[Q] Is Nexus pricing sustainable? - Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

The Nexus 4 costs a mere $299 and the Nexus 7 tablet only $199. Many analysts think Google is heavily subsidizing these products, selling them at break-even or even losing money (to an extent, that may depend on some cost-accounting assumptions--suffice it to say, they aren't believed to be profiting from the hardware sales).
My question is--will this pricing be sustained? I care both for theoretical reasons--it's just an interesting question--and personal reasons--I am going to switch to T-Mobile's Value Plan, which offers cheaper rates in exchange for eliminating hardware subsidies.
Thanks for your opinions.

Yes for me yes

I've seen an article like 3 months ago where some chinese company made a 4,7 inch phone with such specs that it could beat the Galaxy S3 and the price.....only 199 US dollars. =)
Samsung, Sony, HTC and every other major OEMs OVERCHARGE their products. $ $
But in my opinion yes Google will stay with the prices as their goal is to make phone affordable yet powerful.

mondegreen said:
The Nexus 4 costs a mere $299 and the Nexus 7 tablet only $199. Many analysts think Google is heavily subsidizing these products, selling them at break-even or even losing money (to an extent, that may depend on some cost-accounting assumptions--suffice it to say, they aren't believed to be profiting from the hardware sales).
My question is--will this pricing be sustained? I care both for theoretical reasons--it's just an interesting question--and personal reasons--I am going to switch to T-Mobile's Value Plan, which offers cheaper rates in exchange for eliminating hardware subsidies.
Thanks for your opinions.
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Click to collapse
dont forget that google's gains from ads, searches, datamining, play store sales and in-app sales and ads.
they dont really need any hardware revenues, they got into phones and tablet sales just to shock the market which (mostly for tablet) was growing stale and lazy.

I'm pretty sure they don't make a loss.. they might be making a slight profit in their hardware but the main profit comes in the software

Updated Thoughts on Nexus Pricing, Ref Moto X
Most of the predictions and pundits said the Moto X would be very affordable off-contract, perhaps even below the (very impressive) $299 price point of the Nexus 4. What a bust that turned out to be. The announcement didn't even talk about off-contract, then later in the day it came out that off-contract will be typical high-end pricing.
But while disappointed, I'm not really that surprised. I've had my doubts about whether Google will continue low Nexus pricing. It would seem to cause a lot of relationship conflict, with carriers (in U.S.) but especially with manufacturers. The handset makers are, understandably, touchy enough about Google owning Motorola. Having Motorola become the disruptive, low-cost competitor would only fan the flames. Thus, not surprised that the Moto X doesn't impress on price.
So back to Nexus. There are those who believe the Moto X is the Nexus 5...meaning there is no real Nexus planned for this year. If that proves true, it reinforces the point. I also predict a phased rise in the price of Nexuses when they do come out. The next one, whenever it comes out, will be $375-$400 for the low memory configuration. Then the next one will increase by another $75-100, at which point they will have reached their equilibrium price. Also, there may not be a Nexus device every year--only when Google has a reason for releasing one.
I really hope I am wrong. A few months ago I switched to Tmo's new "un-carrier" plan. We have data for a family of 5 for $120/month (the kids have to make do with 500 Mb, which really isn't that bad). Depending how often you buy new phones, and whether you get BOGOs, etc, it is about break-even
at full retail pricing. But if you can get Nexuses for $299, it offers very compelling savings.
(P.S. Yes, I do understand Google makes money off ads, not devices, and if they really wanted to, they could sustain low Nexus pricing forever. I didn't mean sustainable in the pure profit margin sense, I meant it in the marketing and partner relationships sense. )

Simple answer: yes!
But: there is always a "but"
Unless you're into tech and knows the product offering then this will be a steal, however for 90% of the consumer shopping for a phone looks at features which they never use. Samsung, HTC, Sony etc. All can charge $600 because they have justify their developer team also the money spent on marketing.
Sammy has Touchwiz, HTC has Sense, etc. which try to differentiate then self from other manufacturers. Nexus products were intended for developers however Google saw the potential of gaining market share from Apple and jumped on the opportunity.
Unless other manufacturers pressure Google to change their price point we will continue to receive great products at low cost and for that thank you Google.
Sent from my SGH-I747M using xda app-developers app

