Each person’s definition of smartphone ‘value’ is wildly different

oneplus-nord-39.jpg

This isn’t an equation, it’s a perception.

As smartphone prices continue to rise, discussion of the “value” of phones — both on their own, and comparatively — seems to be louder than ever. With the upcoming Note 20 Ultra expected to be over $1300, alongside phones like the OnePlus Nord at €399 and Moto G Fast at just $200, the range of prices you can pay for a phone is getting wider and wider. The argument is, then, that these super-expensive phones don’t offer the same value as lower-end devices, which have been benefiting most from the rising tide of quality components available at affordable prices.

There are more variables at play in a discussion of ‘value’ than you’ve ever imagined.

But this logic is flawed. “Value” isn’t something you can equate by taking the price and dividing by some combination of a phone’s specs. Value is a perception. A feeling. Yes it’s influenced by price, just like everything else a phone offers, but the weighting and specifics of how all of those variables come together into a score of “value” isn’t easily defined. And here’s the important part: it’s different for every person.

Value is tough to define, and incomparable from person to person, because while the amount you put in to a phone (its price) is the same between people, the amount you get out is dramatically different. Sure there are things like screen size, battery capacity and storage space that are constants, but remember that the perception of how useful or necessary each of those components is will vary considerably between people. There are obviously industry trends driven by smartphone buyers in aggregate — preference for larger screens, for example — but when it comes to making a purchase decision between a handful of available phones, there can be a huge variety of possible valuations at play.

galaxy-s20-ultra-standing-home-screen.jp

And we shouldn’t overlook the fact that even though the price of a phone is the same for everyone, the effect of that price on a buying decision is highly variable. Someone’s income, job, living situation and age can dramatically change how much it “matters” that a phone is costly. It sounds silly to have to point this out, but I see people clearly forget this time and time again in phone comparisons. Even if two people (impossibly) have the exact same desires in a phone, it’s highly likely that they value their money differently. How meta.

It gets more interesting when you understand this concept to the point where you can make sense of someone seeing more value in an expensive phone than in an inexpensive one. Just because a phone is, say, $1200 doesn’t mean that you’re “overpaying” for that phone. It’s quite easily explainable why someone would see that the extra things you get in a $1200 phone — from overt ones like screen size, down to minute ones like build quality — over a $200 phone are worth more than $1000.

Make a decision on which phone is best for you based on your preferences, not someone else’s.

There is also, of course, the economic principle of Veblen goods, which increase in demand as their prices go up. But this isn’t an economics lecture, so I’ll stop there.

If you follow my editorials here you’ll know I’ve started to move away from using generalized terms like “mid-range” when referring to phones, and I have the same evolving thought process on using the word “value” as well. We should absolutely still talk about price, and can always focus on specs and features, but when it comes to the question of value, we just have to remember everything that goes into that determination. And just because you and I see different amounts of value in a phone, doesn’t mean that either one of us is right or wrong.

-Andrew

Related posts

Latest posts

From Android 1.0 to Android 16: How Google’s mobile OS has evolved since 2008

With Google I/O 2025 streaming next week, we're taking a walk through the complete history of Android

You Asked: Sony A95L vs. Bravia Mark II, and iPhone 17 Air battery life

On today’s You Asked: Should you go with a 77-inch A95L or 65-inch Bravia 8 Mark 2? Will the expected iPhone 17 Air have poor battery life? And, is burn-in still a problem on some of the latest OLED TVs? Best 55-inch TV Peter asks: What is the best TV at 55 inches, OLED or […]

One brand has a golden opportunity to make the best camera phone of 2025

Sony is about to announce a new Xperia flagship phone, and I've got high expectations for it.

The Galaxy S25 FE might pack a pleasant hardware twist

If luck is on our side, the Galaxy S25 FE might just snag a more powerful chip.

You don’t need to care about 16 KB memory pages, but it’s still an important change. Here’s why

A technical requirement for the platform's "future direction" will have little effect on what you do every day.

I assembled an Ultrahuman smart ring by hand and learned how they work

Ever wonder how they squeeze so many components into a smart ring? I got to see how every part is

Powerbeats Pro 2 Available for Lowest Ever Price of $199.95, Plus Beats Pill at $99.95 and More

Amazon this weekend is discounting a collection of Beats headphones and speakers, including an all-time low price on the Powerbeats

Everything you need to turn your phone into the ultimate gaming handheld

Don't spend a bunch of money on a dedicated handheld just to get something new and shiny. I'd bet that

Motorola’s Moto Watch needs to start living up to the brand name

A licensed partner made the old budget Moto Watches. Now Motorola is stepping in, but it's not clear yet how

Here’s how to watch Sony’s Xperia 1 VII launch event

Sony’s next phone, the Xperia 1 VII, will be unveiled on Tuesday, May 13! You can catch all the action live on that day beginning at 11 a.m. Japan time, which is 10 p.m. on May 12 in EDT. You can watch the event on YouTube using this link. If you’re a Sony fan, you […]