4 ms·

What I don't get are these price tags. My last flagship phone was a Google Nexus 6P where the base model was $499. Amazing phone, too bad after 3 years it had

What I don't get are these price tags. My last flagship phone was a Google Nexus 6P where the base model was $499. Amazing phone, too bad after 3 years it had a battery issue but the manufacturer gave me a new one. But the thing is: it was $499. That was the greatest thing about the Nexus lines - good hardware (maybe not the latest SOC) with regular updates and a good OS experience. I miss those phones. Google with the Pixels went full goofy mode. I'm not paying 1.140€ for a phone. I have a Huawei P10 that's still running smoothly, just the battery is getting tired... so maybe ill get one of those Pixel 6 Pro :) But Google pushed away a lot of the Nexus user base, who were hyped every year for the new Nexus.

fluidcruft 3y ago
Isn't that the segment the Pixel _a line targets? The 7a is $499...
- libertine 3y ago
  Yes, but the 6P was the flagship. This was back in the day where a flagship phones base prices were like 600/700€. Now it's double. In 2018 the Samsung Galaxy 9 was 700€. Now a Samsung Galaxy S23 is 1.200€.
  - hatsix 3y ago
    Back then, phone providers were competing to be the Nexus brand, so it was generally a loss-leader. The brand that released the Nexus phone would release their actual flagship about 3 months later. Also, inflation.
  - fomine3 3y ago
    7a is almost a flagship, so most people don't have to care their flagship series. Just buy a series. Nowadays "flagship" means that the best camera they can achieve.
  - Mistletoe 3y ago
    “Now it’s double” is what they will write on the tombstone for this era.
  - rtkwe 3y ago
    They pack a lot more stuff into phones now too. Better screens, multiple cameras, etc. Today's flagships are also just physically larger than the older phones for the differences that makes.
maxerickson 3y ago
I payed $550 for my Pixel 6, ~1 year after the release. Has good hardware, regular updates and a good OS experience. Comparable to ~$450 a year after the release of the 6P. I guess the 6P might be relatively higher end?
- QuarterReptile 3y ago
  The 6P was a very nice device.
pie420 3y ago
"That was the greatest thing about the Nexus lines - good hardware" Yet every nexus phone had major hardware issues. that's not good hardware. It wasn't premium, it wasn't supported long, and it wasn't high quality. I LOVED the nexus line, as a broke college student that prioritized bang for the buck and customization, and speed, and android was getting great new features every year, but things have gotten so bad at google.
- libertine 3y ago
  > Yet every nexus phone had major hardware issues. I won't argue with that. But I'm right there with you, Nexus phones and android releases were exciting - and you knew with Nexus you'd be the first to get the new stuff.
teaearlgraycold 3y ago
Some of that is inflation (and it's claimed the iPhone 15 Pro at $999 is the best deal since the original adjusting for inflation). I also think that in order to continue shipping something new each year back in 2010 all you needed were some same-price-new-generation silicon/battery/screen improvements. These days the tech has plateaued a bit and we've seen a number of years where the improvements come from adding another camera, then another camera. More and more sensors. Some stupid and more expensive features like under-screen fingerprint readers. A phone could cost way less, but the table stakes are now much higher so manufacturers can get away with phones costing nearly a grand (and sometimes much more).
dangus 3y ago
Google pushed away frugal customers. That was a very smart business decision for them. When Google sells a Pixel 8 Pro for $999, they’re sending a signal that says “our phone is just as good as the iPhone.” I think your story points to how the Nexus line was basically an unfinished product where Google wasn’t even willing to attempt to sell it at a profitable price point until they could buy a hardware designer (HTC) and integrate that company into Google to produce a comprehensive product. Your Nexus phone had to be entirely replaced and yet you only gave the company $500. So they just sold two flagship phones for $250 each. That’s not a business, that’s a charity. My Nexus 5X bootlooped right in front of my eyes with no user intervention. The Nexus lineup wasn’t as good as an iPhone (nor a Samsung or Huawei phone for that matter) and that’s why nobody paid iPhone money for it.
kevincox 3y ago
I think marketing is a big part of it. If they price it cheaper than the iPhone then people will view it as inferior.
- libertine 3y ago
  But that's the thing with the consumers of the Nexus line - they were fun phones and people knew they weren't "inferior".
0xcafecafe 3y ago
Nexus hardware (LG made) was crap. Both mine and my wife's phones bootlooped at 12-14 months of purchase. Never had such issues with any of the other smartphones we have owned.
dwaite 3y ago
As the lifecycle most consumers have for their cellphones stretches out adding additional years, the manufacturers are pushing their high-end phones more heavily, and creating even higher-end phones.