Related

For discussion: working conditions and market policy by Nokia

The german TV magazine "Monitor" has already uncovered many corporate scandals. They have once again on the Locust "Nokia" reported here has already shown its true colors in Germany.
After the company in the city Bochum took over € 60 million subsidy to support the work there, soon they have closed the factory and refunded only under pressure of about 30 million €.
Reason: too expensive jobs (2500 - $/2000 € average earnings), too far from the new markets.
They moved to Romania, where they roundabout also conceded 30 million subsidy for the creation of jobs, especially because a new infrastructure was created by the subsidies. After three years some time ago the factory was closed, no money refunded.
Reason: too expensive work (300 $/ 250 € average earnings), too far from the new markets. The merit was too small even for Romanian conditions, working conditions and times much harder than in Germany.
They moved to India, conceded there an estimated 100 million subsidy for the creation of jobs. Then again, relocating is planned.
Reason: jobs and working conditions in Vietnam are still cheaper (in India: 160 $/ 125 € average earnings). The achievement was even by Indian standards not sufficient to feed the family, working conditions and times are harder than in Romania.
Read carefully in advance to find out where your devices are manufactured and under what conditions. There is even a famous company from Cupertino who enjoy making similar headlines. Because cash investors and managers get (including tax) billions and rub their bellies and their staff can produce under unhealthy and inhumane conditions your smartphone.
Also HTC is in conflict, because the displays were produced by a company, where children shall work without earning money. Questions about these problems were not answered. HTC says, they don´t know something about the produce conditions.
A boycott of these companies would be decent, rather than ride on the "hip" wave, if they don´t change their politic.
For an emerging company that starts in the new markets, there are such companies guidance how it should (not) run, if they want to be successful.
Against Forgetting
As much as I agree that inhuman working conditions are not good, everyone does it. Let's take an example: I start a company and I want to make smartphones, but I want them to be made in good, healthy, human conditions. That would easily cost me double the production price compared to other manufacturers. As a result, my model to compete with the Lumia 800 would cost around €800 to €1000 (compared to the €400-500 for a Lumia). What would happen? Nobody would buy it, because they get almost the same for half the price if they buy the Nokia phone.
There's only one thing driving this situations: money. As long as there are no international laws to prohibit this sorts of activity, it will continue, just because otherwise your products cannot be competitive in the market.
On the other hand, if such laws would come, you would have a lot of unsatisfied customers, because we would have to pay a lot more, for the same device. Then again, it would be very important that the law is international.
It's all about the money...
_Madmatt said:
As much as I agree that inhuman working conditions are not good, everyone does it. Let's take an example: I start a company and I want to make smartphones, but I want them to be made in good, healthy, human conditions. That would easily cost me double the production price compared to other manufacturers. As a result, my model to compete with the Lumia 800 would cost around €800 to €1000 (compared to the €400-500 for a Lumia). What would happen? Nobody would buy it, because they get almost the same for half the price if they buy the Nokia phone.
There's only one thing driving this situations: money. As long as there are no international laws to prohibit this sorts of activity, it will continue, just because otherwise your products cannot be competitive in the market.
On the other hand, if such laws would come, you would have a lot of unsatisfied customers, because we would have to pay a lot more, for the same device. Then again, it would be very important that the law is international.
It's all about the money...
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I don't think that a HTC-phone would cost €1000 if they made sure that their displays wasn't produced by children without salary.
juukas said:
I don't think that a HTC-phone would cost €1000 if they made sure that their displays wasn't produced by children without salary.
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True. But it's pointloss to only do it for the display. You should do it for ever single part in the phone, and don't you worry, costs will go up dramatically.

