The average price of an Android smartphone is now nearly three times lower than the average cost of an Apple iPhone, latest figures have revealed.
New data from ABI Research shows that the average selling price for Android smartphones comes in at $254 (£169).
Apple, meanwhile, revealed that the average price of an iPhone rose to $687 (£456) as part of its Q4 2014 earnings call.
That’s a big leap on the fruity firm’s average pricing from Q3, which was much closer to $600.
This is likely down to the fact that Apple launched its iPhone 6 Plus, a more expensive unit.
Apple also put a big focus on trying to upsell its 64GB and 128GB handsets through the eschewing of 32GB units, tacking on a serious premium for buyers not so keen on using a 16GB non-expandable smartphone in 2015.
Android, meanwhile, sees its average price kept consistently low by the proliferation of priced-down smartphones in the east.
China’s Xiaomi, for instance, managed an average handset price of just $220 (£146), which is low enough to keep premium handsets from dragging the average Android pricing significantly upwards.
It’s unlikely Android smartphone makers are too concerned about this low average price however. That’s because Android held 84 per cent of the smartphone OS market share back in Q3 last year.
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Whatever your views on the grand face-off between Apple and Android, it’s still clear that Microsoft is struggling to flog marked up devices.
In fact, Microsoft’s average selling price for smartphones last quarter was a paltry $45 (330) – that’s the same price as a Russell Hobbs toaster, a 64GB SD card, or an ink cartridge refill for an Epson printer. Take your pick.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
