Why Over Pay for a Smartphone?

I'd be amiss in my responsibilities if I don't sneak it in that in the midst of all the fanfare and glamour and glitz about flagship devices from top brands that go from anywhere in the region of 150k to 250k+ and which whet the appetite with gizmos and features from here to Timbuktu and which some "big bois and gehs" flaunt about to further increase their desirability, there are considerably comparable devices from extremely competitive Asian manufacturers that have given these top dogs a run for their money in the West and back home in Asia (even giving Apple an iPhone headache with a second consecutive quarter of drop in earnings).

(Wow, that was a mouthful to get in one sentence *dusts shoulder*)

Ehen, where was I? Right, considerably competitive devices, yes.

But, playing on widespread ignorance and just outright nonchalance, these top phone brands and their colluding sales outlets will continue to make a killing of a profit here because of status symbol of this brand or that. While for a fraction of the amounts expended on a Note 7 with an S-pen that'll be redundant for 95% of the time, you can buy 8 other considerably competitive smartphones. For the exact same price of an iPhone 6S plus in Ikeja Village, there are 10 smartphones to be bought that'll give the buyer a competitive advantage.

And just before you say "Chinco" *cough cough*, where do you think these other more expensive brands are mainly made? Probably a little history course will fit into this space. Indulge me.

There was a time when assembled parts in smartphones were quite expensive. Time was when a phone manufacturer couldn't get the right camera components, when the battery units were beyond reach and the glass parts of smaller phone manufacturers were too brittle or the charging ports were too prone to despoliation. It was impossible at some point to Dolby sound and stereo speakers into these devices at a bargain price that'll keep the device cheap, so we got those "Chinco" speakers that could resurrect the dead. And there is a history of absence of innovative in-house Research and Development teams to add features that people will need in their devices even before they knew they needed these features.

Of course. But, the history didn't stop there.

With advanced development of the Android platform and other congruent mobile progresses so much has changed so fast on the smartphone landscape. Manufacturing has innovated so much that assembled parts of phones have not only become more durable but mostly availably affordable. Whether it's a unibody metal casing or glass front-and-back device. Whether it's solid and unshakeable type-B or type-C USB ports. Sony's camera parts are available inexpensively for all manufacturers today who wish to use them. Miniature speakers for devices with advanced performance are commonplace today that some phones are dedicated music smartphones. Different battery components litter the landscape with more and more lesser known brands able to put a lot more mAh per unit than the big dogs and optimise it for longer durations with Android's most recent iterations. Gorilla glass is now the go-to solution for screens and their toughness isn't up for debates. It's there for all comers. And with exceptional use of processor, optimised RAM management, efficient battery performance, advancement in leaps and bounds in speed and compatibility and ever growing play store for apps, Android has removed the need for smaller manufacturers to need in-house R&D departments.

What you get is device manufacturers who are Asian neighbours of the Samsungs, HTCs, LGs, Sonys and Apple assembly-plants unveiling devices that considerably match those brands in features and performance. And since these smaller brands now have to sell in countries that measure standards, they have had to up their game be allowed into the smartphone markets in the West. The little points of differentiation that these top dogs advertise as why their devices are so good and different are minutiae and in some areas not even noticeable to the unaided human eyes nor by normal average daily utility (sometimes needing special equipment to measure them). And for that, they overprice their offerings.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum are devices that serve the daily purpose of smartphone use admirably and some more. And remain affordable doing that.

(I didn't intend writing this much oo. Choi!!!)

Please, don't mind me. Just give the most recent devices (2016 mostly) from these manufacturers a look. And see for yourself.

1. Xiaomi
2. OnePlus
3. Oppo
4. Honor
5. ZTE
6. Elephone
7. Ulefone
8. Meizu

Enjoy.

img source: Android Headlines