Why are smartphones so expensive?

[FishLicker]

OnePlus 8 Pro

Cheers Kona, these look absolutely fine

 

[sandys]

Not really Andy, the argument is, considering sandys literally said "I think for me I want more power such that the phone can end up as a general desktop replacement", that additional power isn't going to make phones a legitimate desktop replacement.

You said you want a desktop replacement, a 6.8" screen isn't big enough to do serious desktop work on. Good luck running a screen off a small phone battery whilst you're doing desktop grade work that's going to utilising more of the CPU for longer frequency of time. That's even before taking into consideration the TDP of your 'desktop replacement' chip will be higher than current phone SoCs. I would actually go as far as say that the TDP would be too high for a phone chassis too.

By general desktop replacement, I am really on about general computing tasks much in the same way that most people only need a tablet, not some 64core behemoth, most of the time the phone which is just a small tablet can handle all I need.

I imagine most give up on Dex as it is not quite there, limits the amount of apps you can run, just needs more power to multitask smoother and along with apps that play well in desktop mode but Google has actually been working on this too with a Native Desktop mode in Android 10, so it should get better over time.

I don't do anything intensive when out and about generally, the grunt work is done over VPN so basic office apps and email are sufficient on the phone and yes it can edit a PowerPoint, blimey even in the office we don't use local resources, probably only 1 company in the last 20yrs that use local machine resource for anything but office, everything else is on massive compute farms.

Only local compute stuff I do is my own personal video stuff which yes is not ideal on the phone to the same level as desktop but have certainly made the odd quick clip for social media when in the paddock with it so its not that you can't.

 

[Terminal_Boy]

Do you really think those people are idiots? Do you really believe there is no value in high-end premium products at all?, I really don't understand the bitterness.

Oh, I’m not bitter. People paying way over the odds for iThings kept me in Apple RSUs and Stock Options for a decade.

I just thinking paying over a grand for a phone is mad.

 

[Things change I've changed]

Oh, I’m not bitter. People paying way over the odds for iThings kept me in Apple RSUs and Stock Options for a decade.

I just thinking paying over a grand for a phone is mad.

But your not just paying for a phone anymore, far from it, your paying for a camera that to the untrained eye gets near slr results, a very capable camcorder @ 4k, there is value in that, I don't even use a dedicated camera anymore, that saves me a ton of money, perhaps it's my age but I remember carrying around an expensive camcorder, a bag of camera gear, there is great value in having the best of that in a tiny pocketable device, I really don't get what peoples bug bear is about high end phones, the phone market caters for everyone, if you only got £200 budget no problem, there is a very capable phone out their for you, but the better quality you want the more it costs, the same with many items in life, I hear so many people saying "phones cost so much today" no, they, do, not, the problem is people only have eyes for the top end phones and they are not prepared to settle.