Smartphones come at different price points. From budget phones to flagship phones, everyone can find the right model for them. However, despite however, budget phones have become so powerful over the past few years, survey reports show that more people are willing to buy high-end phones today.
So is it really more cost-effective to buy a high-end phone?
Before diving into why more people are buying high-end phones, let's take a look at some support statistics for better support. Please note that premium phones refer to phones over $3,000.
In the chart above, we can see that more than a quarter of all smartphone sales in 2021 will be high-end smartphones. Given the increasing sales contribution of high-end mobile phones from 2016 to 2021, it is certain that this trend is likely to continue into 2022 and beyond.
Unsurprisingly, most of the high-end smartphone market share comes from Apple. By 2021, the tech giant will have a whopping 60 percent market share, and it should be Apple's recent domestic success that has played a major role in this victory. It was followed by Apple (17%), Huawei (6%), and then Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo and others.
Now that you've seen a few things, let's move on to see why today's buyers might prefer to buy a high-end phone than a budget or mid-range phone.
1. In the long run, high-end mobile phones are more economical
Admittedly, premium phones are expensive and not for everyone. But there are ways to prove that they are more economical than cheaper phones. The top three reasons people upgrade their phones are battery performance degradation, software support is over, or they just want new features.
Knowing this, a premium phone can prove to be more cost-effective for you in three situations:
- You are willing to use your mobile phone for more than three years.
- You don't care much about the latest software updates.
- Once the battery performance is limited, you can replace the battery.
Think of it this way: Let's say you buy a cheap pair of headphones every year or so. Even if the headphones are new, you'll still get poor sound quality every time because the components inside them are simply inferior. But if you switch to high-end headphones, buy a pair and enjoy good sound quality for several years.
The same goes for smartphones. If you buy a cheap phone every two to three years, you'll get average performance, camera, and build quality every time. However, if you buy a high-end phone, you can enjoy its high-end hardware and software for a longer period of time, provided that you have no problems with the three conditions we mentioned above.
Although there is a certain cost to replacing the battery, it is certainly more economical than buying a new phone.
2. Mobile games are expected to usher in explosive growth
Mobile gaming is not the first choice in the gaming industry and among gamers. After all, most mobile games feel like they're designed to help you pass the time, not to immerse you in an immersive story or game. This is perhaps one of the biggest reasons why mobile games haven't developed better.
However, the situation is getting better. Experts believe that mobile games are expected to achieve explosive growth in the next few years. After all, there are far more smartphones in the world than game consoles and personal computers. Mobile games will attract more audiences and will also allow developers to generate more revenue.
In addition, as phones become more powerful and 5G becomes easier to use every year, the graphics and multiplayer gaming experience will also improve. All of this will translate into motivation for developers to make better mobile games, and in order to play those games (which may be free to download), buyers will be more likely to buy high-end phones with better performance.
3. Domestic mobile phones allow global users to have more choices
Domestic brand mobile phones have always been known for their cheap prices. But this is a stage of development, and now it seems that more and more domestic manufacturers are beginning to make efforts to flagship mobile phones.
As we can see in the chart, Xiaomi, Vivo, and Oppo now offer competitive flagships that go hand in hand with Samsung's counterparts, with impressive specs, excellent manufacturing quality, and a very deliberate "cool factor."
Sales of domestic brands in the Asian market are very good. As a result, they may reduce budget phone capacity and prioritize flagship products to increase sales.
4. Users have a more professional understanding of mobile phones
Today's users are different from those of the past decade, and users are more aware and informed about their needs. With more options than ever before, they are free to choose.
With the rise of multimedia platforms and tech publications, buyers can easily watch videos or read articles, compare two or more phones they like, and make better purchase decisions.
All of this is not surprising. As social technology becomes more and more advanced, we rely more and more on smart gadgets in our daily activities, and people will naturally be more willing to spend more on the above gadgets, so although the performance of cheap mobile phones has become very good, some features are unique to high-end mobile phones.