Huge Difference in Price

While reading the announcement that Amazon released the Kindle for $150, it made me think "why the hell does my Rezound cost $400 more than my 8gb Nexus 7?" Comparing it to the 16gb Nexus 7 the only things that the Nexus doesn't have is a rear facing camera and a cell (or two cell?) radio(s) and the Nexus has better hardware!
brando56894 said:
While reading the announcement that Amazon released the Kindle for $150, it made me think "why the hell does my Rezound cost $400 more than my 8gb Nexus 7?" Comparing it to the 16gb Nexus 7 the only things that the Nexus doesn't have is a rear facing camera and a cell (or two cell?) radio(s) and the Nexus has better hardware!
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Click to collapse
Simple, the Nexus 7 is a kamikaze move by Google. It literally costs more to make the device than what it is being sold for. Banking on the Play Store revenue from it and building brand recognition and loyalty in the consumer.
They want to maximize the market penetration of Android through that device, in the hopes that they can deter consumers away from new Apple and Microsoft devices later this year. People are more likely to select Android devices for their next smartphone or tablet after snatching up a Nexus 7; at least that is the bet.
Kamikaze price points are uncommon, big-picture marketing moves and shouldn't necessarily be compared to other devices as such.
Cell radios, GPS (unless the Nex7 has that), 342 PPI
But that doesn't seem to add up to anywhere near $400 more. However if you look at phones like the meizu MX quad, it has a quad core s4, adreno 320 and I think it has a 720p screen and its only $310 so maybe the huge price gap is about to change
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
Its expensive to make stuff smaller than a tablet. Cost becomes exponential
I do agree though phones are super expensive
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
brando56894 said:
While reading the announcement that Amazon released the Kindle for $150, it made me think "why the hell does my Rezound cost $400 more than my 8gb Nexus 7?" Comparing it to the 16gb Nexus 7 the only things that the Nexus doesn't have is a rear facing camera and a cell (or two cell?) radio(s) and the Nexus has better hardware!
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Its called selling at cost. Amazon and Google basically sell their tablets at or slightly below the cost to manufacture them for the reason stated. On the other hand HTC, Samsung, Apple and Motorolla have a huge markup on their phones, this is called profit and all companies do it. Some more than others, a 300% or 400% markup isn't that uncommon for high demand consumer goods. Verizon eats this markup (they also buy the phones at a lower wholesale cost) when they sell you a subsidized phone as they more than make it up on the plan they get you to sign to for 2 years.
AshtonTS said:
Cell radios, GPS (unless the Nex7 has that), 342 PPI
But that doesn't seem to add up to anywhere near $400 more. However if you look at phones like the meizu MX quad, it has a quad core s4, adreno 320 and I think it has a 720p screen and its only $310 so maybe the huge price gap is about to change
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
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It does have GPS, but others have hit the nail on the head. Not unlike Walmart, this is a loss leader due to the increased revenue streams in all of the things that go with it. They will see more revenue from books, magazines (maybe not :laugh, music, apps, etc. There is also the potential that many people will keep a tablet longer than the 18-24 months people keep phones. This limits the cash flow cell carriers so, so they have to recoup more up front.
AshtonTS said:
GPS (unless the Nex7 has that),
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
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Every phone has GPS.
Like kzoodroid said, the carriers play a huge role in pricing, and a lot of it has to do with contracts and subsidization. If HTC sold rezounds for $200 direct unlocked, and Verizon sold them for $200 with a two year contract, Verizon wouldn't have nearly as many customers locked down for several years. But effecting prices isn't the only thing the carriers do, they also build the networks that we rely on.
GrayTheWolf said:
Every phone has GPS.
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That's what I was saying. But the nexus 7 isn't a phone and I'm saying that GPS is part of why phones cost more than tablets.
But the nexus 7 might have a GPS, I'm not sure
AshtonTS said:
That's what I was saying. But the nexus 7 isn't a phone and I'm saying that GPS is part of why phones cost more than tablets.
But the nexus 7 might have a GPS, I'm not sure
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Most of the high end tablets have GPS for in car navigation and location services.
Also its not the hardware that makes a phone cost more, the iPhone 4S costs about $188 to make yet sold for $750 when it first came out. Thats a 300% profit for Apple. The iPad 4g costs them about $310 to make and they sold it for $629 which is only a 100% mark up. Its all about supply and demand, basic economics, there's a bigger demand for iPhones than iPads thus the larger profit margin.
Amazon and Google aren't the same as say Apple or Samsung as they aren't manufacturers, tehy don't need to make money off the device as they are more interested in selling content and advertising. They will take a loss to gain market share and sell you a **** load of content.
Let's be honest, it's so the carriers can sell "subsidized" phones and lock you into contracts.
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using Tapatalk
AshtonTS said:
