I just wanted to share my 2 cents on the subjet.
According to WSJ, smartphone upgrades is slowing down in the USA as the wow factor fades. The number dropped by 9% on a YoY (year on year) comparison. The main reason is the fact that big software innovations are rather rare these days.
When I am thinking about it, I do feel like people are right about those upgrades choices. Let's ride with me for a moment.
We buy a product for several reasons. Some of us are hardware driven, others "cool attitude" (not criticizing it !) driven but it is clear that at some level, software is considered more or less heavily. Then why should we keep paying $600 + for a iPhone 5 or a Samsung Galaxy S4 when obviously the product in its enterity does not support the price ?
After those last years, people were really swept off their feet with Apple and Android on the other hand. But lately, it is been slower, much slower. Maybe because it is hard to maintain a such high level of innovations or motivation when you are thinking about the minds behind iOS and Android.
At the same time, in the hardware department, the evolution has never been so ferocious, manufacturers and semi-conductors labs are still trying to figure out how to use at full speed an ARM Cortex A15 core (don't get me started on the nVidia Shield) and Intel is finally starting to show up.
The world of mobile hardware will know a cataclysm soon enough when Intel will collide at its best with x86 CPU against ARM based SoC with different set of instructions. Who would win ? That will be a battle for the ages that every one should watch that battle and acting accordingly.
But for the moment, Chinese products are at their best. Chinese are using the best hardware available and are mainly based on the Open Source OS, Android. If Samsung or HTC (or any other manufacturer for this matter) cannot propose a compelling alternative, there is really no reason as to why buy those overpriced products and not only the top end ones.
The Samsung Galaxy S4 is a beast but it sports the exact same SoC as the Xiaomi Mi 2S which has a smaller screen AND a smaller resolution which should put our favorite Chinese brand ahead while it is easily $200 cheaper.
Now, even when we turn our interest towards mid end products for an everyday use, it is even more disrespectful for the customer.
Those same brands are calling their mid range devices "Mini" promising that only the size (which is not Mini !) changed but they downsized every component.
The Samsung Galaxy 4 Mini got a qHD display which is ridiculous in 2013 and while the Krait based dual core is really good, they put the Adreno 305 instead of the 320 which is much better.
The HTC One Mini (which is not small at all) is slightly better by putting a better HD screen.
Thhose 2 phones will easily be sold at around $500.
Meanwhile, we have smartphones like XiaoMi Mi 2A which sports an HD screen and the Adreno 320 GPU and it is proposed at less than $300 in our store.
I don't think that customers should pay overpriced hardware pieces in a global world as we live in today. We know how those pieces cost and it is not that damn expensive !
The only way to send a message to those manufacturers is to stop buying their overpriced products.
Mark my words, if Samsung was to offer a Samsung Galaxy S5 at less than $400, I will be the first one to buy it.
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