The other day, with the start of a new discount campaign by DoCoMo, conditionallyThe Xperia 1 II, which is far superior in terms of performance, can be bought cheaper than the latest midrange model, the Xperia 10 IV.I told you that a rare phenomenon is occurring.
I was a little strange when I learned about this “rare phenomenon”.
This is because Android smartphones, not just Xperia, generally have a short sales period, especially for models handled by carriers.
On the other hand, like this Xperia 1 II,Even though it is an old model, there should be quite a few users who find it very attractive to be able to purchase a model with performance above the latest midrange at a price below that midrange.。
However, this DoCoMo Xperia 1 II (as well as the Galaxy S20) is an exception, and it is even rarer to repeatedly resell older models at such a low price.
Commercial law that is commonplace on the iPhone
Continue to sell the old high-end model at a price comparable to the midrange for a long time.
Over the years, the iPhone series has done something that isn’t often seen on Android.
In the case of iPhone, all chipsets installed in the latest models are “latest and highest performance” with a few exceptions.
In other words, all new iPhones are “high-end” in terms of chipset performance alone.
On the other hand, Apple will continue to sell by gradually lowering the price of the out-of-the-box model, which is inferior in performance to the latest model, mainly through carriers and MVNOs.
For example, DoCoMo still sells the second-generation iPhone SE, and the iPhone 11 is still available for purchase at the Apple official store, and these models are treated as “midrange.”
Why can’t I do it with Android high-end models?
The Android market has a strong tendency for old models to disappear from the market as soon as new models are released.
The “Apple Commercial Code” is to continue selling this old high-end model as a mid-range model, but why is it not so common on Android smartphones?
I guessed the cause:
OS update period by manufacturer is short
The average OS update support period for the iPhone is said to be 5 years.
On the other hand, on Android, Samsung has recently announced plans to support updates for Galaxy high-end models for four years, while even Google’s genuine Pixel has three years of update support.
Also, most other manufacturers and brands, such as Sony’s Xperia, still default to providing OS updates twice a year / two times.
in short,There is a difference in OS update support period of 2 to 3 years on average between iPhone and AndroidTo that.
andThis short update support period has the harmful effect of carriers handling the same device for a long period of time.It seems that it may be.
For example, when the latest model with Android 13 is mainstream, it seems that it is not possible to release an old model with Android 11 and no plans to update.
Although it is a domestic carrier that is sometimes criticized as “reluctant to update”, it may still be difficult to continue handling models that rarely have OS or firmware updates due to security issues.
On the other hand, the production line of high-end models will be maintained for a longer period than before to continue production. Instead, the price will be gradually reduced, and the OS update will be guaranteed for a long time.
That way, the development cost of new models can be suppressed, and I feel that it is especially good for manufacturers such as Sony who are shrinking the mobile division to reduce costs.
What is your opinion?