fluidcruft 3y ago

Isn't that the segment the Pixel _a line targets? The 7a is $499...

libertine 3y ago
Yes, but the 6P was the flagship. This was back in the day where a flagship phones base prices were like 600/700€. Now it's double. In 2018 the Samsung Galaxy 9 was 700€. Now a Samsung Galaxy S23 is 1.200€.
- hatsix 3y ago
  Back then, phone providers were competing to be the Nexus brand, so it was generally a loss-leader. The brand that released the Nexus phone would release their actual flagship about 3 months later. Also, inflation.
- fomine3 3y ago
  7a is almost a flagship, so most people don't have to care their flagship series. Just buy a series. Nowadays "flagship" means that the best camera they can achieve.
- Mistletoe 3y ago
  “Now it’s double” is what they will write on the tombstone for this era.
- rtkwe 3y ago
  They pack a lot more stuff into phones now too. Better screens, multiple cameras, etc. Today's flagships are also just physically larger than the older phones for the differences that makes.

maxerickson 3y ago

I payed $550 for my Pixel 6, ~1 year after the release. Has good hardware, regular updates and a good OS experience. Comparable to ~$450 a year after the release of the 6P. I guess the 6P might be relatively higher end?

QuarterReptile 3y ago
The 6P was a very nice device.

pie420 3y ago

"That was the greatest thing about the Nexus lines - good hardware" Yet every nexus phone had major hardware issues. that's not good hardware. It wasn't premium, it wasn't supported long, and it wasn't high quality. I LOVED the nexus line, as a broke college student that prioritized bang for the buck and customization, and speed, and android was getting great new features every year, but things have gotten so bad at google.

libertine 3y ago
> Yet every nexus phone had major hardware issues. I won't argue with that. But I'm right there with you, Nexus phones and android releases were exciting - and you knew with Nexus you'd be the first to get the new stuff.

teaearlgraycold 3y ago

Some of that is inflation (and it's claimed the iPhone 15 Pro at $999 is the best deal since the original adjusting for inflation). I also think that in order to continue shipping something new each year back in 2010 all you needed were some same-price-new-generation silicon/battery/screen improvements. These days the tech has plateaued a bit and we've seen a number of years where the improvements come from adding another camera, then another camera. More and more sensors. Some stupid and more expensive features like under-screen fingerprint readers. A phone could cost way less, but the table stakes are now much higher so manufacturers can get away with phones costing nearly a grand (and sometimes much more).

dangus 3y ago

Google pushed away frugal customers. That was a very smart business decision for them. When Google sells a Pixel 8 Pro for $999, they’re sending a signal that says “our phone is just as good as the iPhone.” I think your story points to how the Nexus line was basically an unfinished product where Google wasn’t even willing to attempt to sell it at a profitable price point until they could buy a hardware designer (HTC) and integrate that company into Google to produce a comprehensive product. Your Nexus phone had to be entirely replaced and yet you only gave the company $500. So they just sold two flagship phones for $250 each. That’s not a business, that’s a charity. My Nexus 5X bootlooped right in front of my eyes with no user intervention. The Nexus lineup wasn’t as good as an iPhone (nor a Samsung or Huawei phone for that matter) and that’s why nobody paid iPhone money for it.

kevincox 3y ago

I think marketing is a big part of it. If they price it cheaper than the iPhone then people will view it as inferior.

libertine 3y ago
But that's the thing with the consumers of the Nexus line - they were fun phones and people knew they weren't "inferior".

0xcafecafe 3y ago

Nexus hardware (LG made) was crap. Both mine and my wife's phones bootlooped at 12-14 months of purchase. Never had such issues with any of the other smartphones we have owned.

dwaite 3y ago

As the lifecycle most consumers have for their cellphones stretches out adding additional years, the manufacturers are pushing their high-end phones more heavily, and creating even higher-end phones.