When you hear high end smartphones, your first thought is likely to be the Apple iPhone 7 launch or the latest Samsung Galaxy S7. For quite some time now, various manufacturers have been challenging those we traditionally consider to be market leaders. Is it time we said goodbye to the €750 smartphone?
Are smartphones overpriced?
One of the best selling and best known mobile phones of all time is the Nokia 3210. This beast of a handset is likely sitting in your drawer right now and still has some charge in it. The 3210 would have set you back just over €300, including inflation and exchange rate. The handsets of today which fill the same space, cost double though they are jam packed with features: making this an unfair comparison. Instead, we should be comparing with the cheaper phones of the Asian markets.
Kings of the Asian handset market
Not too long ago, we predicted that brands such as Xiaomi and Huawei would finally make their mark on European markets. At the launch of their Ascend P8 handset in 2015, Sales and Marketing Manager, Justin Costello announced the company’s goal was to be third biggest in the market. This has become more achievable than ever as the Chinese manufacturer continues to create fantastic handsets in this year’s P9, but has gone further in achieving increased brand awareness too.
As you can see above, Huawei is the fastest rising Google search query in the Irish market. Take into consideration the sheer size of eir and Virgin Media’s recent rebranding budgets, Huawei’s performance just becomes even more admirable. Monthly searches for the Huawei brand has increased significantly, an increase normally only witness during the Christmas pre paid surges. This is a massively indication that the Irish people have become increasingly receptive towards handsets like the Huawei P9.
Huawei: The best value smartphone in Ireland
In the Huawei P9, we arguably have the best value smartphone in Ireland. Coming in at €529, the P9 is one of Huawei’s most expensive devices to reach our shores. With that said, it’s a fraction of other manufacturer’s leading handsets. The Samsung Galaxy S7 and iPhone 6s will cost you €729.99 on Vodafone, a whopping 30% more expensive. You can compare the three handsets for yourself, but you will be hard-pressed to find much of a difference.
The last word
The ball is in the court of the heavy hitters now. Will they press on with huge price tags, or match up to the Kings of the Asian market? Only time will tell.