That's what I was saying. But the nexus 7 isn't a phone and I'm saying that GPS is part of why phones cost more than tablets.
But the nexus 7 might have a GPS, I'm not sure
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You edited your post.
You originally said "if the nex even has that".
GrayTheWolf said:
You edited your post.
You originally said "if the nex even has that".
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I didn't edit my post...
Really, it is about the phone companies, and the subsidy. If you google 10 android devices you never heard of, they phones go for cheap overseas. Now some may argue that they fo for cheap because the manufacturer isn't well known, ect, but look at the bending problem with the HTC Evo LTe. We just get raped because of the American business model.
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using Tapatalk 2
muertecaza said:
Let's be honest, it's so the carriers can sell "subsidized" phones and lock you into contracts.
When a carriers set retail price it is marked up from what they pay. Not by a huge margin but 25 maybe 50 $'s. Not that your point may not be right but This is why if you look at tmo's retail price vs say a regional carrier Cincinnati bell for the same phone the retail value may be different... side note cinci bell sucks
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using Tapatalk 2
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JeramyEggs said:
Really, it is about the phone companies, and the subsidy. If you google 10 android devices you never heard of, they phones go for cheap overseas. Now some may argue that they fo for cheap because the manufacturer isn't well known, ect, but look at the bending problem with the HTC Evo LTe. We just get raped because of the American business model.
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using Tapatalk 2
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Most of the no name phones are Chinese. As an analogy a Chinese Rolex sells for $5 at the airport in Beijing, looks like the real thing but its whats inside that counts. Most of these cheap phones use cheap Chinese knock off hardware, why pay $50 for a Qualcomm or Samsung processor when you can pay the guy on the corner $5 for a knockoff. You get what you pay for.
for $5 ill take my chances
kzoodroid said:
Most of the no name phones are Chinese. As an analogy a Chinese Rolex sells for $5 at the airport in Beijing, looks like the real thing but its whats inside that counts. Most of these cheap phones use cheap Chinese knock off hardware, why pay $50 for a Qualcomm or Samsung processor when you can pay the guy on the corner $5 for a knockoff. You get what you pay for.
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I agree, but did you google the article I was talking about? Here, I will do it for you. If we go with that analogy, why do rezounds overheat, and EVO's bend.
http://www.androidauthority.com/the-best-android-smartphones-youve-never-heard-of-108102/
Tell me that the guts of these phones suck...
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using Tapatalk 2
JeramyEggs said:
I agree, but did you google the article I was talking about? Here, I will do it for you. If we go with that analogy, why do rezounds overheat, and EVO's bend.
http://www.androidauthority.com/the-best-android-smartphones-youve-never-heard-of-108102/
Tell me that the guts of these phones suck...
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using Tapatalk 2
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Some of the guts seem great particularly the miui phone but as the article itself says the build quality is crap. How many terminator movies do you think there would have been if the terminators were built out of plastic, or worse Chinese metals?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
The m2 is made at.........wait for it.................Foxconn. Do you really think that they would cook up some super inferior plastic, and sell to miui? When talking about cheap plastic, aren't all phones made out of it? Rolex isn't made in the same factory as Casio. The knockoffs aren't made by the same factory as Rolex. The same peo pole, and some of the same equipment make the galaxy s3, the iPhones, and the M2. If you read the article,this phone was thrown in at the last second. The hardware, engineering, and manufacturing is what costs so much, Not the plastic shell. So if we follow this train of thought, I would assume(I know make an arse out of me and you) that the mark up for the big Oems, with their purchasing power would be significant. They could be selling these phones with aluminum bodies, and still be making money. I know this is the name of the game, but we are getting the short end of the stick. Doesnt Huawei make Motorola phones? One is a cheap knock off, and one is a American brand. Branding is what we make fun of sheeple for. And again, the Evo lte from Sprint has multiple complaints of the phone bending, literally bending. Even when it has a case on it. It was on the front page just a few hours ago. So how is the cheap plastic different than the cheap plastic of flagship phone? Hell, I am typing on my sons nook color which was made in foxconn. Don't kid yourself, we are all using products made as cheaply as possible by arthritic overworked Chinese. We are just paying for the name. Don't get me wrong, buying quality is important. I am not saying by an Archos tablet or anything. I just think that we as a whole are charged too much on the newest fad of smartphones.
---------- Post added at 10:10 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:06 PM ----------
Who's being a giant douche trollolloll tonite?
^^^^^^^^^^^this guy^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Sorry for my rant.
Sent from my NookColor using Tapatalk 2

