Why are iPhones getting cheaper and cheaper, while Android phones are getting more expensive? Here are three reasons

I believe everyone has noticed in recent years that Android phones are getting more and more expensive. For example, the top-end prices of OnePlus 8 Pro, OPPO Find X2 Pro, and Xiaomi 10 Ultra Commemorative Edition are close to or exceed 6,000 yuan. However, compared with previous years, the prices of flagship phones from these mainstream domestic mobile phone manufacturers are also between 2,000 and 3,000 yuan. Xiaomi even defined "1,999 yuan", but now the price of Xiaomi flagship phones has reached 5,000 yuan.

So the question is, why is the iPhone getting cheaper and cheaper, while Android phones are getting more and more expensive? I think there are three reasons.

Reason 1: The experience gap between Android and iPhone is gradually narrowing

I believe that every rational user can see clearly that four or five years ago, the Android market was a mixed bag, prices were opaque, and the experience was seriously inconsistent with the price, resulting in many Android phones selling dog meat under the guise of sheep. The most typical problem was that the system optimization was too poor and the UI was too ugly. Fortunately, there are still many mobile phone manufacturers in China who are motivated, so MIUI, EMUI, Color OS, Hydrogen OS, Smartisan OS and other operating systems based on deep customization of Android have emerged, which have secondary optimized the native Android system that was originally difficult to use.

In addition to software, the same is true for hardware. The domestic Android mobile phone market has become the focus of worldwide attention. Qualcomm gives the first launch rights of the Snapdragon 8 series flagship chips to domestic manufacturers every year. Android manufacturers will also spend higher prices to purchase more expensive hardware, such as Samsung's screens. Facts have proved that good products speak for themselves, and there will be users who know the value of the products and buy them.

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Reason 2: iPhones aren’t getting cheaper

The starting price of iPhone 4, launched in 2010, was 4,999 yuan; the starting price of iPhone 5, launched in 2012, was 5,399 yuan; the starting price of iPhone 6, launched in 2014, was 5,288 yuan; and the starting price of iPhone 7, launched in 2016, was 5,388 yuan.

So judging from the price alone, the starting prices of today's iPhone 11 and iPhone XR are not cheaper than the old iPhones back then. It is because of "reason one". The prices of Android phones continue to rise, which makes consumers think that "Android is getting more expensive, and Apple is getting cheaper", and then they will say things like "I might as well buy an iPhone for more than 5,000 yuan."

Reason 3: Material costs are getting more expensive, and R&D funds are increasing

With the development of smartphones today, it is very difficult to ensure the mass production of new technologies and upgrades with the current level of technology. Mobile phone manufacturers must continuously invest in research and development funds to promote the upgrade and iteration of the industrial chain to ensure that they can come up with more selling points when they release new phones next time. In other words, if mobile phone manufacturers "squeeze toothpaste", it will inevitably lead to low sales of new products and users' unwillingness to change their phones. Therefore, faster wireless charging, higher-pixel lenses, and more luxurious materials are also coming.

Secondly, the material prices of mobile phones are also rising. The most typical example is the rising price of chips. The price of the "Dragon Fruit" Snapdragon 810 chip was about US$15 (about RMB 100) at that time. The Snapdragon 845 released in the following years directly rose to US$70, and the Snapdragon 855 was US$90. This year's Snapdragon 865 directly came to US$170.

Mobile phone manufacturers will have to bear a small part of the increase in hardware costs, while users will have to pay the larger part out of their own pockets.

The above is what I think is the reason why "iPhone is getting cheaper and cheaper, while Android is getting more expensive". In the final analysis, it is not that Apple is selling cheaper, but that our domestic mobile phones are getting better and better, so there is naturally a reason to charge higher prices.