How phones went from $200 to $2,000
Phones are more expensive than ever. Flagship devices from Apple, Samsung, Google, and other top manufacturers can now cost hundreds of dollars more than they did just a couple of years ago. Now, with the arrival of foldable phones, which are being priced at $2,000 and above, it looks like the upper limit for phone prices is going to keep growing.
There are a few different reasons why phone prices have been skyrocketing over the past several years. The first is simple: it’s just sticker shock. In the United States, flagship phones used to cost $200 as part of a mobile phone contract, while their real cost was hidden away in monthly fees. Now that those contracts are dead, phone prices are all stated outright. That explains why, several…