Will next Nexus (Nexus 4) have low cost?

It's not imposible
ENG:
http://translate.google.it/translat...droid.net/android/nexus-4-prezzo-basso-63669/
ITA:
http://www.tuttoandroid.net/android/nexus-4-prezzo-basso-63669/
xiaomi seems to go the same way with the upcoming mi2.
i can see myself buying two great phones for the price of one.
one running stock android and the other one with miui.
peppe.desire said:
It's not imposible
ENG:
http://translate.google.it/translat...droid.net/android/nexus-4-prezzo-basso-63669/
ITA:
http://www.tuttoandroid.net/android/nexus-4-prezzo-basso-63669/
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Click to collapse
It would be great if the next Nexus phone came out similarly priced to the GSM GNex. I think it would go a long way towards showing people that $650 is not the best price for phones and are only being propped up by ridiculous post-paid contract shenanigans.
If the "Nexus 4" is under $400 off contract, and is pentaband GSM, I'll probably buy it. With the T-Mobile $30 data plan, and the Straight Talk $45 "unlimited" plan, I do not see a purpose for buying a phone on contract. It's still cheaper to go pre-paid even if the phone costs $599, but I'll probably wait until it comes down considerably in price. I try to swap my phones once a year.
The article's highly speculative; he's drawing conclusions from out-of-context evidence like a quote about patent restrictions and the Nexus 7 strategy. The N7 strategy, however, came about due to necessity: consumers just weren't buying more expensive tablets, and they needed to kill the kindle fire "renegade".
Phones, on the other hand, are selling fine for high costs (I would guess, largely due to the BS subsidy/contract system) and google would risk scaring its oems by delivering a dirt cheap competitor.
The next Nexus may indeed be relatively cheap on the play store, but I'd guess the starting price would be at least $500. After all, the $400 price wasn't introduced until the GN was around 6 months old. Even now, the GN is just $50 below that.
The only way I could think of introducing a $400 phone would be to make it only a minor upgrade. This isn't ruled out in general, especially with the rumors of multiple Nexii.

