Samsung earlier this week pulled the curtain back on the Galaxy Note 8, its flagship for the second half of 2017 (and beyond). With the handset, Samsung is formally introducing consumers to a new breed of flagships at an ultra-premium price and that's something that some are struggling with.
Turns out, it's something you'd better get used to.
Sources reportedly familiar with the matter tell The New York Times that Apple's high-end iPhone 8 will be priced around $999 for what we assume is the 64GB model with 3GB of RAM. For comparison, the Galaxy Note 8 checks in north of $900 (the cheapest I've seen thus far is $930 from T-Mobile).
That's a lot of money but is it worth getting your feathers ruffled over?
Nobody is twisting your arm and forcing you to buy a top-end device. There are now more budget-tier phones than ever before (many of which are superb for the price), neutralizing the sting to your wallet a bit. After all, isn't more choice and competition what people typically demand of an industry?
I'm not defending expensive phones, per se, but I'm also not mad that they exist.
Indeed, perhaps my only complaint is the fact that manufacturers and carriers try to divert your attention away from the fact that you'll be paying nearly a grand for a smartphone with no money down financing and other purchase-time gimmicks. If you're going to drop that kind of cash on a phone, fine - just know what you're agreeing to pay when doing so.