We live in interesting times. It may be a little dark because of everything that happens around, but it's still interesting. Manufacturers offer new technical solutions for us every day, and we kind of tell them what they have to do. They don't always listen to us, but we have one weapon against them – the market economy. There are many of us, and manufacturers also have competitors and it is in their interests to make us interested in their product. In general, they are trying, but the price is what we demand from the manufacturer. Of course, making a modern gadget is expensive, but there is a feeling that some manufacturers do not see the shores at all and just do what they want. Especially when competitors flirt too.
Still want to buy it?
Many copies have been broken this year over the OnePlus price. In the comments and in our Telegram chat, there were many opinions that we stuck to this smartphone for nothing and that it costs normal money. That's how it is, but then you have to throw off the aura of nobility and stop, albeit not openly, talking about the fact that you are working almost at a loss. Instead, the company at least continues to maintain this image by inertia. You could also say: “Thank you for helping us up. For this you have been using cheap smartphones for several years, but now everything will be like everyone else. ”
As a result, the novelty costs like the Samsung Galaxy S20, which doesn't quite fit into the usual idea of OnePlus devices. It even costs twice as much as a new one iPhone, no matter that it has thick frames and only one camera. This is iPhone that everyone has always complained about overpricing.
The other day we were presented with a new Honor 30 Pro +. I already had time to use it and made my impression about it. In a nutshell, this is the smartphone that has really piqued my interest lately. And even though this is only a sub-brand Huawei, and Honor 30 Pro + itself should be similar to Huawei P40 Pro, but I liked it much more than my older brother. Even so, I still think the price of 54,990 rubles is too high. Especially without Google services. You can buy last year's flagship Huawei P30 Pro, which will last for several years, for 40,000 rubles, including a discount. This is a steep price in today's reality (and not only in the world).
And so we were shown a new Xiaomi Mi 10. It may have all the flagship specs and give you the ability to shoot 8K videos, but does anyone need it? There is nowhere to watch such a video. It can be used for editing, but for this purpose, 4K is enough for the vast majority of amateurs. Most interestingly, the smartphone doesn't even have a 120Hz screen. It may not be very necessary, but it would be at least some kind of justification for the current pricing policy.
With such a price it is not 'Motor!', But 'Stop!'
As a result, the novelty in Russia will cost 69,990 rubles. And is it still “top for your money”? It seems to me that someone just crossed the boundaries that were not worth crossing. Where is the halo of proximity Xiaomi to the people? When Mi6 came out, it really broke and cost a penny by today's standards, but 70K is no longer in any way. And do not say that this is all because of the dollar exchange rate and in foreign currency the price is not so high.
Yes, a three-digit number isn't nearly as scary in mathematics as a five-digit number, but it's still a lot. And for the average American or European, spending almost a thousand dollars on a smartphone still has to be decided. It's also expensive for him. Although the price in China is lower, in the rest of the world it will be comparable to ours. Apparently, the fact that the CEO Xiaomi uses iPhone leaves its mark.
Again I want to remember iPhone. Recently Apple has chosen the right path. There is iPhone 11, which is expensive, but more or less bearable, and there is a Pro version that offers more, but also costs several hundred dollars more. For all the fans, there is iPhone 11 Pro Max, which costs even more.
Samsung also did the right thing and released the Galaxy S20 in different versions, ranging from the usual one for 79,990 rubles to the Ultra version, in which the “ultra” price is also 109,990 rubles.
Manufacturers don't even bother with advertising design.
These smartphones at least have a choice of what to buy, and they do not tell the buyer that the new product costs so much, and if you do not have that much, then go with last year's model. If you are already releasing a device on the verge of technical progress, make more versions with a big difference in price, but with the same ideology. As a result, a person will be able to buy the Lite version at half the price of the Pro version, but will receive a modern smartphone. With this approach, you can already make limited versions and ask for any money for them. In this case, there will be no questions.
You argue that you can buy with delivery from China or from “serovars”. Yes, it will be cheaper, but we're talking about the global market. If the management of the company sets such a price tag for the world, then it is somehow justified. If not, and this is only a desire to make money, then everything said above that the company is simply [wrong] is once again confirmed.
This is especially true against the background of the fact that you can buy last year's flagship or just a slightly cheaper modern smartphone that will work almost the same, but cost up to two times cheaper. Because of all this, it seems that companies used to carefully set the price in pursuit of Apple and then Samsung, but now they are no longer shy about the principle of “and so will buy”. It turns out that the concepts of “flagship killer” and “flagship at half price” have sunk into oblivion? It turns out so.
Well, at least the camera is not in the block like Samsung and Huawei.
Unnecessary smartphone functions
And it's also not clear why manufacturers (OnePlus, Xiaomi and some others) make a separate sensor for macro photography? Moreover, with a resolution of only 2 megapixels. Aren't you ashamed to offer the specifications of a smartphone for 69,990 rubles, which generally has such a combination of letters and numbers as “2 Mp”? You can’t do more, so don’t shame yourself.
What are 2 megapixels? What are you talking about?
Moreover, even technically it is not necessary, since you have such a cool and clear sensor with a high resolution, on which every pixel is visible. Having cropped a picture with a maximum resolution of up to 2 megapixels, you can get a much better analogue of a macro – you can see the eyes of any snail. Although, okay, this is already a topic for a separate conversation.