Report: Nexus 5X And 6P Not Meeting Sales Goals

http://www.androidpolice.com/2016/0...ware-nexus-5x-and-6p-not-meeting-sales-goals/
- HTC is still in talks to build the next Nexus phone(s).
- Google takes a 15% cut of the sales price of Nexus phones it sells, but it hasn't always done this, and on some past devices has taken no cut at all.
- The "most recent" Nexus phones (5X, 6P) have not met their "optimistic" internal sales goals at Google.
- The Nexus 5 (2013) was the best-selling Nexus phone of all time.
- That the 5X and 6P aren't being sold by any US carriers is a point of "significant consternation" for people involved with the Nexus program.
My opinion
The 6P and 5X not reaching sales goals ? No ****, because they're not sold in Carrier stores this time. If the iPhone 7 is only sold on the Apple website for $700, no payment plan, you betcha ass sales will suck and be way down. If Google wants sales, they need to put it on all major carriers, BUT ALSO advertise the crap out of it like no tomorrow, and have promotions for it in the stores.
But just throwing it up on the Google website, and saying, her we have a phone we're selling, just give us $600 and it's yours. No **** Sherlock it's not selling well.
Plus in Europe the price was a joke. Too expensive. The only ones who buy a Nexus these days are Nexus fans. The N6P 32gb costs 650-700 euros in EU while the S6 32gb costs 400-450 and the G4 400. So no surprise here. Time to get serious with the Nexus line and stop ripping off geeks and Nexus fans.
Another kick in the balls is the major price drop that comes like 9 months later. Brand new the Nexus 6P is like $600 or so, and then in the spring watch it come down to like $399, and then late Summer will be like $299 brand new still.
I cant imagine carriers will be happy selling an Unlocked phone below the prices of other phones of the same caliber. Id also imagine carriers would want to mark up the phones some how. Also Id imagine other cell phone makers wouldnt be too happy. Imagine Samsung or LG putting their $650 phone out at verizon and then a $500 Nexus 6P shows up being financed through the carrier also. Probably the reason carriers had the Nexus 6 because it came out at the same price as other flagships. Plus carriers wanna put their bloat crap on the phones also.
It does seem google has actually advertised the 5x and 6p. Ive seen a lot of commercials for them. Cant say I ever saw a Nexus 6 commercial.
I think a big reason the sales also aren't up to snuff is the phones just now are being sold in Best Buy. A lot of customers want to hold the phone and see if they like it. Its taken forever for them to just get to best buy and they still don't have phones on display for customers to see. I think best buys having a dedicated nexus booth would help immensely.
Does Worst Buy I mean Best Buy actually have the 6P on display in the store ? My local Best Buy's around Chicago, have a very tiny little Google section off in the corner, and no phones, just the Chrome notebooks, not even the HTC 9 Tablet. So not sure what those Google sections in BB are for if they don't even carry or display the main Nexus devices ?
I agree with OP's opinion, people just DON'T KNOW about these Nexus phones.
There was an article recently stating that Google wants to take more direct control of the Nexus phones, and copy Apple and the iPhone.
Look at the iPhone, it's sold at all major phone carriers stores, with subsidized payments plans. And Apple updates the iPhone whenever the hell they need to, and NEVER let the carriers get in the way of an iOS update. The carriers are sort of agnostic to it.
Google can do the same thing with the Nexus phones just like Apple and the iPhone with complete direct control.
And Jordan used to say "Just do it"
Here in Canada, the Nexus 6p was the best deal on a phone through Telus. $200 for the 6p on a 2yr plan, but $300 or $400 for the Note 5. So it actually was discounted, and made the most sense.
asif9t9 said:
Here in Canada, the Nexus 6p was the best deal on a phone through Telus. $200 for the 6p on a 2yr plan, but $300 or $400 for the Note 5. So it actually was discounted, and made the most sense.
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or $0 for some of us on Black Friday
I was actually able to get a 6P because it was supplied by O2. Otherwise I wouldn't have got one, I like to have it part of my phone contract. Most people in the UK have phones on contract.
I'm happily with T-Mobile, and on their JoD ( Jump on Demand ) program, and expected the Nexus 6P would be available on T-Mobile of all carriers, because they have been the only carrier to support the Nexus phone line from the very beginning, selling the Nexus-One, and stocking and selling the Nexus-S, Nexus 4, Nexus 5, and Nexus 6.
For me it makes zero sense to spend $600 with Google to get the 6P, when on JoD program, so I just used my one of three upgrades on the Note 5, which I rooted and installed a great custom ROM, and this phone screams But I would prefer the Nexus 6P. But at this point, with the 6P being almost 5 months old, I'll just wait for a nice SD820 phone, like the G5 ( with CM13 ROM ) or something else.
It's no surprise that they aren't selling well - they're mediocre phones selling at premium prices. I lol at anyone who buys a nexus - and feel sorry for them too.
