Premium-range smartphones are becoming ever more powerful and multi-functional, and concurrently ever more expensive, as the gap between budget entry-level models and higher-range devices grows.While global average selling prices for smartphones are declining at pace, manufacturers playing at the high-end sphere of the market are going all out in attracting the consumer dollar, with next-gen smartphones decked out with a range of features conversely driving selling prices up at the top tier.
HTC’s latest flagship offering, the HTC One M9, carries top-end features and also carries a top-end price tag, retailing at $1,099 in the Australian market.
Apple’s focus on premium-priced smartphones has paid off with the release of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, which have proven wildly successful for the tech giant.
Gartner figures reveal Apple assumed the position of number one vendor in the 2014 fourth quarter,
growing its market share from 17.8 per cent to 20.4 per cent
year-on-year, while Samsung’s share declined from 29.5 per cent to 19.9
per cent.
Australian pricing for the iPhone 6 starts
at $999 for the 16 GB model, with 6 Plus pricing starting at $1,149 for
the 16 GB model.
Samsung’s Galaxy S5, with 16 GB memory, by comparison, retails for around $799.
Now Samsung’s Galaxy S6 is set to go head-to-head with the iPhone 6 in the coming months, with a lot riding on the performance of its next-gen flagship.
Indeed, Samsung will be looking for the S6 to deliver a boost to its smartphone fortunes in 2015.
Australian pricing has not been released as yet, and there will be variation between pricing of the two models, the S6 and S6 edge, with 32, 64 and 128 GB models available.
In the UK, S6 pricing has been released, starting at 599.99 pounds (around $1,151) for the 32 GB S6, while the 64 GB S6 edge carries a price tag of 760 pounds (around $1,459) for the 64 GB model.
Coming up against the likes of the iPhone 6 and M9, Australian pricing for the S6 will be a point of interest, as will be home much consumers are willing to spend in the pursuit of premium features.
