple

The Galaxy S8/S8+ is great, except for the curved display. It looks cool, but it simply isn't practical because it creates durability problems.

 

[J Dubbs]

The prices of the flagships are going to push the majority of buyers to the mid-range and lower end phones.

2017 is the year of pure greed... not much exciting about that lol.

 

[Inders99]

The prices of the flagships are going to push the majority of buyers to the mid-range and lower end phones.

2017 is the year of pure greed... not much exciting about that lol.

I think they're going to keep phones for longer periods too especially given the fact that phone innovation is basically stale these days.

 

[LeoRex]

The prices of the flagships are going to push the majority of buyers to the mid-range and lower end phones.

2017 is the year of pure greed... not much exciting about that lol.

I wouldn't call it greed... the profit margin, which is razor thin for Android phones (unlike Apple, who price gouges because they can), hasn't changed all that much from generation to generation. Hardware is starting to plateau, so OEMs can't rely on a faster new processor to make their phone stand out to consumers... they have to develop little shiny bits to entice a buyer... Samsung's curved AMOLED screens are hellaciously expensive to make, and account for a huge chunk of the cost of the phone, for example. And software doesn't have a manufacturing cost, of course, but each new feature they add requires tons of hours of R&D, all by rather highly paid software engineers, program managers, etc.

High tech is high cost. And we, as consumers, are constantly demanding more from OEMs..."They just didn't go far enough", "Lacking a few key features", etc... all are things you read in reviews. So they oblige, but that'll cost ya.

 

[Aquila]

The prices of the flagships are going to push the majority of buyers to the mid-range and lower end phones.

2017 is the year of pure greed... not much exciting about that lol.

Disagree with both statements here. Most consumers are going to pay the higher prices and the OEM's have been very clear that the prices of components are going up (as well as they're obviously making big improvements to the components).

 

[EnemiesInTheEnd]

Disagree with both statements here. Most consumers are going to pay the higher prices and the OEM's have been very clear that the prices of components are going up (as well as they're obviously making big improvements to the components).

I think what will drive people to midrange phones is that midrange phones are becoming so good that buying a high-end phone isn't as necessary as it used to be.

 

[Aquila]

I think what will drive people to midrange phones is that midrange phones are becoming so good that buying a high-end phone isn't as necessary as it used to be.

Biggest problem with that is that people still let the salesman choose for them. Most people don't care about $10 per month vs $15 and they have never heard of the off brands and probably never will.

 

[EnemiesInTheEnd]

Biggest problem with that is that people still let the salesman choose for them. Most people don't care about $10 per month vs $15 and they have never heard of the off brands and probably never will.

I think the difference between a $15 monthly payment and a $30+ monthly payment will be enough to sway people. I recently read a post from someone that bought a $200 phone for his dad and he couldn't believe how good it was. He said next time he upgrades, he is going to get a cheaper Android phone (he currently has an iPhone)

 

[Morty2264]

Biggest problem with that is that people still let the salesman choose for them. Most people don't care about $10 per month vs $15 and they have never heard of the off brands and probably never will.

I agree. So true but also so disappointing. I advise people who want a new phone to always go into the store knowing what they want - the sales rep may just point them to the most expensive phone on the block; especially if they get commission off of the sale. When I bought BlackBerry devices, I'd always go into the store with a made-up mind, even if the sales reps tried to steer me otherwise. I wanted what I wanted - whether or not sales reps liked it or wanted me to get a more expensive phone didn't matter.

It's sad that people will not know about these mid range market device brands. I love my Honor 8 so much and no one who has seen it knows what it is. Granted, I like that it's unique; but people marvel at how little I spent on it. I think if some people were made more aware of the other options out there, perhaps they'd be further inclined to save a few dollars instead of going for "what everyone has;" especially because so many of these midrange phones are so innovative and carry flagship-level specs.

 

[kramer5150]

Biggest problem with that is that people still let the salesman choose for them. Most people don't care about $10 per month vs $15 and they have never heard of the off brands and probably never will.

This....

The crux of it is most people are not comfortable with choices... or having to make choices. A larger and larger majority are more comfortable being told what to do than deciding for themselves what to do.

 

[Morty2264]

This....

The crux of it is most people are not comfortable with choices... or having to make choices. A larger and larger majority are more comfortable being told what to do than deciding for themselves what to do.

Yup, or they just go with what their friends are using. Brand recognition and all that.

 

[Tsepz_GP]

Disagree with both statements here. Most consumers are going to pay the higher prices and the OEM's have been very clear that the prices of components are going up (as well as they're obviously making big improvements to the components).

This is true. Just look at how the low cost $400 flagship model is now becoming the $500. The cheapest OnePlus5 is the price of the most expensive 3T.

This whole 'cheap flagship' and 'high spec mid end' thing just doesn't work for them, and looking at how the larger versions of iPhone and Galaxy sell, it's clear people still don't mind paying top $ for a top spec phone.

 

[chidoro42]

I agree. So true but also so disappointing. I advise people who want a new phone to always go into the store knowing what they want - the sales rep may just point them to the most expensive phone on the block; especially if they get commission off of the sale.

I always tell people you can browse at a carrier store but always purchase online. If they ever have a question, they can ask me. Some take the advice, some don't and end up walking out with a Samsung or Apple. I'll help them with their Apple, but they are in their own with the sammy

 

[Golfdriver97]

I agree we are at the point where there is very little innovation that can happen barring the next technology explosion. What we have now is probably what's going to be around for a while.

I also think it's a little early to throw in the towel for '17 as we aren't even finished with it. For all we know, there may be a phone that is under the radar that might be really great.