The (2013) Nexus 5 was $399 at launch, and had pretty much flagships high end spec's at the time, it was a super deal. Now the 5X comes out at a similar price but with lesser budget spec's. WTF Google ?
Sales, marketing, distribution, and support are intertwined. Any expectation Google has/had about 2015 sales would be determined by their investments in those things as well as the depth of each category.
Huawei has no U.S. support infrastructure and doesn’t even have the facility to offer owners paid non-warranty repairs. I’m sure that played in to the U.S. carrier’s decision not to offer the 6P. Folks that view Nexus as just another phone have to really want one to live with limited support or be forced in to buying a warranty for non-warranty repairs even if they don’t normally.
Without the U.S. carrier’s offering the phone where are mainstream consumers going to buy it? 67% of smartphones sold in the U.S. are on carrier post-paid plans (installment and contract). The majority of the rest are low-end prepaid smartphones purchased outright. The percentage of people buying their own $500+ high-end smartphones outright via third parties is probably in the single digit percentages; at least in the U.S. With limited distribution Google has to have known the consequences of the phones being offered via so few channels.
Google ran a bunch of nicely produced ads randomly on U.S. TV. They probably spent 1/100th of what Samsung spends on their own advertising and in co-ops with the carriers. What’s that supposed to do for sales of a phone only available online and at some Best Buys?
What problem does the 6P solve for the masses that don’t know (or care) about “pure” and regular updates? To the masses TW is Android based on Samsung’s market penetration so the absence of it and its features could be viewed as a deficit not a benefit. Nexus make XDA'rs wet, not so much the masses.
If the 6P isn’t selling well it isn’t because it’s a bad phone it’s that Google’s expectations weren’t realistic in the first place.
The only growth left in phones/tablets is to peel users from competitors. And there's only so much that can be done with UI/UX to set yourself apart. The OEM's have understood this for a while that's why they're making forays into wearables, virtual reality, and driverless cars. I say this because it makes it clear that if Google wants to increase sales of their Nexus line, they have 1 choice: lower the price. Two nexus devices released at the same time both priced too high is a recipe for disaster. There were basically no compelling upgrade reasons except for niche enthusiasts. Luckily for Google (Alphabet), they're an advertising company and not a hardware OEM. So as device sales slow across the board (even iPhone) they are better positioned than most
What are the flaws you find with the 6P as opposed to other premium Android phones?
Bad phone, mediocre phone, are you guys kidding? This is the best android phone. Period! But of course many people prefer pay more for a samsung or something!
Is too bad Google stopped the GPE program, would love to see GPE based phones like the S7, and G5 this Spring, those flagship phones running stock vanilla Android, directly supported by Google, and sold through carrier plans.
stan54 said:
It's no surprise that they aren't selling well - they're mediocre phones selling at premium prices. I lol at anyone who buys a nexus - and feel sorry for them too.
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So, do you actually own one? I didn't think so. If you had used a 6p you would not be saying it was a mediocre phone. It is actually, all in all, the best phone on the market for daily driver use right now. I am currently living in Paraguay, a country with bad overloaded cell phone networks, where most people who can afford smartphones are pretty much locked into Samsung by the carriers here. The radio in my 6p is SO much better than the weak Samsung radios. The battery lasts all day in conditions where I am constantly going in and out of signal areas. Just my point of view, but the problem with these phones is not the phones themselves, but Googles marketing. Of course, I am buying it for the phone and not the marketing...
r3ix said:
This is the best android phone. Period!
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CYoung234 said:
It is actually, all in all, the best phone on the market for daily driver use right now.
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For a niche audience of hobbiests and purists. Even where Nexi were offered by major global carriers along side other premium phones, some more expensive, Nexus sales never came close to competitive phones sales wise if they made a dent at all. The things that push people's buttons on XDA don't represent the masses view. A billion smartphones were sold last year. There are 360K active XDA members over the last 30 days. As @crachel said, the smartphone phone market has matured and even those with recognized names and a loyal customer base are struggling. HTC, Sony, and LG all lost money in mobile last quarter.
crachel said:
There were basically no compelling upgrade reasons except for niche enthusiasts.
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We have a winner.

