we want more years of updates for when the most expensive prices drop

When I recommend a mobile to someone who needs to renew, I usually ask them the same question: Do you need a current phone or does it work with a phone that has been on the market for a while? This doubt is not insignificant, it is much easier to have a high-performance and quality smartphone by betting on a high-end one or two years ago. The problem is the updates: if there was a very long-term commitment, the top of the range would be more attractive.

This week Marked Brownleethe famous technology analyst who owns one of the most important YouTube channels, launched a comment on twitter which seemed very fair to me:No more cheap phones. Just more software support for flagships“. He agrees with my own opinion, I’ve always recommended a high end with some time in the market before a recent mid range. Since Androids are falling in price, and they don’t change much from year to year either, a “top” mobile from two years ago is better than today’s mid-range . But…

The lack of updates penalizes the high end

Talking about Android’s problems with updates means going back to one of the most common complaints, the one that has affected our system since its inception. Brands do not keep their proposals alive beyond two or three years, negligible time for a material that, with the exception of the battery, could last for many more years. Especially if the mobile incorporates the most advanced technology of the moment: this will remain in force longer than components that are already of a certain age.

The mid-range has improved impressively over the last five years, acquiring a phone for 200 dollars is no longer a lottery. With a little more investment, you can buy a quality mid-range that almost borders on the top. And bumping the budget slightly, there are high-end phones from two or three years ago that are now worth half that. And if the offers are traced, this difference can be more important.

MKBHD hits the nail on the head when it indicates the relationship between high end and upgrades. If it is true that an Android mobile It can be used perfectly even if it takes a while without receiving any hardware refresh, just like the fact that it loses a lot of security, a certain speed and freshness. Given that the material will remain in force for several years, with an extension of the guarantee of updates, the brands would in turn prolong the existence of premium mobiles in the windows.

Samsung is giving away five years of security updates and four years of new Android builds on its Samsung Galaxy S22, for example. Currently, and the Samsung Galaxy S23 is about to be released, investing in the latest generation means an average saving of 30/40%. Buying an S22 next year will be a bit cheaper. And surely said that the Galaxy S22 is better than any Galaxy A or Galaxy M that will be released in 2024; tonic that can be extrapolated to other brands (with the shorter update time as an aggravating factor). The math doesn’t lie.

Fewer phones to update, easier for brands

Reduce the number of cheaper cell phones and expand the marketing range of the more expensive and powerful ones, the brands could still pay for investment in components, design and marketing, at least on paper. The most expensive mobile would be that of the current year; They might sell the previous year’s one as mid-range and at a bit more affordable cost, older phones. As the catalog would be short, updating efforts would be reduced; resulting in faster and longer releases.

This argument is based on the logic that in any sales strategy there are a huge number of influencing factors. Attracting consumers’ attention without constant news is difficult, the same goes for the competition if your publishing schedule is tighter. Moreover, a reduced portfolio of phones does not meet the needs of all users, regardless of the quality of these devices.

Expensive mobiles are better, but not because of the price: they are for the average quality of its hardware, for its power and for the diversification of software. A large part of premium mobiles with Android are devalued in price more than in functionality. And keeping them up to date with updates would keep them attractive much longer. After all, isn’t that a similar strategy to the one Apple uses with its iPhones?

If an iPhone 11, with three and a half years on the market, is still attractive, why wouldn’t a Samsung Galaxy S10 be? If they left me the choice, I’d buy a 2019 Galaxy S10 before one of its 2022 mid-range ones. Too bad it stays on Android 12.