Best high-end phone recommendation for April 2022
1. Huawei P50 Pro
The Huawei P50 Pro phone was launched on July 29, 2021. The phone features a 6.60-inch touchscreen screen with a resolution of 1228x2700 pixels and a pixel density of 450 pixels per inch (ppi). Huawei P50 Pro is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor. It comes with 8GB of RAM. The Huawei P50 Pro runs proprietary technology and is powered by a 4360mAh battery. The Huawei P50 Pro supports wireless charging as well as proprietary fast charging.
In terms of cameras, the Huawei P50 Pro features a quad camera setup on the back with a 50 megapixel (f/1.8) primary camera, a 40 megapixel (f/1.6) camera, a 13-pixel (f/2.2) camera, and a 64-megapixel (f/3.5) camera. The rear camera setting has autofocus. It has a front camera setup for selfies and a 13-megapixel sensor with an f/2.4 aperture. The front camera also has autofocus.
HarmonyOS 2 running on the Huawei P50 Pro is proprietary-based with 128GB of built-in storage that can be expanded via Nano memory card (up to 256GB). The Huawei P50 Pro is a dual SIM (GSM) phone that supports Nano-SIM phones. The Huawei P50 Pro measures 158.80 x 72.80 x 8.50mm (H x W x D) and weighs 195.00 grams. It introduced cocoa tea gold, dawn powder, ripple cloud, snow white and yao jin black. It has IP68 rated protection against dust and water.
2. Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra brings together the camera features of the Galaxy S-series smartphones and the S Pen popularized by the Galaxy Note series. The phone features a 6.8-inch AMOLED screen with a refresh rate of 120Hz and HDR 10+ support. Its peak brightness is 1750 nits. The screen is clear and input can also be obtained from S Pen Stylus.
Powering the phone is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC with 12GB of RAM. It offers 256GB and 512GB storage options. The storage is not scalable, but the default storage is sufficient. The Galaxy S22 Ultra makes it easy to run any app and game in the Play Store. However, the phone does get hot under load.
The Galaxy S22 Ultra has a quad camera setup capable of 100x digital zoom. Regardless of the lighting conditions, the phone will click on amazing photos. In low light, the phone can take good photos even without night mode. The main camera's video recording can reach up to 8K and is stable.
3.Vivo X Fold
The Vivo X Fold phone launched on April 11, 2022. The phone has a 120 Hz refresh rate 8.03-inch touchscreen home screen with a resolution of 1916x2160 pixels and an aspect ratio of 21:9. It also has a 6.53-inch touchscreen as its second screen with a resolution of 1080x2520 pixels. The Vivo X Fold is powered by a 1.8GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor with four cores of 1.8GHz, 3 cores of 2.5GHz and 1 core of 3GHz. It comes with 12GB of RAM. The Vivo X Fold runs Android 12 and is powered by the 4600mAh Vivo X Fold for wireless charging as well as proprietary fast charging.
In terms of cameras, the Vivo X Fold on the back is equipped with a quad camera setup with a 50 megapixel (f/1.75) primary camera; a 48 megapixel (f/2.2) camera; a 12 megapixel (f/1.98) camera and an 8 megapixel camera. The rear camera setting has autofocus. It has a front camera setup for selfies and a 16-megapixel sensor with an aperture of f/2.45.
4.iPhone 13 Pro Max
The iPhone 13 Pro Max is Apple's largest iPhone, but unlike previous generations, it doesn't have any advantage over the iPhone 13 Pro in terms of functionality. It's bulky and bulky, but the big screen is great for gaming, and the increased battery capacity works fine for nearly two days. The refresh rate of the screen is 120Hz, but there is still an unsightly notch (bangs). Thanks to the A15 Bionic SoC, the performance is outstanding. You can choose between 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB of storage options. The main new features are related to the camera: movie mode and photography style. The camera hardware has also been improved compared to the previous generation. You can now shoot macro with up to 3x optical zoom. Although the price is ridiculously expensive.