Samsung getting a pass??

How in the Holy Hellz is Samsung getting a free pass on the Note 7 debacle?? I even see mainstream Android pundits saying they did about the best they could. That's horseradish. Does anyone else notice how this is being kind of swept under the rug...and quickly too, so they can move on to the Next Big Thing???
Samsung is only offering 100 dollars to people who buy another Samsung phone. The only Samsung phone that is even remotely close to the Note 7 is the S7. So Samsung is trying to entice its customers to buy a phone that is about to iterate in 2-3 months.
What of customers that traded their phones? Many did so comfortable in the knowledge they had a new, functioning phone. Now they have nothing if they choose a straight up refund. Nobody can really "refund the transaction," because to truly redo the transaction they would need the traded phone back...(I was okay with giving up my Note-4 for 40 dollars as long as it was going toward a brand new Note 7. I am not okay with just giving up my phone for 40 bucks and now having nothing but crappy choices).
At best, users came in looking for an upgrade, only to loose everything. Many had to go back to their original phones (if they still have them), and eat the costs of any accessories over 25 dollars.
At a minimum, Samsung should give users a substantial credit toward the next new Samsung phone that is coming very soon.
You're lucky. Here in the UK we've been offered sweet FA.
Well not strictly true, we've been offered a S7 or S7 Edge and a refund on the difference or a chance to cancel the contract free of charge.
Can't really complain. Already got full refund. Also got 2 gear fit2 out of this. They said they'd refund note7 specific accessories, too.
It's going to cost Samsung $30-50 billion dollars - that's BILLION WITH A B - before all this is finally resolved. It will probably hurt them drastically for the next 12 to 18 months so, no, they're not getting a free pass over this.
They're paying for it, substantially.
I really don't care what it's costing them, as a consumer who feels pretty burned (sorry) I don't see why I should. They wasted a lot of our time and in some cases money for a product they apparently didn't test enough.
Sent from my iPad using a walled garden.
There's no reward without risk - in today's world, everything is a risk, absolute consumer safety is 100% impossible and they do the best they can given the situation at hand. iPhones have caught on fire and exploded also, lest people keep forgetting that. Other brands and manufacturers have had issues with their products of various kinds as well.
You can't test for the random events that happen, the world is just too damned complex for that and small compact incredibly complicated electronics technology just takes that to levels magnitudes greater further making it effectively impossible to be able to predict what will actually happen in any given situation.
Two Note 7 devices rolling off the assembly line one right after the other are not identical, none of them are to be honest, when you really break it down.
pinetreehater said:
At a minimum, Samsung should give users a substantial credit toward the next new Samsung phone that is coming very soon.
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There's a tone in the past few posts I've read where people sound like they're still negotiating. The Note7's over. Talking about what Samsung should have or could have done is pointless. They've lost billions and trashed their brand image. Some people will stay with them (I did) some people won't. It would be a good idea to do something special for previous Note7 owners when the next generation of Galaxy's are released but I wouldn't count on it. Just like I wouldn't count on getting anything anyone hasn't gotten in the mean time. In the U.S. they had always been offering a $25 carrier credit for people that exchanged or returned their Note7's. They upped it by another $75 if the phone people exchanged in to was a Samsung phone. And that as they say is that.

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