Apple should kill the 16GB iPhone, but it probably won't - CNET

The simple answer is profit margin.

According to IHS, an analytics firm that does teardowns and estimates bills of materials for iPads, iPhones and other products, going from 16GB to 32GB of NAND flash memory would've cost Apple around $10 in September 2014 -- so probably even less almost a year later, with prices for memory drifting downward. Yes, that's a significant sum when you consider that, according to those aforementioned teardowns/bill of materials estimates, it costs Apple around $200 to build an iPhone 6 and $215 to build an iPhone 6 Plus.

we urrent iPhones don't offer a 32GB option.Apple.com screenshot by John P. Falcone/CNET

Better yet -- for Apple anyway -- it costs you $750 to buy the 64GB iPhone 6, which conservatively costs Apple about $20 more to make than the 16GB version. From a margins standpoint, the 64GB and 128GB iPhones are by far more profitable, so Apple doesn't really want you to buy a 16GB iPhone.

And the numbers show that Apple's plan to push consumers to the more expensive models is working. The average selling price for an iPhone in the final quarter of 2014 (when the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus first debuted in bulk) was $687. By comparison, the average selling price of an Android phone during the same period was less than half -- just $254. That's the primary reason Apple is the most valuable company in the world even as Android phone manufacturers struggle to make a profit.

Apple should kill the 16GB iPhone, but it probably won't - CNET

Considering an upgrade from Moto 360 (2014) to Moto 360 (2015) | Android Central

"While there's a group of folks out there who were really hoping the new Moto 360 would have a full circle design, dropping the display shelf and focusing on looks instead of features, there are even more people seriously wondering how much of an upgrade this watch really is.

After all, when you look at the specs it's clear the new Moto 360 isn't surpassing the capabilities of the watches that have been released to compete with the original, none of which are exactly standing tall as vastly superior anyway. The original Moto 360 had some flaws, especially when it came to battery life and overall performance, but it looked great and many early adopters are able to squeeze a full day of enjoyment out of it."

Galaxy Note 5 versus Nexus 6 | Android Central

"Though the Nexus 6 is almost a year old, it holds its own against the new Galaxy Note 5.

The Galaxy Note 5 may be the hot new big phone right now, but the last huge phone on everyone's mind — theNexus 6 — is still around and very much a fresh device. Though the Note 5 is merely weeks old at this point and the Nexus 6 has been on shelves for about 10 months, these are both high-end devices that directly compete for attention and space in your pocket.

Motorola Moto X Style vs Nexus 6

Moto X Pure Edition review: the third time really is the charm

Motorola Moto X Pure Edition review | The Verge

The Moto X Pure Edition sits at the top of Motorola’s lineup, but it’s actually a really good mid-range phone with an attractive, but appropriate, mid-range price. It doesn’t really match or compete with higher-priced flagship devices like the iPhone 6 Plus or Galaxy Note 5. It also lacks things like a fingerprint scanner or wireless charging, which are becoming more commonplace on high-end smartphones this year.

But to do better than the Moto X, you have to spend a lot more money, and it’s not clear to me that the investment is worth it for most people. The Moto X has a better design, better performance, and better camera than any other smartphone available for under $500. Unless you’re prepared to spend hundreds of dollars more, you’re not going to find something better. Its few faults aren’t really things that ruin its experience, and the Moto X proves that you don’t need to be class-leading in order to make a really great phone.

Motorola Moto X Pure Edition review | The Verge

Google updates logo, remaking it for the mobile age - CNET

Google updates logo, remaking it for the mobile age - CNET

Google OnHub review | The Verge

Google OnHub review | The Verge

Samsung Galaxy Note5 vs Google Nexus 6

Samsung Galaxy Note5 vs Google Nexus 6 - Interface and Functionality

Samsung was the first in the smartphone chip race to get to 14nm manufacturing and it used this advantage fully with its Samsung Galaxy S6, a device that ditched Qualcomm chips used before by Samsung in favor of the new Exynos 7420 system chip. The same chip powers the Galaxy Note5, and it’s an octa-core 64-bit solution that runs at up to 2.1GHz and relies on a big.LITTLE configuration of four high-performance Cortex A57 cores and four power-efficient Cortex A53s. The Google Nexus 6, in comparison, sports the Snapdragon 805, a quad-core 32-bit chip that features four Krait 450 CPU cores running at up to 2.7GHz.


Those are the specs, but what’s the perceived real-life performance? The Galaxy Note5 is an improvement over earlier Samsungs that had noticeable issues with micro lag (hello, Note4!), but at the same time, we still find the Nexus 6 running a bit zippier and stutter-free.


Samsung Galaxy Note5 vs Google Nexus 6 - Interface and Functionality

Should I upgrade from the Galaxy Note 4 to the Note 5? | Android Central

In terms of hardware overall, there isn't much argument that the Note 5 is a clear step above the Note 4. Having a phone that's easier to hold and use is a big plus, and the fact that it looks and feels dramatically better than the Note 4 just adds to it. The gains in usability are likely to far outweigh the loss of a removable battery and SD card for most people, and those who are really clutching to those features may even be convinced when they hold and use it.



Should I upgrade from the Galaxy Note 4 to the Note 5? | Android Central