5. Xiaomi Mi 12 Pro
The Xiaomi Mi 12 Pro phone launched on December 28, 2021. The phone has a 120 Hz refresh rate 6.73-inch touchscreen with a resolution of 1,440x3,200 pixels. The screen is protected by Gorilla Glass. The Xiaomi Mi 12 Pro is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor. It comes with 8GB of RAM. The Xiaomi Mi 12 Pro runs Android and is powered by a 4,600mAh battery. The Xiaomi Mi 12 Pro supports wireless charging as well as proprietary fast charging.
In terms of cameras, the Xiaomi Mi 12 Pro has a triple-camera setup on the back with a 50 megapixel (f/1.9) primary camera, a 50 megapixel (f/1.9) camera, and a 50 megapixel (f/2.2) camera. The rear camera setting has autofocus. It has a front camera setup for selfies and comes with a 32 megapixel sensor. The front camera also has autofocus.
6.Realme GT Neo 3
The Realme GT Neo 3 phone launched on March 22, 2022. The phone features a 120 Hz refresh rate 6.70-inch touchscreen screen with a resolution of 2,120x1,080 pixels (FHD+). The screen is protected by Gorilla Glass 5. The Realme GT Neo 3 is powered by an octa-core MediaTek 8100 5G processor. It comes with 8GB of RAM. The Realme GT Neo 3 runs Android 12 and is powered by a 5,000mAh battery.
In terms of cameras, the Back of the Realme GT Neo 3 comes with a triple-camera setup with a 50 megapixel (f/1.88) main camera, an 8-megapixel (f/2.25, ultra-wide-angle) camera, and a 2-megapixel (f/2.4, macro) camera. It has a front camera setup for selfies and a 16-megapixel sensor with an aperture of f/2.45.
7. Huawei P50 Pocket
The Huawei P50 Pocket phone was launched on December 23, 2021. The phone features a 120 Hz refresh rate 6.90-inch touchscreen home screen with a resolution of 2790x1188 pixels and an aspect ratio of 21:9. It also has a 1.04-inch touchscreen as its second screen with a resolution of 340x340 pixels and a pixel density of 328 pixels per inch (ppi). The Huawei P50 Pocket is powered by a 2.84 MHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor with 1 core clocked at 2.84 MHz, 3 cores clocked at 2.42 MHz, and 4 cores clocked at 1.8 MHz. It comes with 8GB of RAM. The Huawei P50 Pocket runs HarmonyOS and is powered by a 4000mAh non-removable battery.
In terms of cameras, the Huawei P50 Pocket has a triple-camera setup on the back, with a 40 megapixel (f/1.8) primary camera, a 13-pixel (f/2.2) camera, and a 32-pixel (f/1.8) camera. The rear camera setting has autofocus. It has a front camera setup for selfies and a 10.7 megapixel sensor with an f/2.2 aperture.
Huawei P50 Pocket is based on Hongmeng operating system and has built-in 256GB of storage. The Huawei P50 Pocket is a dual SIM phone. The Huawei P50 Pocket measures 170.00 x 75.50 x 7.20mm (H x W x D) and weighs 190.00 g.
8. Honor Magic4 Ultimate
The Honor Magic 4 Ultimate phone launched on March 17, 2022. The phone features a 120 Hz refresh rate 6.81-inch touchscreen screen with a resolution of 1213x2848 pixels (FHD+). The Honor Magic 4 Ultimate is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor. It comes with 12GB of RAM. Honor Magic 4 Ultimate runs Android 12 and is powered by a 4600mAh battery. Honor Magic 4 Ultimate supports wireless charging as well as proprietary fast charging.
In terms of cameras, the Honor Magic 4 Ultimate features a quad camera setup on the back with a 50 megapixel (f/1.6) primary camera, a 50 megapixel (f/2.0) camera, a 64 megapixel (f/2.2) camera, and a 64 megapixel (f/3.5) camera. The rear camera setting has autofocus. It has a front camera setup for selfies and a 12-megapixel sensor with an f/2.4 aperture.
epilogue
High-end mobile phones are becoming more and more popular. Although most budget and mid-range mobile smartphones, most of the demand is easily available in this price range. However, for the reasons mentioned above, users around the world are now increasingly willing to pay more to get the latest technology and the latest features in the tech industry for the flagship experience.