Like many people, I’m a huge advocate for good technology at affordable price points. In the smartphone world, people tend to gravitate towards the premium range of devices from each manufacturer, such as Apple’s iPhones (excluding the SE), the Samsung Galaxy S series and Google’s Pixel range (excluding the A model). But what really is the difference between a cheap phone and an expensive one?
We’ve reviewed plenty of phones at Gizmodo Australia – from simplistic cheap devices to luxury foldables – and with our depth of knowledge on the topic, we’re convinced that most people could probably get by with a cheaper, less powerful phone.
So let’s break it down. Let’s try and help you decide whether or not you want a cheap or expensive phone.
What’s the difference between a cheap phone and an expensive one?
To put it simply, expensive phones are typically more powerful than their cheaper alternatives when it comes to the camera, display, processor, and graphics power points, but the way that extra power may translate to the average user may be difficult to gauge.
In terms of price, cheap phones can start below $100, while more expensive phones can cost well over $1,000 – in fact, the most expensive phone in Australia is the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4, at $2,699.
So what do the extra dollars really get you?
Internal performance
Let’s start with the processor and RAM. Phones at most price points are in a pretty good spot now in terms of software performance. There’s not really anything app-wise that a cheaper phone at $499 can’t do that a $1,299 phone can – they can run the same apps off the same app stores, with some apps (in particular, graphics-intensive gaming apps) having some restrictions on frame rate or graphics quality. It’s not until you really work the device that the differences begin to actually show, and the advantages of more RAM and a more powerful processor become apparent.
A more expensive phone, such as the iPhone 14 Pro Max, with its A16 Bionic Chip, will typically withstand greater processing stress than its cheaper counterpart, the iPhone 14, which ships with the A15 Bionic Chip. What this essentially means is that the iPhone 14 Pro Max might be able to handle more things at once, such as more apps open concurrently, background apps, graphically intensive apps and battery-draining apps more consistently than the cheaper iPhone 14 model.
The lines blur a little when budget-oriented downgrade models ship with the same chips as their more expensive counterparts. The budget Google Pixel 6a, for example, has the same Tensor chip as the premium Google Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, but because of other hardware limitations, such as a lower refresh rate display, less RAM and less storage capacity, it’s unlikely that a user will see the same performance advantages of the chip in the cheaper model.
Bottom line: it’s worth thinking about why internal performance matters to you, instead of just if performance is important. If you just need a phone for apps and basic social media browsing, you’d likely be fine with a cheaper device, but if you need a phone that processes data quickly, can run high graphics applications easily and can have many apps open at once, you may want to gravitate to a more expensive model.
Display
No matter what you’re using your phone for, the display is going to matter, as it’s how you interface with the apps installed on your phone, but how high-spec your display needs to be should be considered.
Cheaper phones typically ship with an LCD 1080p resolution. as the price increases, so does the technology. LCD gets swapped out for OLED, which gets swapped out for AMOLED at the higher price points. In terms of resolution, 1080p becomes 1440p, eventually becoming 4K on some models. Some displays offer always-on features, and some displays may be foldable or curved on the edges. More expensive displays also tend to get greater refresh rates, up to 120hz or 144hz in some cases, but some budget models also include these higher numbers. Additionally, some expensive phones can also fold, but this is largely reserved for luxury devices.
Bottom line: Display specs might matter to you if you care about high-resolution imagery, videos or games, but if you’re just using a phone for phone calls, communications and social media, you’re unlikely to see the benefits of a powerful phone display.
Cameras
Cameras are one of the greatest indicators of a phone’s technical power, but with Apple, Google and Samsung each offering pretty good quality cameras at lower price points, the lines have begun to blur between cheap and expensive phones.
As a baseline, cheaper phones will typically offer you passable camera performance, while more expensive phones will offer a greater range of features (and may include greater megapixel cameras and more powerful image enhancement). More camera lenses, allowing for ultrawide and telephoto shots, along with faster camera performance (when coupled to greater processing capability) are usually the hallmark upgrades when going up in price, but sometimes high-priced devices can include greater software features, like enhanced night photography or much more powerful zoom.
Bottom line: If you like to capture special moments with the greatest quality possible, then you should gravitate towards more expensive models. If you’re not really much of a photographer, or you don’t really care about greater photo detail, then you probably wouldn’t mind the cameras on a cheaper model.
Are there any other differences?
More expensive phones also typically ship with IP ratings, giving the user an indication of the device’s resistance to dust and water, along with wireless charging support. While these two features are very specific, they’re often important to some customers. Battery performance is another important feature, but we’ve never had any trouble with the battery life of a cheap device when compared to an expensive one (though every battery test we’ve performed has been just after unboxing the device).
Additionally, when shopping for a device, accessories for the phone and official support should be considered. When buying a phone, consider how long its operating system will be supported by the manufacturer, along with what cases are available for that specific model. While third-party companies typically print cases for Apple, Google and Samsung phones, this is much less likely with cheaper brands like TCL and Nokia.
And for the most part, that’s that. Good performance doesn’t need to cost an arm and a leg.