Friday, February 27, 2015

Excited about getting the latest smartphone? Don't be.

This weekend, manufacturers will show off their latest and greatest smartphones at the Mobile World Congress tradeshow. Buzz is building among tech fans--but I'm not drinking the Kool-Aid.

As detailed at BGR, a tech site for mobile consumer devices, it's better for your wallet if you're not an early adopter of mobile (or, really, any) technologies. This graph explains why not:





The latest phones will cost 25% less in under 6 months. Don't buy into the marketing hype. New phones are simply incremental upgrades over the previous generation--this fact is glossed over by manufacturers touting new "features" that most people will never use.

In my article on Premium Laptops for 2015, I explain another peril of being an early adopter: finding out (the hard way!) about bugs, glitches, and hardware problems with a device.

Moreover, as I've explained here, Samsung engages in particularly onerous business practices. Nothing like intimidating customers who dare to complain about your product catching on fire! (Especially when that faulty product retailed for $650 [off-contract] when it was new, and apparently still sells for over $500 at some places!)

I think I'll leave everyone else to spend their money on the latest "gotta-have-it" stuff. I'll stick to my current phone--and when I have to replace it, a less expensive low-end "bargain" phone like one of these will still represent an upgrade that will keep me happy--without costing an arm and a leg!

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