Android smartphones now average less than half the cost of iPhones

Though the actual price of your Android phone can be obfuscated by subsidies, a new study sheds light on just what you’re paying for your device. When it comes to Android, the average price is less than half of what we’re getting with an iPhone. While encouraging for Android fans, the data serves as a misnomer to equitable comparison.

Though it may cost less out-of-pocket when purchased in unison with a plan, you’re still paying for the device in some respect. Over time, you will end up absorbing the total price for your smartphone, regardless of OS or OEM. Apple’s iPhone was found to be the most expensive, running us around $650 per handheld. Android? Well, we find ourselves out-of-pocket to the tune of $280 or so — on average.

The problem here is the same as the benefit of Android — choice, and volume. With Android being free to use on a device, OEMs can keep the cost down. From there, they can introduce a variety of specs to fit our needs, and desired price point. The Moto G is great example of a device that suits most needs, and keeps a very respectable price point.

When it comes to top-end Android devices, though — the disparate pricing disappears. In comparing devices against one another equitably, a top-end Android device will run around the same as an iPhone. That $650 price is right around the same we’ll find with a new LG or Samsung device. The lone holdout with regard to flagship devices is the Nexus lineup, which undercuts device pricing to unreasonable terms for most OEMs.

Is an iPhone really more expensive? Absolutely. Both in regard to average pricing and equitable comparison, the iPhone will often run you more. Sometimes quite a bit more. The good news for us as Android users is that devices like the Moto G or Nexus 5 serve to bring down pricing on higher end devices as well. Variety often has that effect, and it’s something Apple just can’t touch.

Source: Statista

VIA: Digital Trends