By: Nathan Navida

Gerald Ligeralde

Apple thinks it’s ok to sell a $1000 plus flagship with minimal improvements then we should feel wholeheartedly sorry for people who buy iPhones in general.

After the release of the iPhone Xs and Xs Max, the race for best smartphone of 2018 has begun with Apple and Samsung at each other’s throats once again. In this world of consumerism, the brand name is everything and Apple has its sheep – people who upgrade every year – shepherded into its money pen once again.

Apple tries to be “innovative” each year boasting its A12 bionic chip for faster performance, larger 6.5″ display which still has a notch, and “breakthrough dual-camera system.”

Apple thinks it’s ok to sell a $1000 plus flagship with minimal improvements then I feel wholeheartedly sorry for people who buy iPhones in general.

Let’s just recap what Samsung’s flagship Note 9 has that Apple’s flagship iPhone Xs Max doesn’t at the $1000 price:

– Larger battery (4000 mAh on Note 9) vs (3174 mAh on iPhone Xs Max)

– More storage (128 GB standard on Note 9) vs (64 GB standard on iPhone Xs Max)

– Expandable storage (expanded micro SD on Note 9) vs ($150 for more storage on iPhone Xs), included fast charger (Apple sells it separately)

– Included S-Pen (iPhone Xs doesn’t offer one), fingerprint reader (iPhone X got rid of it)

– Included headphone jack (It’s awkward how this is a thing now)

Consumers who buy iPhones every year have been scammed for years and they’re oblivious to the fact that Apple is charging them for software features, hardware features, and accessories that Samsung phones had for decades.

You then buy the Apple Watch ($400) because you need a watch and the Apple brand is all you’ve known your whole life.

Apple has got you right where they want you and now you’re stuck within the Apple ecosystem. Your blind to the other brands which have plenty more to offer and by then it’s too late to realize that you just spent $3000+ when in reality you could have spent less for more.

The Apple brand is more of a fashion statement, a financial status, an accessory, and people need to wake up and smell the coffee.

Aside from the price and new processing technology that the new iPhones have to offer, everyone always looks towards how much better the cameras have improved from their last batch.

The brand new IPhoneXS’ cameras are “True Depth.” What this means is that the front and back cameras utilize infrared and multiple sensors to enhance the infrared.

In short, these cameras are more powerful in the sense that it does a very good job at sensing depth and distance allowing pictures to show more than ever.

If you’re looking to upgrade, I think that it only makes sense if you upgrade if you’re somehow still stuck with the iPhone 4, 5, or 6. But if you currently have the iPhone 7 or better it doesn’t make too much sense to upgrade.

If you do see the need to upgrade for whatever reason, I believe that the iPhone XR is the best for you considering its very low price range. However, if that’s still too high for you, the iPhone 7 and 8 are still available for purchase between $500 and $700.

While the iPhone XR is the best cheapest Apple product on the market, it costs $140 more than a 256GB Samsung Galaxy S9 plus and $350 more than the Google Pixel 2.

These alternative brands of phones also feature top quality technology some of which are actually better than Apple.

In conclusion, unless you’re stuck with a very old version of the iPhone, there is no reason to upgrade to the iPhone XS or XR.