4G, Dual-cores, or Rainbow Unicorns Don’t Matter – Price Does
This all but confirms what I’ve been suspecting for a long time. People don’t really care about 4G. They don’t really care about dual-cores. No, the majority of people in the world care about one thing: cold hard cash.
In a new study by marketing research firm, Morpace, they found that 4G compatibility wasn’t as much of a deciding factor for consumers looking to purchase their next smartphone as many carriers would have you believe. In fact, according to the study, 65% of people surveyed chose price and the single largest deciding factor when looking for a new smartphone.
This was followed closely by network capabilities including coverage but not just data speeds alone. When choosing a carrier 29% chose pricing, while another 26% chose coverage as the most important factors. When it came to 4G on a carrier, 34% felt the need to upgrade to 4G.
While the study still shows that there are a few people that consider 4G important, it doesn’t outweigh factors like pricing when shopping for a new phone or carrier. I’ve seen this time and time again while working at Best Buy Mobile. People are more inclined to purchase a cheap smartphone, regardless of poor reviews, over something a lot better for only $99. Just today, I was arguing with my sister regarding her decision to pick up a free “cheap” phone (or jailbait, as I like to call it) and extend her contract for another 2 years.
I can think of another instance where I warned a friend to spend $200 bucks and get the Nexus One when it first came out but what did she do? She spent the $200 on a dress she only wore once and has been hating her mobile life with her already ancient Mytouch 3G.
My thing has always been, if you’re going to get yourself tied down for 2 years with any carrier, it better be for the right phone because you’re going to be stuck with that phone for a long time. I hear nothing but complaints from people with cheap phones I specifically warned them about before hand. But like many of the readers on our site, I’m more of the tech savvy, nerd, game playing, app downloading, pushing my phone to its limits kinda guy. So I admit, my opinion is skewed.
But what do you guys think? I know I’ve seen a lot of comments from people dismissing recently released single-core phones right off the bat despite having 4G connectivity even though, in my opinion, dual-cores aren’t doing as much for the end user experience as 4G speeds are. Leave your thoughts down below and don’t forget to vote in our poll!
[Via Electronista]
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