posted in Technology
Should you still buy your next smartphone — or subscribe to it instead? Apple, Samsung … are betting that leasing, subscriptions, and guaranteed buyback programs can make upgrading more attractive.
techcrunch.com/2026/08/01/should-you-still-buy-your-next-smartphone-or-subscribe-to-it-instead/
TechCrunchShould you still buy your next smartphone — or subscribe to it instead? | TechCrunchApple's new Upgrade program is the latest sign that smartphone ownership is changing.
Replying to @eicker@lemmy.world
Let’s be honest here: A smartphone costs the same to develop, produce and so on, regardless of if you simply buy it or rent it. The companies need their profit, so they will not start renting you a phone when it is more profitable to sell it to you. It should make you suspicious that they want you to rent, because that kind of tells you that they will make more profit from renting than selling. That means that you will pay more for your phone in the long run without owning it.
Replying to @JensSpahnpasta@feddit.org
The reason this is happening is because the cost of DRAM is ballooning the prices of all electronics and they are fully aware that people can’t pay the new higher prices even if they wanted to. Lower monthly payments is the difference between whether a lot of people buy an Apple or Samsung device at all.
I wouldn’t call this move nefarious on its own, but it is a dystopian side affect of the real problem which is DRAM price gauging.